iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Obsolete: Apple has updated its list of old and discontinued devices, which now includes the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 models. These smartphones are now considered obsolete devices, which will provide limited assistance on their service and repair. Apple usually discontinues hardware support for devices that have become technically obsolete and whose parts have become difficult to find or repair. However, these devices continue to receive support through software updates.
Key information about iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8
The iPhone 7 Plus was launched in 2016 alongside the iPhone 7, with a starting price of around Rs 72,000 for the 32GB variant. The device was discontinued in 2019 after the launch of the iPhone 11 series. At the same time, the iPhone 8 was introduced at the first event held at Apple Park in 2017. Its starting price was around Rs 64,000 for the 64GB variant. Sales of the iPhone 8 were discontinued in 2020 after the arrival of the iPhone SE (2020).
All variants of the iPhone 7 Plus have been placed in the obsolete category, while the iPhone 8 only includes models with 64GB and 256GB storage. The 128GB model of the iPhone 8 is not in the list because it was kept available in the market for a longer time.
What are Vintage and Obsolete devices according to Apple?
According to Apple’s rules, if the sale of a product has stopped 5 to 7 years ago, then it is considered vintage. Service and repair are available for these devices, but depend on the availability of parts. At the same time, obsolete devices are those whose sale has been stopped more than 7 years ago. For such products, Apple and its authorized service providers completely stop hardware support and repair. It is also not possible to order parts of Obsolete devices from Apple.
However, Mac laptops do get extended battery repair support for up to 10 years, but that is also subject to parts availability.
Models on Apple’s Vintage and Obsolete devices list
The list includes iPhone 4 (8GB), iPhone 5, some variants of iPhone 6s, iPhone SE, iPhone 7 Plus, some variants of iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus (PRODUCT)RED, iPhone X, and iPhone XS Max.
This update means that hardware support for these older iPhone models will now be limited, so users should note that repair options may be limited if their device is on this list.