X

Remember the iPhone 4S? Apple makes it an 8GB freebie

As it has done in previous launches, Apple moved the two-generations old model down to its lowest tier, making it free with a two-year contract.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
Expertise Mobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social Media Credentials
  • SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.
See full bio
Roger Cheng
2 min read
Apple

Beware, the iPhone 4S' lower price tag isn't the only thing different about Apple's lowest-end smartphone.

Apple is offering the iPhone 4S for free with a two-year contract with a service provider. But unlike the standard iPhone 4S, this one comes with only half the capacity -- 8 gigabytes. Apple introduced a special low-end version to match the new price.

Related stories:

This isn't a new tactic. Apple did the same thing with the iPhone 4 when it got shunted down to the bargain bin section, stripping it of 8GB of storage space.

The idea is to put some distance between the iPhone 4S and Apple's new "budget" iPhone, the iPhone 5C. At $99 and a two-year contract, the iPhone 5C isn't a huge bargain, but it does come with 16GB of storage and better specifications, giving consumers pause between the two devices.

At 8GB, the newly downgraded iPhone 4S has little space to store the increasing amount of apps, movies, and photos alongside the mobile operating system. The lack of expandable memory means users are stuck figuring out how to jam everything into that limited capacity.

Still, for consumers who want an iPhone but don't want to pay a lot up front, the iPhone 4S is the best option out there.