The iPhone SE 2, also known as the iPhone 9, is meant to fill a gap in Apple’s iPhone lineup for a budget handset. And a new rumor says it’s coming to customers this March.
Rather than having to wait until September as usual for the next iPhone release, Apple has long been rumored to be bringing out this new version of its smartphone in the early months of the year. A new development however is MyDrivers (via TechRadar) claiming that Apple has begun a trial production period, and will be launched next month.
MyDrivers also claims that the phone will be called the iPhone 9 rather than the iPhone SE 2. The SE 2 name, which ties back to the original low-priced iPhone SE, was given weight from its use by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The alternative name, which fits neatly in the gap left when Apple skipped from iPhone 8 to iPhone X, hasn’t been around for as long, but would also make sense since the phone is meant to be based on the iPhone 8 chassis but with upgraded internals.
Kuo is also the source for many of the specs we’ve already heard about the phone, such as its A13 CPU, LCD display, and its standard and Plus variants, the latter of which will apparently use a new kind of Touch ID fingerprint sensor.
The report continues to mention that the budget iPhone will be aimed at emerging markets like India, although that hopefully doesn’t mean the phone won’t be available in the US or UK. It also gives an estimated price of 3,000 yuan, which converts to $427 or £327, which would make it cheaper than the iPhone 8 currently is at $449. That would be great, and not unexpected given that Apple made the iPhone 11 cheaper than the iPhone XR it replaced.
If you want to read up on the other rumored features for the next cheap iPhone, then our regularly-updated iPhone SE 2 hub is the best place for you to start.
