Apple now considers these two iPhone models as 'vintage'
Apple adds products to its "vintage" list five years after it stops distributing them for sale. These products will typically not receive routine software updates although they may still get limited security updates.
Vintage products are no longer guaranteed to be repairable at Apple stores or other service providers either. While the company does provide servicing and parts for products up to seven years, that's only assuming the necessary parts are still available. So, long story short; if you do own a vintage Apple product and it breaks, repairing it could be tricky.
The iPhone 7 Plus was launched in 2016 and was the first iPhone with a dual-lens camera system. It also introduced a solid state Home button (back when iPhones had those) and a jet black color.
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus attracted some controversy because some models had faulty audio chip issues that led to microphone failure and, eventually, resulted in a class action lawsuit.
While Apple has added the 64GB and 256GB iPhone 8 models to its vintage list, the 128GB version isn't included because that launched later on in the product's lifetime. The iPhone 8 Plus also isn't on the vintage list yet — apart from the (PRODUCT)RED version — so owners should still be able to get them repaired or serviced without issue.
Following its time on the vintage list, Apple will then classify a product as obsolete — in which case it's no longer authorized for repair and won't receive update support. The most recent Apple products to be classed as obsolete are the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 2. Which is understandable, since both were released over a decade ago.
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Needless to say, if you're still using an iPhone (or other Apple product) on the vintage or obsolete lists, it's time to consider upgrading to one of the best iPhones.
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