Accordingly, Apple will sell iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max with a minimum amount of memory. 256GB, first ditching the 128GB on the younger Pro model.
Currently, the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro costs $999 and comes with a minimum of 128GB of storage, while the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 The Pro Max costs $1,199 with a minimum of 256GB of storage.
However, according to a report in X by LeaksApplePro, the company will increase the base storage of the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro to 256GB to match the minimum storage of the larger iPhone 16 Pro Max, while the starting price of the younger Pro model will remain at $999.
This source doesn't have a large obedient list of credible leaks, but this approach from Apple is still entirely possible.
If Apple abandons 128GB in the iPhone 16 Pro, that leaves three Pro storage options: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.
It is also worth noting that in 2018, the premium version of the iPhone X was equipped with 64 GB – this is the entry level for data storage that was maintained in subsequent generations until the release of the iPhone 13 in 2021, when Apple adopted 128 GB as the new base standard. If the company makes 256GB the new minimum for its premium devices, it may get into the habit of doubling the minimum storage every three years.
The increase in maximum storage is said to be a result of Apple's transition to higher-density Quad-Level Cell (QLC) NAND flash memory for models with a large amount of memory. Using QLC NAND will allow Apple to fit more memory into a smaller space, and it's also cheaper than the Triple-Level Cell (TLC) NAND used in current iPhone models.
Rumors say this year iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will have larger displays: 6.27-inch and 6.86-inch, respectively. For comparison, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are equipped with 6.1- and 6.7-inch displays. The new display sizes will be the largest in iPhone history, and should also increase the physical space for internal components.