Usually, $199 is the price you pay for a smartphone when signing a soul-crushing two year contract. Not with the Nexus 4, which dropped $100 in price last week. The 8GB model was just $199 after the change, and the 16GB was $249. If you're looking to snag a sub-$200 Nexus, you're too late – the 8GB model is gone for good.

We watched the Play Store page bounce back and forth between in-stock and out-of-stock all day yesterday, but Google has now confirmed the 8GB Nexus 4 is not coming back. Where the 'Buy' button used to be, now is just an 'out of inventory' message.

Selling a phone for $199 is bound to increase sales, but to sell out this fast the supply must have already been dwindling. We're getting on toward Nexus season – maybe the 16GB will be packing it in before too much longer. If you need a cheap unlocked phone, maybe now is the time.

[Google Play, The Verge]