Apple will reportedly launch the iPhone SE 2 at a March 31 event

Rumors have been floating around for some time that Apple is planning on launching a new, low cost iPhone in 2020 – called either the iPhone SE 2 or the iPhone 9. German site iphone-ticker.de is now claiming that device will be announced at a March 31 event.

Though we can’t confirm the exact date, the March timing seems about right. That’s the month Apple chose to announce the original iPhone SE, it means the device doesn’t get drowned out in WWDC announcements in June, and it leaves an ample gap until the iPhone 12 arrives.

The phone will reportedly go on sale soon after the event, on April 3 (a Friday, as is typical for Apple). Earlier rumors indicated the device would retail for $399, placing it firmly in the midrange price category. Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo has previously said he expects the device to come with  the same A13 CPU as the iPhone 11, 3 GB of RAM, and 64GB or 128GB of storage. As with the original SE at the time, the device would basically match the company’s flagships for performance. Apple instead seems to plan to cut costs with a cheaper display and by recycling the iPhone 8’s chassis.

That might disappoint Apple fans would like to retain the tiny iPhone 5 shape of the iPhone SE; it would certainly differentiate Apple in a crowd of massive phones. Alas, that does not seem to be in the cards. At least clamshell phones are making a comeback for those of us who miss smaller devices, but don’t expect Apple to make one any time soon.