Google Bids Farewell to Sold Out 8GB Nexus 4, Doesn't Plan to Restock Google Play

Google's hugely popular 8GB Nexus 4 smartphone has left the Google Play building, and like Elvis, it's never coming back. It didn't take long for the unlocked handset to sell out after Google slashed $100 off the price, knocking down the cost of ownership to $199 (outright, not subsidized). The 16GB Nexus 4 is still in stock and available to purchase for $249, which is arguably the better buy out of the two anyway.

There isn't a microSD card on either of the Nexus 4 models, so whichever capacity you invest in, that's what you're stuck with for the life of the phone, at least in terms of local storage. Google Drive and other cloud services represent alternative means of saving data.

Google Nexus 4

In any event, the 8GB Nexus 4 is apparently gone forever. The Verge says it was told by Google the search giant isn't planning to restock the device, so don't get your hopes up by the message that reads, "We are out of inventory. Please check back soon."

What this suggests is that Google is trying to purge itself out of existing inventory in preparation for a Nexus 5 launch, or whatever the next model Nexus smartphone is called.