Apple's rumored lower-cost iPhone model recently entered the final phase of production verification at an assembly plant in Zhengzhou, China, according to industry sources cited by Taiwanese publication DigiTimes.

New LCD iPhone enters final verification stage

Apple will soon introduce a new LCD iPhone series, dubbed tentatively SE2, which has recently entered the final phase of verification at an assembly plant in Zhengzhou, China, according to industry sources.

A paywalled preview of the report:

Apple is widely expected to announce an entry-level iPhone dubbed "iPhone SE 2" or "iPhone 9" within the next few months. The device is expected to resemble the iPhone 8, with a 4.7-inch LCD screen and a Touch ID home button, but with a faster A13 chip and an increased 3GB of RAM. Pricing is estimated to start at around $399 with 64GB of storage in the United States.

Last month, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple still plans to release the iPhone in the first half of 2020. Multiple reports have indicated that Apple aims to announce the device by the end of March, but those plans may change due to the uncertainty of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus outbreak around the world.

With major tech conferences like Google I/O and Facebook F8 having been cancelled on a physical basis due to public health considerations, it sounds increasingly unlikely that Apple will host a March event as rumored. Apple could always announce the lower-cost iPhone and other products with press releases, while offering one-on-one briefings with the media in Cupertino and New York City.

Even if the lower-cost iPhone is announced in March, initial supply may be limited until Foxconn and other Apple suppliers resume normal operations and ramp up mass production in the second quarter.