Code discovered in iOS 14 reveals Apple is working on an ‘iPhone 9 Plus’ – a larger version of its upcoming budget device
- Code in iOS 14 confirms two versions of Apple’s upcoming budget devices
- The devices will reportedly use Apple’s A13 Bionic chip
- It’s still unclear what the price or the release date will be
Apple is readying even more new iPhones than initially thought.
According to a report from 9to5Mac, code discovered inside iOS 14 shows evidence that the company is planning to release an iPhone 9 Plus, which will act as a larger alternative to an upcoming line of more budget-focused devices.
The discovery of the code is the a first in terms of legitimate references from Apple’s about the upcoming iPhone 9 (which may still be called the iPhone SE 2) and has been rumored for about a year.
The iPhone XR (pictured above) is among Apple’s newest ‘budget’ offerings, despite retailing at a rather hefty $599. A rumored iPhone SE 2 is anticipated to cost $399
The phones will likely replace the current lineup of iPhone 8’s which come in two different sizes – a 4.7-inch display and a 5.5-inch display.
9to5Mac reports that both phones will use Apple’s A13 Bionic chip which is used in its current premium devices, including the iPhone 11 Pro.
The devices will also reportedly feature a ‘solid-state home button’ which is essentially the same home button on the iPhone 8.
Instead of being a physical button like devices prior to the iPhone 8, it uses a ‘Taptic’ engine to simulate the physicality of clicking.
Since the phone is on the budget side, it will reportedly use Touch ID – a fingerprint scanner – as opposed to the premium Face ID on Apple’s more expensive devices.
While price is still unclear, a prior report from DigiTimes suggested the Apple the line of devices could reatail for about $399, making them a full $300 less expensive than the iPhone 11.
DigiTimes’ report is based on packaging orders received by a Taiwan based company for two iPhone models, though the existence of those differing models has yet to be acknowledged by Apple.
Both of the new devices will reportedly come equipped with an LCD display as opposed to Apple’s more expensive OLED display – a difference that will likely lower the price significantly.
According to a prior report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has often correctly forecast Apple’s yet-to-be-released hardware, the phone was supposed to hit the market as soon as March 2020 after going into production in January but a coroanvirus pandemic will likely delay that process.
Apple previously warned employees to prepare for a shortage of replacement iPhones due to the coronavirus, according to reports this month.
A leaked internal memo circulated to Apple Store workers suggested replacement devices for heavily-damaged iPhones will be in short supply for as long as four weeks, according to Bloomberg.
The shortage relates to supply chain issues caused by the shutdown of a major manufacturing planet in China to prevent the spread of the virus.