The iPhone 9's launch date could be set for April 14 just to compete with the OnePlus 8

We've been hearing all kinds of things about Apple's upcoming iPhone 9 of late and that hasn't been helped with the arrival of a case designed for the thing, either. The latest comes via Jon Prosser – a man who has been at the center of all things Apple and iPhone 9 in recent days. According to him, Apple intends to launch the new phone between April 13 and April 19.

That puts the unveiling squarely in the same timeframe as another big phone announcement coming out of OnePlus. We know that the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro will be announced on April 14, so is it possible Apple will drop iPhone 9 on the same day just to steal some thunder?

Maybe, and maybe not. Prosser told us that there are a couple of potential timeframes in play.

Dates on the table are:

Announce - Wed, April 15 Ship - Wed, April 22

Or

(To take attention from OnePlus)

Announce - Tues, April 14 Ship - Fri, April 24

Frankly, any of those seem possible at this point. We expected an iPhone 9 announcement last month, so what difference do a few days here or there make? None, none at all.

One thing we're pretty sure about is what iPhone 9 will look like. A replacement for iPhone 8, this thing is expected to look almost identical with the same Touch ID Home button and 4.7-inch LCD screen. Underneath that screen is where things will get interesting, though. If the rumors are accurate this "budget" iPhone will ship with Apple's A13 chip – the same one that powers iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro.

If iPhone 9 hits a claimed $399 price point, that's a lot of silicon for not a lot of money.