Apple is starting production of a new, less expensive iPhone, which Bloomberg says could be unveiled in a few months, probably in early March. Bloomberg's source is some people “aware of the plan” and sources inside Taiwanese companies who will physically take care of the production of the device. The new model should be a sort of successor to the iPhone SE, a relatively inexpensive and highly appreciated smartphone produced by Apple until a few years ago, and now no longer available.
Like other manufacturers, Apple also has to deal with lower sales of smartphones, due to a drop in demand and an increase in the life cycle of the devices. Especially in Western markets, smartphones were replaced on average by consumers every couple of years (thanks to the offers of telephone operators), but for some time the replacements have become less frequent with a consequent slowdown in sales.
Apple currently sells six different iPhone models, with prices ranging from 559 euros for the iPhone 8 to 1,289 for the iPhone 11 Pro Max: the iPhone 8, presented more than two years ago, are therefore the cheapest models to date ( excluding offers for refurbished models). The new device, Bloomberg says, will have the same format as the iPhone 8s with a 4.7-inch screen and a lower or comparable price, in case the introduction of the new smartphone is a replacement for the iPhone 8.
The new iPhone will have a key with Touch ID, for fingerprint recognition to unlock the phone, and will therefore use an older (but very reliable) technology from Apple, leaving aside the facial recognition system to unlock the smartphone. According to sources consulted by Bloomberg, the new cheaper iPhone will therefore have no fingerprint sensors under the screen, a solution adopted by several Android smartphone manufacturers, to save space on the front of the devices in order to offer larger screens. .
Inside, the new iPhone will have an A13 processor, the same used in the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. The production of the processors in recent months has been increased, at a Taiwanese supplier, also to respond to the commercial success of the 'iPhone 11 in the months since its presentation in September 2019, partly made possible by a slightly lower price than the new models presented in 2018.
Bloomberg reports that production of the new, less expensive iPhone will be done in multiple Taiwanese companies: Hon Hai Precision Industry, Pegatron and Wistron. The presentation should take place during a special event in March, in which Apple could also announce other news related to its devices and online services. As always happens in these cases, the company has neither confirmed nor denied the news.
The offer of a less expensive model could help Apple to maintain strong sales, pending the presentation of the new iPhone models at the end of the summer on which the company is focusing a lot. The next iPhones will in fact be the first to be compatible with 5G technology, to offer very high-speed mobile connections and new services. Several manufacturers, such as Samsung and Huawei, have already started selling smartphones with 5G, but the networks to connect to are still experimental and in the process of being perfected, so Apple will come to offer iPhones with 5G in time, responding to a growing demand for devices compatible with new generation networks.
