iPhone 9 launch date might still be March after all

The iPhone 9 – or iPhone SE 2 as it's been referred to in some rumors – has been extensively leaked, and we were expecting to see it this month (March), before the coronavirus outbreak slowed smartphone production, raising the possibility that Apple's new handset would be delayed. But a new report suggests the iPhone 9 might still be on track.

According to “industry sources” speaking to DigiTimes, the phone has entered its “final stage of engineering validation” in China.

While the site doesn’t say exactly what that means in terms of a possible launch date, if those sources are correct it certainly sounds like the phone is almost ready, in which case we’d expect to see it soon.

The most specific launch rumor to date came from iphone-ticker (a German iPhone news site), which claimed the phone was likely to be announced on March 31 before hitting stores on April 3. Multiple other sources have pointed to a launch some time in March.