Apple’s next cheaper iPhone is expected to keep a design similar to the iPhone 8.
James Martin/CNET
Apple’s cheaper 4.7-inch iPhone 9 (its current non-official name) has been rumored for months. And while the coronavirus pandemic has added an extra layer of uncertainty to whether it will arrive his spring, images of a new case seem to indicate it’s still on its way. If an image sent to 9to5Mac and MacRumors is to be believed, Best Buy is already receiving cases for a “New iPhone 4.7-inch, 2020.” According to the sites, the case in question from Urban Armor Gear comes with instructions that it should not be sold until Sunday, April 5.
Rumored for a while, the new 4.7-inch iPhone may be called the iPhone 9 or iPhone SE 2. Like the original iPhone SE, it is expected to be cheaper than recent iPhone models like the $700 iPhone 11. It is said to keep a design similar to the iPhone 8, including having a home button, but will have updated internal components to make it more modern than that 2017 phone like an A13 processor.
Later on Tuesday, Front Page Tech’s Jon Prosser tweeted that Apple was preparing for an April release for the iPhone 9. “Tentative dates: – Announcement on April 15 – Shipments on April 22,” Prosser tweeted.
iPhone 9 update ?
Per an internal meeting yesterday, Apple is now preparing for an April release.
Tentative dates:
– Announcement on April 15
– Shipments on April 22Keep in mind: we’re in the middle of a pandemic, and things could change.
Fingers crossed ? pic.twitter.com/egz8UWXd9F
— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) March 31, 2020
Rumors previously had the phone pegged to come out by the end of March for potentially $399.
Apple didn’t respond to a request for comment.
