Apple is ready to commence the mass production of its next budget phone, rumored to be called the iPhone SE2 or iPhone 9, which the latest reports said will be this coming February. Then tentatively, the handset will make its commercial debut in the following month or five years after the first iPhone SE had hit the market.
It was in March 2015 that the original model was introduced, and it proved to be a popular device, which likely prompted Apple to work on a follow-up. It appears the plan for a second iPhone SE is now in full swing as the large-scale assembly is said to be happening in the next few weeks.
The low-cost iPhone will enter production in February, according to 9to5Mac, pointing to a new report from Bloomberg. If indeed the production activities for the iPhone SE2 will start next month, the device is seen to ready for selling "as early as March," the report added.
In his more recent research notes, analyst Ming-chi Kuo made claims that Apple will be making a budget-friendly device that he dubbed as the SE2. It is believed the new handset will be patterned after the iPhone 8, thus giving a clue that the display screen will measure 4.7-inch.
When the handset is finally unboxed, it is likely that it will be officially known as the iPhone 9, and it makes sense as it will fill the gap in Apple's naming sequence. After the iPhone 8 push, the number 9 was skipped, so the tech giant could be planning to make use of the label.
In any case, the iPhone SE2 or iPhone 9 will be a compelling offering from Apple as the device will run on the latest iOS 13 version and powered by the A13 Bionic mobile processor. This is the same CPU that runs the show on the iPhone 11 series.
According to CNET, the cheapest of the latest iPhone models will be equipped with a 12-megapixel main shooter, which is expected to cut costs and allow Apple to sell it at a targeted price point that will be easy on the pocket.
The device is seen to arrive with two storage options - 64GB for the base model and 128GB for would-be buyers looking to enjoy more built-in memory space. RAM will be at 3GB, and it should be noted that the allocation is just 1GB less from Apple's current flagship models.
The first iPhone SE initially sold for $399, which is thought to the same price tag for the iPhone SE2. It can be assumed then that for the 128GB variant, the asking price will be set at $499.
