Within iOS 13.4 code, 9to5Mac has discovered evidence that Apple is working on a larger “iPhone SE 2 Plus” or “iPhone 9 Plus” — not only an iPhone SE 2 or 9 — to replace both the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus models, which sport 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays, respectively.
Evidence indicates that both will run with the A13 Bionic chip, the same processor used in the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. This should make iPhone 9 more attractive for those who still use older models such as the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 7…
These iPhones will feature a solid state Home button… As they are meant to be a entry-level model, the iPhone 9 and iPhone 9 Plus will offer Touch ID instead of Face ID. Users will be able to use Apple Pay and the Express Transit feature, which is not available on some older iPhones. The new models will also be able to scan NFC tags in the background, something that is only possible with the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and the iPhone 11 and not the iPhone 8 or iPhone X.
MacDailyNews Take: These are going to be highly-capable iPhones, albeit with the old Home button which, as users of X-class iPhones and iPads know, is not as nice as having a TrueDepth Camera system and Face ID. Eventually, Apple will be able to scale to the point of eliminating the Home button everywhere. We’d hoped they’d be able to do so with every new iOS device going forward, but it seems they’re not there yet in terms of pricing. The good news that most people buying these new iPhones will be coming from older iPhones with Home buttons anyway, so they won’t know or feel like they’re missing anything.
It appears Apple is reverting back to its tick-tock strategy.
These modestly refreshed phones sound suspiciously like 8s and 8s Plus models.
It should be noted that the iPhone 8 itself was released at the time when a 7s model would have been released. Years of lobbying by MDN surely was the impetus needed to halt the “s” model naming convention.
Now you’ll get a rehashed iPhone 8SE and 8SE Plus instead … not the 4″ model many people have been asking for. More letters makes it sound more impressive, is that it?
Apple could save everyone’s time and simply drop the price of existing iPhone 8 models (tooling was amortized a long time ago!) while working on a new low cost 4″ model to add to the lineup as a regular model, not a “special edition” to use up old parts.
But the iPhone SE 2 will have a better processor and more RAM than the iPhone 8.
Mike is probably on to something regarding the naming. Apple is very inconsistent with naming so some new marketeer is trying to make his mark with a snazzy iPhone GTO or IROC-Z or Turbo S or 550SEL model. Pointless to me.
Apple probably has chosen to upgrade internal processors so they can free up production capacity for the next generation of chips. Entry level phone buyers won’t notice.
Price is always an issue. Given the economic conditions, it would be nice if Apple gave everyone a break on pricing. But we all know better!
Apple needs to continue with the current 4 inch size of the iPhone SE but upgrade the internals like the processor and camera. People like myself dont like big phones