On September 12, Apple announced its 2018 product lineup, which included three new iPhones. The company unveiled two new OLED devices: the iPhone XS, with a 5.8-inch display, and the 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max. The prices of these phones will start at $999 and $1,099, respectively. Apple also showed off a cheaper iPhone with a LCD display, which was dubbed the iPhone XR and will start at just $749.
Both OLED devices were available for pre-order on Friday, September 14, and have already began shipping, but the iPhone XR was given a much later release date. Apple said the release date for the iPhone XR in the U.S. would be on October 28, with pre-orders starting on October 19, putting it more than a month behind the iPhone XS and XS Max releases.
A quick visit to Apple website reveals that the iPhone XR has yet to be approved by the FCC, which means the company doesn’t currently have the permission to distribute the device.
“iPhone XR has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. iPhone XR is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained,” reads the fine print located at the bottom of the iPhone XR’s official webpage.
Reports from Phone Arena say this could be because of the Apple’s decision to incorporate its now infamous notch with the “Liquid Retina” LCD display of the iPhone XR. According to the report, there is said to be light bleeding happening on the LCD display around the notch.
The tech website also mentioned a possible issue with the faux 3D Touch functionality that Apple announced it would be trying to implement in its more budget-friendly device.
During the annual keynote event, Apple CEO Tim Cook stressed the company’s desire to make their phones accessible to more people. The company attempted to do so by introducing the iPhone XR, a more budget-friendly option for consumers. The phone will carry the same A12 Bionic processor and FaceID functionality as the more expensive devices, but will come with a 6.1 LCD display and a single camera instead of the dual camera setup on the iPhone XS and XS Max.
And just like Apple’s previous attempt at creating a budget iPhone, the XR will come in a number of different colors.
Apple will need to receive FCC approval sooner rather than later in order to meet the October deadlines they’ve set for themselves. However, it is currently unknown whether the issues will be resolved in time.
