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Apple quietly killed the 256GB iPhone 7 on the same day it revealed the iPhone X

Published Oct 23rd, 2017 12:55PM EDT
iPhone X vs. iPhone 7
Image: Zach Epstein for BGR

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In the midst of all the exciting announcements Apple made last month at its iPhone X reveal event, you may have missed one important change that was made to the existing iPhone lineup. On September 12th, Apple removed the 256GB iPhone 7 from its online store, leaving consumers with two iPhone 7 models to choose from: the 32GB model and the 128GB model. If you want more capacity, you’ll have to upgrade to an iPhone 8 or iPhone X.

Mashable noticed the absence of the 256GB iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus this weekend, checking archived versions of the Apple website to confirm that the Cupertino company stopped selling the high-capacity model the day before the iPhone X event. An Apple customer service representative confirmed the change as well.

Although Apple retail executive Angela Ahrendts said in a recent interview that Apple Store employees will not try to upsell consumers on the new phones, the discontinuation of the 256GB iPhone 7 will force individuals who prefer phones with more storage to choose between less storage or a more expensive phone.

On the other hand, when you take into consideration the reportedly middling sales of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus so far, it makes sense that Apple would use every trick in the book to keep selling new phones until the iPhone X launches next month. The iPhone 8 was always going to be the red-headed stepchild of the bunch.

The good news is that the 256GB iPhone 7 hasn’t disappeared completely. Wireless carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile are still selling the phone for $749.99 — $100 cheaper than the 256GB iPhone 8. But once they run out of stock, the only place you’ll be able to find one is on the second-hand market, so act fast if you want one.

Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.