An alleged hands-on video with the forthcoming iPhone 9 / iPhone SE 2, currently doing the rounds on social media, is highly likely to be fake.
The clip, shared to the short-form video-sharing site TikTok this week, claims to show a design that resembles the iPhone 7, with a squarer body akin to the old iPhone SE.
It gained traction and has since been shared on Twitter by tech watcher Stefan Constantine, who posts under the handle @WhatTheBit.
Alleged iPhone 9.$AAPL pic.twitter.com/xJmsVjFBEB
— Stefan Constantine (@WhatTheBit) February 19, 2020
In reality, it looks to be a custom mock-up (and a sloppy one at that) based upon the rumours we’ve seen thus far and, as 9to5Mac points out, is probably running a skinned version of Android.
The site also makes the point that the model would feature a “Proprietary and Confidential” warning on the lock screen, if it were a legitimately leaked prototype device from Apple.
Related: Best iPhone 2020
For what it’s worth, this is the first iPhone rumour to come to prominence via the TikTok platform. That probably explains why such an obvious fake has gained such traction. Even the Twitter post has been met with some backlash from the user who sent it.
my alleged iPhone 9 tweet went viral and now all these nerds are telling me what they think about Apple, iOS, and Android
entered into my own personal hell
you. will. be. blocked.
— Stefan Constantine (@WhatTheBit) February 19, 2020
As for the iPhone 9’s actual release, reports this week floated the idea of a launch event at the end of March, with a release in the first week of April.
A report from little-known German site iPhone-Ticker (via 9to5Mac) says Apple is planning to debut the long-awaited affordable iPhone, and release it shortly thereafter on April 3.
The report says it has knowledge from sources directly related to Apple, but equally it could just as easily be guesswork from the site. Apple has held an event in March for the last four years now, and the iPhone 9 has been tipped for this March by in-the-know reporters and analysts for a number of months now.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.