iPhone 9: Rumours about new cheaper Apple phone increase as reported release date nears

Handset could arrive in the coming days, leaks suggest

A man checks his phone next to billboards advertising the an Apple iPhone 7 smartphone as he stands on Oxford Street in London on March 7, 2017 (CHRIS J RATCLIFFE/AFP via Getty Images))

Apple could be planning to launch a new, cheaper iPhone in the coming days, according to growing rumours.

The handset – known as the iPhone 9 or SE 2 – had been widely reported to be heading for a possible release date of March, but did not appear.

Now rumours suggest that it could arrive imminently, with Apple website 9to5mac reporting that cases for the new phone have begun to arrive at Best Buy.

The cases come with a note indicating they are intended for a "new iPhone 4.7-inch, 2020", according to the site.

While it is possible that the cases are being dispatched speculatively or by mistake, the rumours tally with previous suggestions that the new phone could be on its way.

Reports have suggested that Apple could now be planning the launch of the phone for the early part of May.

Apple's cheaper new handset is expected to update the iPhone SE 2, which was released to widespread acclaim in March 2016 but has gone without any updates ever since.

Like that phone, it is said to use the design of an older handset – the iPhone 8, in this case – but fill it with upgraded internal components that make it run more like the latest models.

Apple was rumoured to be planning to launch the phone in March, with rumours suggesting that it could come alongside other products such as an updated MacBook.

While it was never confirmed that any launch event was planned, it would have been forced to be cancelled by the world going into lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus, which has also forced Apple to turn its WWDC software conference in June "online only".

Apple did release a new iPad Pro and MacBook Air in March, but the rumoured iPhone did not appear alongside those announcements.