There’s loads to love concerning the new iPhone lineup: new , a brand new and a even a iPhone, if that is your factor. All the new telephones share one essential improve you may need missed throughout Apple’s 72-minute livestream, although: all of them begin at 256GB of storage.
For the primary time in 4 years, Apple raised the base-level storage on its whole iPhone lineup. For the reason that iPhone 13, Apple’s telephones have began at 128GB for the most cost effective configuration. Now, the iPhone 17, 17 Professional and iPhone Air will begin with double that capability.
It is about time.
Whereas 128GB could sound like an honest quantity of storage, it hasn’t made sense as a base quantity of storage for a while, significantly for Professional-level telephones, which have way more highly effective cameras. Apple has seemingly understood this for some time: for the final two years (when the iPhone 15 lineup launched), the Professional Max variations have began at 256GB. However there’s completely no cause that solely folks shopping for the most costly iPhone ought to get a storage bump.
As a result of I write about tech, my family and friends usually ask me for assist “fixing” varied issues with their telephones. (I spend most of my time reporting on the social media business, so normally this includes me simply Googling their particular problem and muddling by means of.) I’ve misplaced observe of the occasions associates have requested me for assist fixing issues that boil all the way down to the truth that they merely haven’t got sufficient storage left on their telephone. And, nearly each time, they solely have the minimal 128GB of storage that is come normal for the reason that iPhone 12 Professional and iPhone 13 line.
However nobody desires to listen to: “you do not have sufficient storage, you could delete stuff.” One in all my associates not too long ago vowed to by no means purchase the most cost effective iPhone once more, after I defined that paying for additional iCloud would not handle her points round native storage.
However when you can afford it, paying for a storage improve remains to be price it. Sure, paying the $200 additional for 512GB for $400 extra for 1TB on the Professional collection (which now maxes out at $1999 for 2TB) stings. It makes an already-expensive telephone really feel like a good larger funding. However as somebody who shelled out for a 512GB iPhone 14 Professional three years in the past, I’ve no regrets about paying that additional premium.
I am at present utilizing about 295GB of my allotted storage and have by no means as soon as had to consider whether or not I must filter my downloaded media or if I’ve sufficient storage to shoot images of my nephew in ProRAW Max or document cinematic movies on trip. I plan on retaining this telephone no less than one other yr and I count on I will nonetheless have loads of storage left by the point I do resolve to improve (additional storage additionally helps a bit with resale or trade-in worth).
However, when you simply cannot convey your self to pay additional for extra capability — and I get it, I actually do — leaping from 128GB to 256GB will nonetheless be a significant bump. You may not discover it instantly, however it ought to give most individuals a whole lot of additional time earlier than they begin seeing these dreaded “storage nearly full” pop-ups.
