Another manufacturing issue has arisen that threatens to delay the launch of the iPhone 12.

According to a note released this weekend by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the coating on the wide-angle camera of the 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch iPhone 12 models (standard models, not the iPhone 12 Pro series) has cracked in a high heat stress test.9 According to to5Mac, the purpose of the test is to evaluate the phone's reliability in a harsh tropical environment. [As with many components, Apple used two suppliers for this component, and the sample provided by the other company passed the test without failure.

As a result, this lapse in quality assurance may not delay the launch of the iPhone 12 any further, and Apple may even use this episode as a bargaining chip to negotiate a price reduction with the company that provided the defective units.

Other news surrounding Apple's upcoming handsets was not exactly good. First, Apple confirmed on its July 30 earnings call that the iPhone 12 series will miss its September launch by "a few weeks."

Then, this week, an image of a pre-production display unit leaked by Twitter user Mr. White revealed that the iPhone's much anticipated design feature, a smaller notch, may be missed on the final model. (The tweet has since been deleted, but MacRumors still has the photo.)

Finally, earlier this morning, it became increasingly likely that the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max will not feature displays with 120Hz refresh rates, and that Samsung's new Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will remain uncontested.

At this point, it seems unlikely that the camera issues experienced by non-Pro models will keep the iPhone 12 from our hands. In fact, the iPhone 12 launch could be staggered, with the two middle 6.1-inch models offered earlier and the least expensive 5.4-inch iPhone 12 and most expensive 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max coming later. Expect Apple to be right on target in the home stretch.