iPhone 9 aka iPhone SE 2 May Face Further Delay Thanks to Coronavirus

iPhone 9, or what was initially rumoured as the iPhone SE 2, is one of the anticipated smartphones of 2020. But due to the coronavirus outbreak, the new iPhone launch could be delayed by some time. A report from Taiwan claimed that printed circuit board (PCB) orders for the iPhone 9 have been pushed from the first quarter of this year to the second quarter. This suggests that we may not be able to see the affordable iPhone debuting in the market anytime soon. The iPhone 9 was earlier speculated to launch in the middle of March.

Taiwanese PCB manufacturers in the supply chain of Apple devices will see their shipments for the iPhone 9 deferred to the second quarter, DigiTimes reports, citing people familiar with the development. The Cupertino giant is said to have informed the manufacturing partners to deliver the orders previously planned for the first quarter in the second quarter.

In a separate report, DigiTimes mentions that the iPhone 9 aka iPhone SE 2 has entered the stage of production verification in China. This means that while there may be some delay from what was reportedly planned earlier, we'll get the chance to see the new affordable iPhone model sometime in the coming months.

Apple was originally speculated to kick off the mass production of the iPhone 9 by the end of February and host its official launch in the middle of March. However, the initial schedule was reportedly delayed until March due to early impact of coronavirus in China.

The iPhone 9, or iPhone SE 2, is rumoured to come with a 4.7-inch LCD panel and include a Touch ID home button. It is also likely to have an Apple's A13 chip and 3GB of RAM. The iPhone model could come with a price tag of $399 (roughly Rs. 29,200).