An analyst believes Apple will launch the new iPhone SE in mid-April, 6.7-inch iPhone 12 in October

We’ve been hearing about a new “iPhone SE 2” or “iPhone 9” for quite some time already, and now at least one analyst believes we could see the handset debut sometime in mid-April.

That’s according to a new research note from GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu (via MacRumors). The analyst believes that, due to the global coronavirus pandemic, travel restrictions, and cargo flight delays, Apple has had to rework the launch of the new low-cost iPhone, and it could also result in the delay of at least one of the iPhone 12 models expected to launch later this year.

The research note says that we could see the new iPhone SE debut as early as next week, with a launch to the public soon after. Details in this regard are pretty light, unfortunately. We did hear not too long ago that Apple could launch the handset on April 3, but that did not pan out. But there seems to be a lot of expectation that the new iPhone SE will arrive before the end of April, at least.

When it launches, the new iPhone SE is said to feature a 4.7-inch LCD display, a design that’s similar to the iPhone 8, feature a physical Touch ID button below the display, 3GB of RAM, and an A13 processor. It could also feature up to 256GB of built-in storage. It will probably retail starting at $399.

Now, the iPhone 12. Pu believes that the current “Engineering Verification Test”, or EVT, stage for the iPhone 12 development may have been pushed back by up to two weeks for the 5.4-inch model and pair of 6.1-inch models. The EVT stage may have been pushed back into May for the 6.7-inch variant. All of this to say that we could see a staggered launch for Apple’s new iPhones by the time the fall arrives.

Pu expects that Apple will launch the pair of 6.1-inch iPhone models, along with the 5.4-inch variant, before the end of September. After that, Apple may launch the 6.7-inch iPhone in October. So we should still expect four new iPhones this year.

While Apple has made a name for itself over the years by launching products very soon after announcing them, this staggered rollout is not unheard of. In 2018 Apple launched the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max in September, but the iPhone XR did not launch until October. And then back in 2017 the iPhone X didn’t arrive until November, while the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus launched in September.

The question is: should Apple launch a new low-cost iPhone in April? There is currently a global pandemic happening, which has forced a lot of people out of work, or limiting their income in big ways. So what do you think? Should Apple launch a new phone right now? Let us know in the comments below.