Photo Credit: Tinh tế Photo [CC0] (Cropped). Title: iPhone 8 in silver with white rear side, holding in the hand
Several years have passed since the first low budget iPhone was released. Now rumours are pointing towards another release in 2020. A reliable Apple analyst named Ming-Chi Kuo had a lot to say.
Name
There are two possible names doing the rounds for the new low budget iPhone possibly releasing in 2020, iPhone SE2 and iPhone 9. Both names can be justified though.
iPhone SE2 is a viable contender because this phone, although it will allegedly not have the same body as the original SE, will be in the same category, low budget. It will possibly follow the same path as the SE by putting new, stronger internal hardware into an older body design.
iPhone 9 can be justified using chronology. It will be the scion of the iPhone 8 because the body that will allegedly look the same as the iPhone 8.
Design
The new iPhone will probably be in an invigorated iPhone 8 body with a frosted glass finish like the iPhone 11 Pro rather than the gloss finish found on the iPhone 8. One structural difference we know about thus far is that is will likely be 7.8mm thick, 0.5mm thicker than the original iPhone 8. Have a look at the latest concept designs.
With the glass back design, the iPhone may also be able to charge wirelessly.
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Colours
Looks like Apple will not be funky with the new colours. Kuo implies that the new release will be available in red, silver and space grey.
Specs
All rumours at this stage point to the same A13 processor found in the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro. The A13 processor will seal your future to have plenty of years left for staying on the latest iOS releases.
More rumours suggest it could probably have 3GB RAM which is only 1GB short of the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro lineup.
In simpler words, there will be more than enough power to handle common and intermediate tasks that the ordinary users need.
In its price range, which we will get to in a moment, it looks like the phone will have 64GB of storage.
Display
A tech site based in Japan called Macotakara, says the iPhone may have a 5.4-inch display (almost the size of the iPhone 8 Plus) with the thick bezels as used in the iPhone 8 and versions before that.
The display being bigger than the standard iPhone 8 which has a 4.7-inch, suggest that the body could be that of the iPhone 8 Plus and maybe have a dual-camera system.
Cameras
Speaking of cameras, at this stage we think that the iPhone will feature a single-lens camera at the rear and Apple’s TrueDepth camera on the front. The True Depth camera system replaced the single front-facing camera and has a normal 7MP camera. It does, however, consists of an infrared camera, proximity sensor as well as the dot projector, responsible for gathering 3D information, which is in turn what Face ID authentication and Animoji use.
To keep this new iPhone in the lower price range, we might only get a simple and single-lens camera array at the back.
We have no word on camera features like Portrait mode or other high-end features.
Security
Another rumour by Macotakara indicates that two different versions may see the light. There may be one version with TouchID only and another with only Face ID.
Suggestions for Face ID is the result of a few Apple suppliers that showcased some of their products at CES 2020. This may have been the latest iPhone covers or other related accessories.
Other Features
More rumours speak of a bigger battery coming to the new iPhone. This makes sense though, because of the powerful A13 that may be installed.
Release and Pricing
The release date is still a highly debated topic. Some say we will see the release during the second half of 2020 and others suggest it will be during the first quarter.
If Apple keeps the March special event tradition alive, the chances are big that we’ll see the release in March rather than September. Another argument for a March release is the fact that the first iPhone SE was launched in March 2016.
Pricing stands at $399 which is R5,724.21* (excluding import and other taxes). This is surely a less expensive upgrade than the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro with their entry levels almost or more than double in price.
| iPhone | Digicape | iStore | Apple.com |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 11 (64GB) | R14,899 | R14,999 | $699 |
| iPhone 11 Pro (64GB) | R20,799 | R21,999 | $999 |
| iPhone 11 Pro Max (64GB) | R24,399 | R23,999 | $1,099 |
Remember the new iPhone will have the same internals as the 11 and 11 Pro. The major difference in price is because of the camera system and features.
Closing
This is by far the best upgrade for iPhone 6 and 6s users, because of the fact that the iPhone 6 has already been removed from further iOS upgrades and the iPhone 6s is the oldest model to support iOS 13.
I’ll keep you updated on the release of the iPhone SE2 or iPhone 9. I’m excited to see this new addition to the iPhone lineup and I’m confident it will be a success by being a low-cost phone with powerful internals.
*- Exchange rate from Investing.com as on 15 January 2020 at 14:57
– Pricing for Digicape, iStore and Apple.com as on 15 January 2020 at 15:08
