iPhone 9 may launch April 15 based on new leak

After some excitement about an iPhone 9 launch this week, we've now got another rumor claiming that Apple's midrange phone will instead release later this month.

This comes from the Twitter of Jon Prosser (via TechRadar), who says this information was leaked from a recent internal Apple meeting. He does however say that these dates could still change, as nobody quite knows how the developing coronavirus pandemic will affect business operations.

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This would come just a day after OnePlus announces the OnePlus 8 series, and also Honor's event for the Honor 30 series. But there's no doubt Apple will still be able to claim the spotlight thanks to its devices' huge popularity.

A previous rumor, based on shipments of iPhone 9-compatible cases to Best Buy, had suggested that the new phone could be unveiled on March 31, or potentially before the end of the same week (April 3). Looking at both of these rumors, it's possible that Apple made a last-minute change, or that Urban Armor just decided to get its cases to retailers early to try and get a head start.

The iPhone 9 is expected to deliver a full iOS experience but on an iPhone 8-style handset that costs around $400, the cheapest iPhone since the iPhone SE.. With Google's Pixel 3a (and upcoming Pixel 4a) also aiming at this price, and many other smartphone manufacturers also offering similarly priced phones, there's a clear demand that Apple thinks it can take advantage of.

We're expecting a 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch version of the iPhone 9, both using Touch ID and a single rear camera, but with the same A13 Bionic CPU that powers the iPhone 11 series.