The next iPhones are on schedule to be released in the fall. But a new report claims that the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models with the highest-capacity storage could face a performance challenge, which would be an unwelcome catch for those buying the most expensive models.
According to Digitimes, Apple is considering switching the kind of storage it uses in some of its upcoming iPhones, specifically those with 1TB of storage—a level which is restricted to the Pro and Pro Max line at the moment and is unlikely to come to the regular iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.
Right now, the flash memory Apple uses is something called Triple-Level Cell NAND. But it’s apparently considering a switch to Quad-Level Cell NAND which, according to MacRumors, is both higher-density and less expensive.
The higher density means more storage could be fitted into a smaller space, but there’s a trade-off, which is that it has slower read and write speeds. The fact that it’s less expensive could mean the price of the iPhone could drop, though it’s more likely that it would staunch any potential price increase.
There’s another downside, which is that QLC NAND can be less durable than TLC NAND, as well as less reliable, which means Apple would have to optimize the storage to make it work as well.
This would surely be a priority: releasing the priciest iPhone with performance that doesn’t match that of a more affordable model is something that Apple would surely want to avoid, even if it requires different specs in other components—such as by adding extra RAM, perhaps.
There’s another part to the Digitimes report, and it claims that for the first time ever, there could be an iPhone with even more storage, 2TB. If that’s the case, it may be that it’s viable because of the density of QLC NAND, as well as the cost saving compared to TLC versions.
It seems that the iPhones with less storage, that is, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB, assuming Apple stays with its current capacities, will stick with the TLC NAND they currently use.
What’s not clear is how long TLC NAND will be used. It’s still prevalent but QLC NAND is growing in use, perhaps being used in as much as 20% of shipments.
Apple could stick with TLC NAND for now, optimize the next 1TB phone’s performance in some other way, or risk customer dissatisfaction with its premium product.
