Apple is reportedly planning to introduce a new entry-level smartphone in 2020.
According to a report in Economic Daily News, Apple will launch a 4.7-inch iPhone 8-style smartphone early next year to boost sales and appeal to mid-market smartphone users.
The new report cites a source from the Taiwan-based Fubon Securities Investment Trust and suggests that Apple is currently working on a revised version of the iPhone 8 for release in March of next year.
The new device is expected to feature the same design and a 4.7-inch display, but it will be bumped up with a new A13 processor, a single-lens camera, and 128GB storage.
Apple will reportedly produce around 20 million of these devices next year, and the product will have an “aggressive” price tag of $649, significantly below its new flagship product the iPhone XS, which starts at $999, and below the current “low cost” iPhone XR, which starts at $749.
It’s expected that Apple will use the device to make a bigger imprint in Asian markets such as China, where the company is currently failing to compete with the likes of Oppo and Vivo.
Previously, Apple had been rumored to revive its iPhone SE product and launch a smaller smartphone at a sub-$500 price tag, although these rumors never realized and users have been waiting for a smaller, more affordable smartphone ever since.
A new iPhone 8 could be just what they’re looking for, although it’s worth noting that Apple still offers brand new iPhone 8 models and iPhone 7 models online and in Apple Stores, with a 32GB iPhone 7 starting at just $449.
How Apple will market and promote a new iPhone, which would likely be sold for $200 more than the current cheapest iPhone, remains to be seen. Perhaps the company will discontinue its iPhone 7 range before that happens, or offer a cheaper iPhone SE-alternative, too.
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