Is Apple making an iPhone 9 or SE 2? Every rumor, including specs and launch date

 Apple is expected to launch a budget-friendly phone on April 15th, which could be the first of at least five iPhones anticipated to launch in 2020. This device is widely speculated to be called the iPhone 9 (or possibly the iPhone SE 2), which would be a long overdue update to 2016's much-loved iPhone SE. If the rumors are true, this would signal Apple's renewed commitment to low-cost phones as global smartphone sales continue to decline.

But keeping in mind that the world is in the midst of a pandemic, the launch date and its rumoured April 22nd shipment date could change. Apple -- along with the broader smartphone and consumer electronics industry --  have been grappling with widespread supply-chain disruptions caused by the coronaviruswhich has already forced Apple to lower its quarterly revenue guidance and shutdown stores in the US and China. Until Apple's spring launch takes place, however, we'll continue gather the most credible and compelling rumors that have been circulating to give you an idea of what to expect from it.

The iPhone 9 may launch at $399

Renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts the iPhone 9 will cost $399 (around £300 or AU$600). At this price, Apple may potentially lure budget-minded customers who aren't willing to splurge $1,000 or even $700 (on say, an iPhone 11 Pro or iPhone 11) into making an upgrade. This isn't the first time Apple targeted the "budget" segment of the smartphone market. The original iPhone SE launched at $399. At the time it was hundreds of dollars cheaper than its Apple-made contemporaries and ended up being a successful product for the company. As the global smartphone market shrinks and fewer consumers splurge on premium handsets, Apple knows the importance of offering a low-cost but high-quality phone shouldn't be overlooked -- especially if it wants to make further inroads into massive, price-sensitive countries like China and India.

The iPhone 9 could feature the A13 bionic chip, 3GB RAM

The upcoming iPhone 9, according to Kuo, is expected to be modeled after the iPhone 8 including having a home button, but with enhanced internals. It may have Apple's newest chipset, the A13 processor, which is the same one found in the iPhone 11 series. Kuo also predicts the iPhone 9 will come with 3GB RAM. 

The iPhone 9 may have a smallish LCD display with Touch ID 

It looks like the expected 4.7-inch screen of the iPhone 9 will be as small as Apple is willing to go for now. That's larger than the original SE, which had a 4-inch display. Like the iPhone 8, the device is expected to sport an LCD display instead of an OLED screen in order to drive down costs, Nikkei Asian Review reported in September. OLED displays, which offer blacker blacks and higher contrasts, are typically found on higher-end phones like the iPhone X and iPhone 11. 

Along with a smallish screen, Touch ID could make a comeback in the iPhone 9, which is rumored to have a physical home button that would enable the biometric feature. That's as opposed to Face ID, which uses facial scanning and is featured in current iPhone models. Apple's new phone will also be compatible with Apple Pay and the Express Transit for automatic ticketing on public transport, according leaked iOS 14 code that was seen by to 9to5 Mac. The code reportedly reveals it'll also be able to scan NFC tags in the background, which is something the iPhone XR, iPhone XS and the iPhone 11 are capable of doing.  

The device could have a single rear camera 

Since the iPhone 9 is expected to be modeled after the iPhone 8, right down to its thick bezels and Touch ID fingerprint scanner. We also expect a single 12-megapixel camera to make an appearance on the rear in order to keep costs low. In addition, the phone is expected to come in three colors: space gray, red and silver.

A more expensive sibling could be in the works: The iPhone SE 2 Plus or iPhone 9 Plus?

Even though the iPhone 9 or iPhone SE 2 hasn't been announced yet, in the Apple universe it seems as if it's never too early to talk about upcoming iPhones. There is already buzz of a more expensive sibling set for launch either in 2021 or even as early as this April 15th, but it will still be positioned as a lower-cost phone that'll reportedly cost $499. According to MacRumors citing Kuo, it'll be called the iPhone SE 2 Plus and will feature a 5.5- or 6.1-inch LCD display. It apparently will also have an updated form of Touch ID that would be integrated into the power button. Other rumours, however, say it'll be known as the iPhone 9 Plus.