5G iPhone should be ready by fall despite coronavirus, Foxconn reportedly says

Apple's biggest manufacturing contractor, Foxconn, reportedly told investors on a call Tuesday that the upcoming 5G-enabled iPhone should still be able to hit its fall launch schedule -- provided there are no further coronavirus-related delays over the coming months. The upcoming iPhone 12 is rumored to have new color and screen size options, as well as 5G support. 

In February, Foxconn faced delays as thousands of workers needed to assemble iPhones and other Apple electronics were told to stay home due to COVID-19. The company has since resumed operations, but not without some lingering issues.

"We and the customer's engineers are trying to catch up the missing gap after we lost some days due to travel ban. There's opportunity and possibility that we might catch up," Alex Yang, the investor relations chief of Foxconn, said on a conference call, Bloomberg reported. "But if there's a further delay in the next few weeks, months, then you probably have to reconsider launching time. It's still possible."

Much of the new iPhone's fate seems to depend on the remaining course of the pandemic, but Foxconn is reportedly hopeful that the new iPhone will launch in time for the holiday season. 

We reached out to Apple and Foxconn for comment but didn't immediately hear back.