Apple’s 2020 budget phone could be dubbed ‘iPhone 9’? Seriously?

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iPhone 8 could also be the iPhone 9
This is the iPhone 8, but it could also be the iPhone 9.
Photo: Apple

The low-cost iPhone rumored to launch early next year could have a very surprising name. One Apple skipped over before. A generally reliable source indicates that it could be called the iPhone 9, not the iPhone SE 2.

iPhone 9: Everything old is new again

The source for this odd report is MacOtakara, a Japanese site that’s made correct predictions about upcoming Apple products in the past. It indicated the iPhone 11 would have Audio Sharing before the announcement, and showed off video of the iPhone XS and XR before well they launched, for example. So its tip can’t be easily dismissed.

That said, the iPhone 11 came out this year, so it would be a bit startling if Apple introduced an iPhone 9 next year.

But MacOtakara points out this device is expected to use the same design as the iPhone 8, just with improved internal components. So just adding +1 to the product number makes some sense.

Especially as Apple never released a iPhone 9 — it went straight from iPhone 8 to iPhone X.

Not really the iPhone SE 2 either

Unconfirmed reports of a replacement for the iPhone SE have been circulating for months, if not years. The most recent of these indicates production will begin in January, with a release in March.

Most coverage of this device have called it the iPhone SE 2, but that doesn’t seem very accurate.

Like the original, this upcoming handset is supposed to have a low cost — just $399 — but a 4-inch display made the SE quite small. The “iPhone 9” will reportedly have a 4.7-inch display.

As mentioned, it will supposedly use the same design as the iPhone 8, with a Home button and Touch ID. But there will be an Apple A13 processor inside, like the iPhone 11. And 3GB of RAM.

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