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Report backs up claims of slow 3D sensor production for Apple's iPhone X

3D sensor suppliers for the iPhone X are "still struggling" to achieve significant output and improve yield rates, according to a report, which also reiterated expectations that the phone will be in very short supply.

Two executive sources with iPhone suppliers were "unable to offer clarity" on whether Apple will be able to meet demand after the phone's launch, Japan's Nikkei said on Tuesday. One of the people elaborated that daily iPhone X production is currently limited to the tens of thousands — likely well below what the company will need to satisfy global demand.

The claims echo ones made on Monday by KGI Securites analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said that the iPhone X's TrueDepth camera would create an obstacle to mass production.

Apple may be having trouble in general, as DigiTimes claimed that the company has asked suppliers to slow down parts shipments to 40 percent of the quantities originally planned. Nevertheless, some suppliers — possibly the 3D sensor makers — are allegedly having a hard time meeting even that quota, owing to yield rates.

The iPhone X is believed to be a difficult device to make, owing not just to the TrueDepth camera used for features like Face ID and animoji, but its edge-to-edge OLED display, interrupted by a "notch" for TrueDepth. Samsung is thought to be the product's only display supplier, being the one company with enough OLED capacity.

Preorders for the phone start on Oct. 27 ahead of a Nov. 3 launch. Some analysts, including Kuo, have suggested that mass production might only start in mid- to late October.