Apple is allegedly gearing up to release a larger ‘iPhone 9 Plus’ alongside the much-rumoured entry-level iPhone 9 to replace the ageing iPhone 8 range. The existence of a new 4.7in iPhone has been rumoured for quite some time, with some unofficially dubbing it the iPhone SE 2, but this is the first time evidence points towards a larger version of the upcoming iPhone.
The news comes via 9to5Mac, who got their hands on snippets of iOS 14 beta code and found a few very interesting details about a new larger 5.5in iPhone. It’s worth noting that the Plus branding hasn’t been confirmed in the code, but it is the moniker that Apple has used across the iPhone range so it’s not a stretch to imagine that’s what it’ll be called.
According to the snippets of code found, both new iPhones will run the A13 Bionic chipset – the same as that in the iPhone 11 range – which should be great news to fans that prefer the older style of iPhone, as it should allow the range to compete with current iPhones in terms of performance – even with an entry-level price tag.
Of course, it should come as no surprise that the iPhone 8-esque smartphones will also come with a solid-state Home button over the updated Face ID introduced in the iPhone X range. The code also suggests they’ll both feature Apple Pay and Express Transit, fairly standard features, alongside the ability to read NFC tags without a third-party app, a feature previously exclusive to the newer iPhone Xr, Xs and 11 ranges.
While Apple was originally rumoured to launch the entry-level iPhone range at an event in March, the company decided to postpone after execs became increasingly concerned about the COVID-19 outbreak. Rumours now suggest it’ll take place at some point in Spring 2020, and may coincide with the release of iOS 13.4, but it’s difficult to pinpoint a release with the current situation with Coronavirus.
For more on the upcoming iPhone, take a look at the latest iPhone 9 rumours.
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Author: Lewis Painter, Senior Staff Writer
Lewis Painter is a Senior Staff Writer at Tech Advisor. Our resident Apple expert, Lewis covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware. You'll also find him on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.