More References to Apple's Upcoming Low-Cost iPhone Appear Online

Further references to Apple's upcoming low-cost iPhone have appeared online, one on a Chinese e-commerce website and another on Verizon's smartphone trade-in page.

Apple iPhone 9 Listing on JD
Spotted by tech blog MySmartPrice, Chinese retailer JD.com has published a placeholder for Apple's so-called "‌iPhone‌ 9" that includes a teaser image of a veiled smartphone, but other than that it lacks any particularly revealing specifications. On that basis, it could just as easily be the site's expectation that Apple's new low-cost ‌iPhone‌ is on the way based on circulating rumors.

The other reference to "‌iPhone‌ 9" was highlighted by leaker Jon Prosser in amongst a list of smartphones eligible for Verizon's trade-in plan on the cellular provider's website.


We're covering these references merely for completion, since Apple's new low-cost phone is expected imminently, although it's apparently going to recycle the iPhone SE name used for Apple's previous dedicated budget phone.

Last week, a product listing for a Belkin screen protector on Apple's online store was updated to reflect compatibility with not only the ‌iPhone‌ 7 and ‌iPhone‌ 8, but also the "‌iPhone SE‌."

That product listing didn't reveal any further details about the device, which was previously dubbed the ‌iPhone SE‌ 2 or ‌iPhone‌ 9, beyond supporting rumors that it will have a 4.7-inch display. The device is also expected to have an A13 chip, 3GB of RAM, and 64GB to 256GB of storage, with pricing estimated to start around $399 in the United States.

One rumor last week suggested the phone could be launched as soon as April 3. The date proved to be wide of the mark, but it doesn't preclude the possibility that we could see the device announced by Apple any day now.

Related Roundup: iPhone SE
Buyer's Guide: iPhone SE (Neutral)
Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

Laptopdog78 Avatar
41 months ago

If one is self-isolating and purchases this (or any) iPhone, how does (s)he activate it without going to a store? Ditto to pass along an existing phone to another person.

Asking for a friend. ?
Why do you need to activate your phones in a store? I am in the UK and activating new phones at home is normal??
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
itsmilo Avatar
41 months ago
iPhone 9 makes sense to me if it is seen as an update of the iPhone 8 instead of the SE
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bchery21 Avatar
41 months ago
I rather they call it iPhone SE than iPhone 9. Using the number 9 seems a little backwards at this point.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
44267547 Avatar
41 months ago

I rather they call it iPhone SE than iPhone 9.
I say it’s a bad idea to call this next iPhone the ‘iPhone SE’. There was only one true iPhone SE in a 4” form factor, and this next ‘iPhone 9’ model won’t be anything like it. I personally think it Would be confusing to the consumer if Apple use iPhone SE again, when they are really nothing alike.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
44267547 Avatar
41 months ago

If one is self-isolating and purchases this (or any) iPhone, how does (s)he activate it without going to a store? Ditto to pass along an existing phone to another person.

Asking for a friend. ?
You can call your carrier directly from a different/active phone used, and they just need a few pieces of information to activate the phone, where ‘Your friend‘ can switch the Sim card over to the new phone. [You generally don’t have to visit a carrier to activate a phone, at least not by any major North American carriers.]
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
glambutnerdy Avatar
41 months ago

If one is self-isolating and purchases this (or any) iPhone, how does (s)he activate it without going to a store? Ditto to pass along an existing phone to another person.

Asking for a friend. ?
i’m pretty sure you can activate it yourself..
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)