Much has been made about Apple's (AAPL 1.08%) plan to roll out a lower cost, smaller iPhone later this year. But now, based on leaked iOS 14 code, it appears two models with different screen sizes are in the works.
According to source code obtained by 9to5Mac, , Apple is working on an iPhone 9 Plus in addition to an iPhone 9. The iOS 14 code reveals Apple is developing an entry-level iPhone with a 4.7 inch LCD display as well as a 5.5-inch version. Both devices will have a Home Button and Touch ID. They won't come with Face ID, which makes sense since Apple is expected to price these devices at the lower end of the market. The phones are expected to replace the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
IMAGE SOURCE: APPLE.
The lower-cost devices are also being called the iPhone SE2 and will run on Apple's A13 Bionic processor. Apple is going after the market of people who need the processing power to use Apple's app but don't want all the bells and whistles the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro are equipped with. The devices are aimed at consumers still using the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s.
Ming-Chi Kuo, the influential Apple analyst at TF Securities, has long predicted that the new low-end iPhone will be priced at $399 and would launch in the first quarter of 2020. But with coronavirus causing interruptions to the supply chain, it's not clear when Apple will roll it out. Elliot Lam, an Apple supply chain expert, recently told Bank of America the SE2 would be delayed several months because of the outbreak. There's also worries Apple's 5G iPhone launch will be pushed back because of COVID-19.
