Following the debut of the iPhone 17 lineup on Tuesday, Apple quietly updated its iPhone 16 lineup so that the standard iPhone 16 is now sold only in a 128GB configuration for $699. The previous storage tiers of 256GB and 512GB for the base iPhone 16 have been discontinued.
The iPhone 16 Plus retains slightly more flexibility by remaining available in both 128GB and 256GB versions, although its 512GB tier has also been removed.
The change makes sense for Apple’s marketing strategy. Given that all iPhone 17 models now start at 256GB, maintaining a 256GB iPhone 16 tier would have created product overlap and potentially impacted sales of the newer model.
It also streamlines Apple’s manufacturing and inventory management, and will likely encourage customers who need more storage to either choose the iPhone 16 Plus or upgrade directly to the iPhone 17 lineup.
Apple opens pre-orders for iPhone 17 models, including the ultra-thin iPhone Air, on Friday, September 12, with availability starting Friday, September 19.
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