Apple's budget iPhone, the device rumoured to be called the iPhone SE 2 or iPhone 9, is expected to arrive this month. Here's everything we know about the upcoming smartphone:
Design and Display
Ming-Chi Kuo's October analyst note claimed that Apple's iPhone 9 will bear a striking resemblance to the iPhone 8. Kuo also added that Apple will maintain a 4.7-inch display in the iPhone SE successor, with a 5.5- or 6.1-inch model potentially coming later in the year. Moreover, a recently posted video has started doing the rounds on the web, showing the upcoming iPhone 9 in all its glory. Take a look for yourself:
Specs
The biggest changes we might see in the iPhone 9 will be in the hardware specs area, such as the processor and the RAM. According to reports, the cheapest iPhone 9 variant will come with 64GB internal storage, 3GB Ram, and an A13 chip. Moreover, there's a possibility of Face ID making its way to the handset but the phone won't come with support for 5G connectivity, unlike Apple's upcoming iPhone 12 series.
Price
If rumours are anything to go by, Apple's upcoming affordable offering will be the cheapest model on store shelves. Apple's current cheapest iPhone, the iPhone 8, which first released in 2017, costs $449 after a series of price cuts. The iPhone SE had a starting price of $399 and dropped to $349 over time.
According to Kuo, the iPhone 9 will be priced at $399, which is the same price that Apple launched the original iPhone SE 2 for in March 2016. This means the iPhone 9 will be $300 cheaper than the basic iPhone 11, and $50 cheaper than the iPhone 8, the device that the iPhone 9 has taken inspiration from.
Release date
The iPhone 9 was initially expected to debut before the end of this month and hit store shelves early next month. However, factory shutdowns in China due to the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak delayed the upcoming phone's launch.
Apple's shipments of components for the iPhone 9 are being differed from the first quarter to the second quarter, according to Digitimes. But, other reports are claiming that a March launch might still be possible. On Wednesday, an LCD producer for the iPhone 9 had reportedly put the component through its final verification stage before it begins mass production, which suggests that it is still on schedule for launch at the rumoured March 31 event.
