An active thread at XDA has multiple posters (here, here, and here) claiming that Sprint is cutting off shipments of the Optimus G, and that the device has reached 'end of life' status, meaning it will be discontinued soon. One poster included a photo of an inventory spreadsheet indicating as much:

Two other posters claimed to have received similar information, one of whom suggested quite correctly that the Optimus G's recent participation in the "buy one get one free" promo means Sprint is probably trying to clear out remaining stock. The Sprint Optimus G continues to show as in-stock at most major online phone retailers (Sprint, Amazon, LetsTalk, Wirefly), though it's often local resellers that are first affected by an EOL situation, because their shipments are much smaller and more frequent.

The lingering doubts of many other posters in said XDA thread, though, are understandable. The Optimus G has been available barely six months on Sprint, which is an exceptionally short stint for a flagship handset. The next shortest-lived high-end Sprint device I can find is the Motorola Photon 4G, which managed to stick around for 8 months before heading to the chopping block as Sprint's last top-tier WiMAX device.

So, why would be the Optimus G - still quite an up-to-date phone - be getting axed so shortly after release? There are probably several factors at play here, not the least of which is that it's quite likely Sprint's other three heavy-hitting Android phones (Galaxy Note II, S III, EVO LTE) are more popular with customers. LG simply doesn't enter onto the radar as a high-end smartphone option in the US at this point, and with the Galaxy S4 coming next month, the G will get absolutely steamrolled in terms of attention and spec sheet wars.

Which is exactly why it seems plausible that the real reason for this early termination is that LG is scrambling to get its Optimus G Pro into the US, and that Sprint may have already partnered to carry the device. The G Pro has been well-received by most critics, and the growing market for super-sized smartphones - one Samsung unabashedly owns - could be just the sort of early-adopter profile LG needs to get fans in the US after the tragedy that was the Intuition.

The G Pro packs a 5.5" 1080p display with a Snapdragon 600 processor, hardware that puts in on a pretty level playing field with both the HTC One and the Galaxy S4. LG has also been showing off the G Pro here at the Game Developers Conference, though merely as a Qualcomm partner.

Still, none of this Optimus G EOL business is confirmed at this point - but you can rest assured we'll be seeking out more info in the coming days. When asked about the Optimus G's end of life status, Sprint declined to comment on rumors or speculation.

XDA, Thanks, Jeremy and Lokifish!