T-Mobile drops iPhone 5S by $48, iPhone 5C by $50

Apple's iPhone is suddenly a bit cheaper at T-Mobile.

T-Mobile on Wednesday reduced its iPhone 5S pricing on all versions by $48. The company's full-price, off-contract 16GB iPhone 5S is now $600. The 32GB model is selling for $700, and the 64GB version is going for $800.

T-Mobile offered similar treatment to the 16GB iPhone 5C, which is now going for $5oo off-contract with a $50 discount from the previous price. The 32GB iPhone 5C is selling for $600 with a $48 price cut.

It's unclear whether the price cut is temporary or permanent, but T-Mobile's site dubs it a "sale."

The TmoNews blog reported Tuesday that discounts were coming to T-Mobile's line of iPhones. Although T-Mobile's website only lists the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S, TmoNews claims discounts will also be available on legacy iPhone models still in stock at some stores.

It's hard to say for sure what's behind T-Mobile's move. The company over the last year has been on a tear, dubbing itself the "Uncarrier" and making broad changes to its plans and policies to attract more customers. In June, T-Mobile announced a deal to let people try out a iPhone 5S on the carrier's network for seven days before deciding whether to purchase it.

While it's certainly possible that the new discount is just T-Mobile being T-Mobile, the move may be designed to deplete the company's current stock of iPhones. Apple is expected to hold a media event on September 9 to unveil the iPhone 6. At least some of the Apple handsets currently on the market are expected to be discontinued.

In the past, many iPhone retailers start offering deals on the company's products to reduce their inventory in anticipation of a new handset. It's possible T-Mobile's move is a preemptive strike as it readies its stores for the iPhone 6.

CNET has contacted T-Mobile for comment. We will update this story when we have more information.