The iPhone 9 is one of the most highly anticipated smartphones of 2020. Now, 9To5Mac has discovered evidence which suggests Apple is working on a larger ‘iPhone 9 Plus’ variant as part of a lineup designed to replace the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

When will the iPhone 9 Plus arrive?

That means consumers shouldn’t expect to see the larger iPhone 9 Plus until June at the very earliest either. 

What about the rumored 2021 iPhone 9 (SE2) Plus?

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed in a few reports now that Apple is working on a budget iPhone 9 Plus for release in early 2021 with either a 5.5-inch or a 6.1-inch display. But if the information unearthed today is accurate, it’s certainly possible the company is actually working on two devices as part of a plan to replace the iPhone 8 Plus this year and the iPhone XR in 2021.

If this theory turns out to be true, consumers can likely expect an updated iPhone XR in early 2021 powered by the next-gen A14 Bionic, which should be used in the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro later this year. The smartphone may use Face ID, but Ming-Chi Kuo has previously stated that it would ditch the technology in favor of Touch ID.

However, in order to retain the existing LCD-based all-screen design, Apple is apparently looking into implementing the Touch ID tech into the side-mounted power key. 

The lack of Face ID would theoretically allow Apple to significantly reduce the size of the controversial notch too. Whether it actually does so is an entirely different matter, though, because the company likes to maintain a consistent design language between devices, and unless a smaller notch debuts on the iPhone 12 later this year, it’s unlikely to do so on the iPhone XR upgrade.