The iPhone 9 or the iPhone SE 2, Apple's upcoming affordable phone, will likely sell for $399, roughly the same price as the first iPhone SE, Fast Company reported on Friday citing one souce.
According to the report,sources near the iPhone supply chain said that parts production for the new phone is now ramping up.
Analysts say Apple needs a lower-cost device to have a better chance of competing in the Indian market, which is huge but also accustomed to paying less than $200 for Android phones.
The new phone might also bolster Apple's phone offering in China. That market is also huge, but very competitive, and Apple has had trouble winning and keeping market share, one source said.
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In October last year, longtime Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF Securities predicted Apple will launch the iPhone SE 2 with the starting price at only $399.
Kuo said in a report back then that the iPhone SE 2 will have an A13 CPU, 3GB of RAM and 64/128GB of storage — all of which is quite good for an entry-level phone, given that it's the same as on Apple's latest iPhone 11.
The iPhone SE 2 also won't have 3D touch, which is hardly surprising given that Apple's new iPhone 11 doesn't have it, either, according to Kuo.
The original iPhone SE was discontinued in September 2018, leaving people who prefer such compact, 4-inch form factor and affordable price with no other choices.
The new iPhone SE 2 likely won't be that small — Kuo claims it'll be similar to the iPhone 8, which has a 4.7-inch screen — but it should be a decent upgrade for people who still use, say, an iPhone 6 or 6S.
The launch of the iPhone 9 or the iPhone SE 2 is scheduled for mid-March, according to Evan Blass, known as @evleaks, the most prolific leaker.
Earlier reports said that after resuming work this month, Foxconn will begin to assemble the iPhone 9/iPhone SE 2, and analysts predict that Apple has ordered more than 10 million units.
