Apple to miss “iPhone 9” release schedule?

Word that Apple will likely miss the rumored release schedule of an unannounced iPhone model this quarter cropped up over the weekend.

Colloquially named the “iPhone 9,” the mobile has been rumored to be formally announced by March 31 this year (to roll out by April 3), but issues related to COVID-2019 are said to have affected its rumored production and release timetable.

Reports on the matter cite supplier-related issues as the cause for the situation – an offshoot from labor and logistics-related shortages affecting manufacturing facilities in China where the virus has already claimed over a thousand lives.

It’s been previously rumored that Apple had contracted different suppliers to produce parts for 80 million iPhone units for the first half of 2020 – 15 million of which are said to be the “iPhone 9.”

Talk of Apple gunning for the release of a budget-friendly iPhone model in the first quarter of 2020 has been rife since late last year. Apple has not yet issued a statement addressing the rumor, but a number of industry analysts are convinced that it is likely spot-on.

“Galaxy Z Flip” reportedly sold out online

Samsung’s newest foldable phone model – the “Galaxy Z Flip” – has reportedly sold out online, priming it as one of the brand’s fastest-selling models to date.

Formally unveiled this month, the unit sports a clamshell type form factor that’s made possible with a foldable screen and horizontal hinge – a design implementation which gives it an old-school flip phone feel.

Running on Android, the phone features a 6.7-inch Infinity Flex AMOLED display as its “inner” screen that’s matched with a 1.1-inch “outer” display. It highlights a 10-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies, and dual-lens primary camera setup that allows for optical image stabilization features, HDR10+ recording functions, 8x digital zoom functions and more.

It’s been reported that Samsung will be restocking on the model soon, but rumor sites are saying that this may likely have hiccups, owing to component-supply availability concerns that’ve risen with COVID-2019.