Cupertino-based telecom giant Apple Inc. is gearing up to launch its latest budget-friendly smartphone this year. The device is likely the much-awaited iPhone SE 2. Some reports have claimed that it could be arriving in the market as the iPhone 9. Apple plans to begin assembly this February, ahead of its 2020 roadmap when it adds a range of 5G-enabled devices to the lineup.
According to a report on Bloomberg, a source close to Apple claims that the company is likely to officially unveil the new device in March. The three Taiwanese firms in charge of the assembly lineup are Wistron Corp., Pegatron Corp., and Hon Hai Precision Industry. The iPhone SE 2 / iPhone 9 will be the second low-cost iPhone following the first-generation iPhone SE from 2016 that based on the iPhone 6S. The smartphone is rumored to be based on the iPhone 8, which is currently priced at $499.
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Everything We Know So Far About the iPhone 9 / iPhone SE 2
The demand for compact smartphones has increased recently, with the iPhone XR being well-received globally. Hence, Apple could be planning to launch a low-cost iPhone 9 / iPhone SE 2 smartphone. According to leaked renders that were shared by OnLeaks in the recent past, the iPhone SE 2 sports a 4.7-inch display with a thick bezel on top and an equally thick chin. Apple might do away with the more expensive XDR OLED Retina display in favor of a Liquid Retina LCD display to keep costs down.
The iPhone SE 2 sports an aspect ratio of 16:9, along with a physical fingerprint scanner on the chin. The device likely lacks Face ID. While the power button is located on the right edge, the volume rocker and alert slider are found on the left edge. The lightning port is located between two speakers grills on the bottom.
The frosted glass rear panel is similar to the one on the iPhone 8. The device sports a single camera with an LED flash on the top left corner, with the iconic Apple logo located in the center.
Powering the iPhone SE 2 is the Apple A13 Bionic chipset found on the latest iPhone 11 series. The device is likely to feature 3GB of RAM with 64GB/128GB of native storage, run on iOS 13 and sport a price tag of $399. Rumors of a second variant with a larger 5.5-inch or 6.1-inch display sporting a price tag of $499 are also doing the rounds on the internet. This phone might be called iPhone 9 Plus. There is no official word from Apple or any of its partner firms in-charge of assembly.
Affordable iPhones have proven to be quite popular with customers. Perhaps the best example of which is the iPhone 11, whose base price starts at $50 lower than Apple’s usual pricing. Keeping this steady rise in demand in mind, Apple has asked its semiconductor supplier to make more chips this quarter. iPhone sales have been dwindling in price-sensitive markets like India. The company plans to sell over 200 million units in 2020, and the iPhone SE 2 will play a major role in achieving the target.
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