The 16GB edition of the Apple iPhone 4 is due to be discontinued soon alongside the iPhone 4 32GB and the dedicated 3G network; 3 Mobile have now stripped back the number of pay monthly contract deals available for the phone to just one.
Since its release the iPhone 4 has been available on multiple deals with 3 Mobile and proved very popular with consumers looking for value for money, the network is renowned for including more minutes, text and data in their tariffs than many competing networks.
Now the iPhone 4 16GB is only available on one last tariff for consumers leaving little choice but to connect the phone to a different network if the deal does not suit their usage requirements, the last remaining tariff is called the ‘One Plan’ which has actually been the most popular iPhone 4 deal over the past year.
This said, it may not suit everyone, especially those who do not use their phone regularly, the ‘One Plan’ tariff includes 2000 minutes which is a lot more than most users need, there are also 5000 text messages included as well as 3 Mobile’s ‘All You Can Eat’ unlimited data allowance which has drawn many customers to the network.
All of this is available at just £30 per month line rental but there is a charge of £69 for the iPhone 4 upfront that many may not want to pay, no other network offers this amount of minutes, text and data for the same monthly charge so although this may be the last deal available for the iPhone 4 16GB on 3 Mobile it is still likely to be very popular until stocks run dry.
As previously mentioned, both the 16GB and 32GB editions of the iPhone 4 are to be discontinued and just the new 8GB version will continue to be made available to consumers, this new 8GB iPhone was released alongside the brand new iPhone 4S which as well as being available in 16GB and 32GB capacities is also offered in a new, larger 64GB memory format.
The new iPhone 4S is still demanding a high price tag as it was only released in October of this year, this may sway consumers to opt for the new iPhone 4 8GB model purely based on price as there is a full £100 (and sometimes more) difference in the overall cost of a pay monthly contract.
There is a chance that independent retailers will offer the older iPhone 4 16GB model on the 3 Mobile network in the future should imported or returned stock become available.