The iPhone 9, whenever we finally get to see it, will undoubtedly be available in a larger "Plus" version, which could prove to be a major advantage in the battle of sales with the Google Pixel 4a.

9to5Mac found evidence of both the iPhone 9 and its larger version in the code for the upcoming iOS 14 operating system update. The code also confirms Apple's A13 Bionic SoC and solid-state home button.

The iPhone 8, which the iPhone 9 is said to reference heavily, has 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays in both the standard and Plus versions. Therefore, the idea of an iPhone 9 Plus has always been an option, but until now we have not seen much evidence to support it.

We had previously heard that the iPhone 9 Plus would feature a new kind of Touch ID fingerprint reader. The sensor would be attached to the power button, as we have seen on Samsung's Galaxy S10e and Huawei's Nova 5T. It would be nice if Apple turns out to do this, as it would certainly be useful for quickly unlocking the phone.

This means that Face ID will not be available on the iPhone 9, although it was a safe and fast security method on the iPhone 11 series, which is not a deal-breaker. However, NFC can still be used with Apple Pay and Express Transit (public transportation payments that do not require ID checks).

The Pixel 4a, Google's next mid-range smartphone after last year's excellent Pixel 3a, will go up against the iPhone 9 no matter what. There are rumors that Google will not be making the XL model of the 4a.

Google has manufactured standard and larger versions of every device since the original Pixel, but not having an equivalent model to the iPhone 9 Plus would put Google on the defensive.

We have not heard how much the iPhone 9 Plus will cost, but the iPhone 9 and Pixel 4a are both expected to start at $399.