There has been no shortage of leaks about an upcoming, affordable iPhone, quite often dubbed as the iPhone SE 2 or the iPhone 9. However, reports have suggested that Apple is working on another version, possibly the iPhone 9 Plus, which will be launched alongside the iPhone 9.
9to5Mac has revealed that Apple is working on two affordable iPhones for an upcoming launch. The two new phones could possibly be the successors to the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
According to the report, 9to5Mac scoured through the source code of iOS 14 and found out information about Apple’s plans for the second phone.
What Can You Expect From the New iPhones?
According to the rumour mill, the two new iPhones will see the return of the physical home button on the front of the device. Since the phones are geared towards an affordable price point and won’t be flagship devices, Apple will skip out on the FaceID authentication and revive TouchID.
Users will be able to use TouchID for authenticating payments on Apple Pay and also scan NFC tags in the background, a feature that is currently only available with the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and the iPhone 11 series.
9to5Mac also suggests that the two new iPhones will run on Apple’s A13 Bionic chipset on iOS 14, which is the same chipset that powers the iPhone 11 series.
The smaller iPhone is expected to have a 4.7-inch LCD screen, a form factor seen previously on multiple iPhones. The Plus variant is expected to sport a 5.5-inch LCD screen. The smaller variant is expected to have a price tag of $399 (about Rs 30,000), the same amount that the original iPhone SE debuted at.
At this price tag, the new iPhones will compete with multiple Android devices in the entry level premium segment. They will be great buys for those looking to upgrade from their older iPhones, but don’t want to shell out over Rs. 70,000 for a new iPhone.
The two new iPhones were expected to launch at Apple’s annual March event, which the tech giant cancelled due to Coronavirus fears. Apple has not yet revealed any official date for the release of its new iPhones.
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