San Francisco, Jun 2 (IANS): Apple is planning to start mass production of its upcoming 6.1-inch iPhone 12 models in July ahead of the rest of the flagship iPhone lineup this year.

Apple is expected to launch four new iPhone 12 models this year - a base 5.4-inch iPhone, two 6.1-inch iPhones and a 6.7-inch iPhone.

According to a DigiTimes report, the earlier production timeline for the two 6.1-inch models is that these will use touch modules that need to be outsourced from other supply chain partners, whereas the 5.4-inch and 6.7-inch OLED panels provided by Samsung will come with the panel maker's Y-OCTA Touch technology.

Samsung's Y-OCTA flexible display tech has the touch sensor placed directly on the OLED panel without the need for a separate touch layer.

According to a recent report by investment bank Cowen, Apple is likely to delay the launch of new iPhonel 12 series by at least two months which may take place in November instead of the usual mid-September time-frame.

Apple's second-quarter production is expected to be 35 million units, down 5 per cent from the first quarter and down 13 per cent from the same period last year.

The analyst said that the production supply chain has generally returned to normal output rates, but downstream demand remains uncertain.