The iPhone 3GS is going back on sale, but for a limited time and only in South Korea
Apple hasn't manufactured a new iPhone 3GS since the now-ancient smartphone was retired in 2012. But shoppers in South Korea will be able to pick one up before June is over.
South Korean wireless carrier SK Telink discovered an unsold shipment of the third-generation iPhone hidden away in a warehouse, local news service ETNews reports (h/t VentureBeat). Each one will be sold unlocked for the U.S. equivalent of roughly $40.
All of the devices are never sold, new-in-box products. Though given their age, SK Telink plans to open each one, test it, and -- provided it works -- repackage it. The iPhone 3GS arrived in South Korea for the first time in late 2009, and there's no way to know if their rechargeable batteries still work without testing them first.
Just be clear before you pick one up, if that's something you're considering: In 2018, you're going to get a very stripped down Apple experience using an iPhone 3GS. This third model in the line to be released was the last to sport a plastic shell; it also used a larger SIM card than iPhones currently do, and it sported the pre-Lightning Apple port.
It's also capped in terms of performance. The iPhone 3GS is so named because of its support for the last-gen 3G cellular network. You can connect it to the internet via WiFi, but speeds will be noticeably slower than they are on more modern devices that support a 4G/LTE network.
The big advantage you get when you're buying a six-year-old (or more) smartphone is a lower price. As VentureBeat points out, the $40 cost attached to these newly discovered iPhones is significantly below even Apple's cheapest smartphone in South Korea, the iPhone SE, which retails there for roughly $450.
It's also not clear what kind of warranty SK Telink plans to offer customers.
All that said, if you feel a sense of wonderment over technological artifacts like this and you happen to live in South Korea, these affordable new-old iPhones are worth a look.
Topics Apple
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
