iPhone X ‘Romeo’ and ‘Juliet’ Facial Recognition Components Slow Production: REPORT

Reports continue to mount regarding the iPhone X and its production issues, specifically regarding its facial recognition feature, and the newest information regarding the high-end smartphone don’t bode well.

According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, additional manufacturing issues might mean that there may be even fewer iPhone Xs to go around on launch day. Specifically, a pair of components dubbed “Romeo” and “Juliet” seem to be the ones to blame.

According to the Journal, Romeo and Juliet are two separate components that are integral to Face ID‘s functionality. The Romeo module beams a laser at a person’s face to identify facial features, contours, and more. The Juliet module takes that information and interprets it to ensure the person trying to activate the iPhone X is verified to do so. Without either component, the iPhone X’s central security feature will not work.

A source for the WSJ claims that there have been issues with manufacturing yields for the Romeo modules, which apparently took more time to assemble than the Juliet parts. This created a bottleneck that could further limit supply when the phone launches next month.

Apple has remained silent about its possible manufacturing woes, but the company’s decision to release the iPhone X in November instead of a September timeframe like its iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus might be telling. Apple, it seems, needed some additional time to get its high-end smartphone to store shelves.

The bad news echoes a similar report from earlier this week, in which KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple’s iPhone X is facing production issues related to facial recognition technology.