Apple plans to launch a mid-range phone at affordable prices by 2021 to better compete with the likes of Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo etc in India and China.
Apple has its own collection of expensive smartphones, such as the recently launched iPhone 12 Pro Max that sells for more than $ 1,000 in the US. However, it has affordable iPhones like the previous iPhone XR and the iPhone SE 2020 launched earlier this year.
According to a Gizchina report, Apple plans to launch a mid-range phone at affordable prices by 2021 to better compete with people like Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo etc in India and China.
Reportedly, China’s visual device and camera module manufacturer Sunny Optical Technology expects orders from Huawei to decline due to US sanctions and wants to compete with orders from Apple. According to sources, Sunny Optical hopes to become the supplier of the iPhone camera modules by 2021, but those plans are “likely to be fulfilled by 2022”.
By planning to introduce cheaper phones, Apple wants to expand its supply chain and reduce production costs. Leading camera suppliers for iPhone smartphones are Taiwanese Largan and Yujingguang, “with less technical advantages than Sunny Optical Technology”.
The new “less expensive” smartphone could be the 5.5-inch iPhone SE Plus which is said to come with a side fingerprint scanner and Apple is reportedly also going to include Touch ID buttons to reduce costs.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the new iPhone SE Plus will come with a 5.5-inch or 6.1-inch screen and continue to use the LCD Display. Guessing suggests it will use the same case as the iPhone XR or iPhone 8.
Reports go on to say that it will only be a 4G device and not come with 5G support and will come with the A14 Bionic under the hood and is expected to be launched in the second half of 2021.