Want an iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max for Christmas? Better order now

If you want to get one of Apple's best iPhones, the iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max, you'd better order sooner rather than later: delivery lead times are long and about to get a whole lot longer.

Apple isn't messing you about here. In a short press statement, Apple explains that "COVID-19 restrictions have temporarily impacted the primary iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max assembly facility located in Zhengzhou, China." That means the plant is making fewer Pro and Pro Max models than anticipated, and that's going to have a knock-on effect on supply for the foreseeable future.

How to beat the delays on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max

Looking at the UK Apple Store, lead times for all models of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are currently sitting at 6th to 13th of December. It doesn't matter which model you choose, what colour or what capacity; they're all showing up with the same lead times. I'm getting zero stock availability in Apple Stores too.

It's a similar story on the major retailers, which are reporting that the Pro and Pro Max are currently out of stock both online and in stores. 

If you're really in a hurry to get a Pro or Pro Max you'll have to shop around. I'm finding very, very limited availability of some 1TB iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models on phone retailers' websites for next day delivery, and a small number of Pros – excluding the cheapest one – for delivery in mid-November.

There is another option if you want a Pro iPhone but aren't too bothered about getting the very latest and most expensive ones. The iPhone 13 Pro is widely available, and while it's not the latest version it's still a very powerful device.