- Apple’s iPhone 9 might launch as soon as this week, according to an accessory leak from Best Buy.
- Retailers that received purported iPhone 9 protective gear were instructed not to inventory them until April 5th.
- The iPhone 9 is supposed to be an affordable iPhone, featuring the iPhone 11’s fast processor and the iPhone 8’s design.
- Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.
Apple just unveiled a few new products, including the iPad Pro and new MacBook Air, but the first quarter of 2020 should also have brought us an exciting new iPhone. That was before the novel coronavirus ended normal life in the US and almost everywhere else in the world. The COVID-19 pandemic forced Apple to cancel a late-March press event, according to some reports. Apple never announced the press conference in the first place, so it never had to publicly acknowledge the cancelation. The same reports also said that the iPhone 9 (iPhone SE 2) would be postponed to summer or later, as Apple was evaluating the situation. That wasn’t because of a lack of iPhone 9 stock, but because of the state of the world. The smartphone business also took a serious hit in the first quarter, just like many other businesses that were affected by the coronavirus. But Apple might be getting ready to launch the new iPhone nonetheless.
The following image shows an Urban Armor Gear case for a “New iPhone 4.7-inch, 2020” device, 9to5Mac reports. It’s just one of many iPhone 9 accessories that are supposedly sent to Best Buy and other retailers. The instructions say that retailers should not inventory the new cases until Sunday, April 5th.
If that’s accurate information, then the iPhone 9 launch is imminent. Apple might launch it via a press release, just like it did with the iPad Pro and MacBook Air a few days ago.
Jon Prosser, a leaker who rose to prominence in the past few months, said a few days ago that Apple might ship the iPhone 9 this April. Among other things, Prosser was first to leak the Galaxy S20 price and then leaked plenty of details about Apple’s handling of the coronavirus epidemic, as well as Apple’s product pipeline for the first quarter.
Apple briefing happing right now. 👀
As I mentioned before – logistically, iPhone 9 will be ready to ship in April.
Due to economical pressures and shareholder obligations, Apple is considering releasing the iPhone 9 in April.
I’ll keep you updated.
🧻🧻🧻🧻🧻
— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) March 26, 2020
In a previous leak, Prosser said the iPhone 9 would cost $399. That would be an excellent price for a brand new iPhone that’s supposed to be as fast as the iPhone 11 while retaining the design of the iPhone 8. The handset will also feature a Touch ID home button, which is why the iPhone 9 may be so appealing to many people. That price point is yet to be confirmed.
As for the name of the new handset, we’ve been calling it iPhone 9 and iPhone SE 2 for months now. But the handset may be sold as “iPhone,” something the case leak above seems to suggest.
A recent leak also said that Apple will also lunch an iPhone 9 Plus alongside the iPhone 9, but we have no confirmation of that.
