Apple calls 128GB 'lots of storage' in new iPhone 15 ad

AppleInsider

The entry 128GB storage tier for iPhone 15 hasn't stopped Apple from claiming its latest models have "lots of storage for lots of photos."

128GB doesn't cut it when many popular apps bloat to 10GB or more

There was a time when 128GB could fit the entire catalog of video games in existence, but as time passed, storage needs increased. However, as we approach four years with the 128GB base storage, it is clear that it isn't quite enough despite what Apple's latest ad might say.

The short 30-second ad shows a man considering deleting some of his photos, but they cry out "don't let go" as the song with the same title plays. The message -- iPhone 15 has "lots of storage for lots of photos."

Subscribe to AppleInsider on YouTube

It doesn't feel like it was that long ago that we were complaining about the 64GB base storage, but that went away with iPhone 13 in 2021. Apple previously jumped from a base of 32GB to 64GB with the iPhone X in 2018.

So, here we are at the end of what seems like a three-year cycle for pushing storage higher, and Apple claims the iPhone 15 has plenty. For context, an average user can easily fill half of 128GB with app storage alone, let alone photos and video.

Thankfully, iCloud exists -- if you're willing to pay. If 128GB on an iPhone seems low, 5GB free in iCloud is downright criminal.

From our experience, most people would rather delete precious photos and videos than pony up the cash for more iCloud storage. Those same people are more likely to buy base model configurations to save on the already expensive product.

Sure, Apple offers a 1TB iPhone 15 Pro, but that'll cost you $1,499 -- $700 more expensive than the base model. Perhaps it would be better to take that $700 and pay for nearly six years of 2TB storage on iCloud+.

For anyone upgrading from a previous iPhone with 64GB, that 128GB will feel immense by comparison. But that feeling will be short-lived as that new iPhone with its 48MP camera gets packed with new high-resolution photos and video.

If Apple wants to make an ad bragging about storage, then it should push the base up to 256GB with the iPhone 16 in the fall. Or, at the least, finally, give customers more than 5GB of iCloud by default.



Read on AppleInsider

avon b7

Yeah, Apple has been historically tight with its storage offerings and eliminating the next tier up on older models just for upsell has never been less than plain nasty.

However, on the subject of cloud storage, I recently took advantage of a QNAP offer (100GB free for 'life') so in case any QNAP users are interested...

https://www.qnap.com/en/campaign/myqnapcloud-storage-backup-offer

Phone > NAS > cloud

It's going to be clunky when compared to a native iCloud/Drive solution but it's free. 

msuberly

avon b7 said:

QNAP offer (100GB free for 'life')

Just be ready for QNAP to declare end of life.

I don't even trust iCloud to be around for the rest of my life, which is why I keep an old 2TB iMac around for local backup.

aross99

128GB feels like it is a usable MINIMUM for the vast majority of people.  The 5GB iCloud backup limit is ridiculous but it's been short since they had 32GB iPhones.

Buying more iCloud space is the smarter way to go.  With over 17,000 photos in my library and a 100GB iCloud photo library, my phone is a 128GB model and has 64G free.

200GB of iCloud storage is $3/mo. or $36/year.  upgrading to 256GB is $100, which addresses the local storage but not the backup issue.  3Y of iCloud 200GB is about the same price, and gives you both the storage AND the backup.

Buy more iCloud space, not more phone storage - especially if you upgrade your phone more than once every 3Y.

That said, I don't shoot much video, so if you are shooting alot of 4K video, this may not work for you, but them I would say you aren't a typical user of the 128GB or even 256GB phone.

davidmalcolm

128 gigs is more than enough for most people. I have lots of apps on my phone, and never run into space issues. Heck even my 64 gig iPhone was generally fine.

Besides half the time people only end up paying for iCloud once they run out of space to store all the photos they take on the phone. Without that people just fill up the free 5 gigs and say oh well nothing bad will ever happen, and then proceed to lose their phone in the back of an cab and then tell everyone within ear shot, "You don't understand, all my photos were on that phone!"

JinTech

Where in the ad does it mention this is the iPhone 15 with 128 GB? For all we know it could be the 512 GB model. Plus, if you use iCloud then you could potentially have even more storage.

baconstang

My iPhone has 64GB of storage and I'm using less than half.  Glad I didn't have to pay for more...
BTW...I have iCloud storage for photos (sync'd to my Macs) and I use iTunes Match.

Anilu_777

People forget that if you store photos in iCloud you have to still keep them on the phone. If you delete them they’ll also delete from iCloud. I have always purchased the 256 GB phone and only recently have I found it going above half-full. I have Apple One for the family so its 2 TB of storage means no-one will lose their photos. If the family helps pay it’s worth it. 

Xed

Don’t conflate “lots” with “enough for your needs”. It’s a term that holds no meaning or guarantee from a legal standpoint.

For me, it’s all I need. 

tmay

Anilu_777 said:

People forget that if you store photos in iCloud you have to still keep them on the phone. If you delete them they’ll also delete from iCloud. I have always purchased the 256 GB phone and only recently have I found it going above half-full. I have Apple One for the family so its 2 TB of storage means no-one will lose their photos. If the family helps pay it’s worth it. 

There is File App for iCloud Drive that can be used for storage, should you want to delete photos, or other files, as an example, from the iPhone.

I just tried it on my obsolete 7+ and it works, but it isn't very intuitive. 

Xed

aross99 said:

128GB feels like it is a usable MINIMUM for the vast majority of people.  The 5GB iCloud backup limit is ridiculous but it's been short since they had 32GB iPhones.

Buying more iCloud space is the smarter way to go.  With over 17,000 photos in my library and a 100GB iCloud photo library, my phone is a 128GB model and has 64G free.

200GB of iCloud storage is $3/mo. or $36/year.  upgrading to 256GB is $100, which addresses the local storage but not the backup issue.  3Y of iCloud 200GB is about the same price, and gives you both the storage AND the backup.

Buy more iCloud space, not more phone storage - especially if you upgrade your phone more than once every 3Y.

That said, I don't shoot much video, so if you are shooting alot of 4K video, this may not work for you, but them I would say you aren't a typical user of the 128GB or even 256GB phone.

1) “Usable minimum” is better way to state what is likely best for a specific person. When helping people decide what to buy I look at what they use now and make sure I have a reasonable amount of room to grow with the OS growth, app growth, additional apps, and higher general usage for increased photos and videos as better devices tend to encourage additional usage. This has been especially true over the decades with WinPC users switching to Macs. I usually hear something like “I don’t need much because I hardly use my WinPC as it is,” but when you get a Mac with no crapware slowing you down and that is easier to use you will likely use it more often.

2a) I feel that Apple’s free tier of 5 GiB of iCloud storage going for 15(?) years now, is ridiculously cheap on their part. To their (minor) credit, they do give you a free allotment of temporary space if you're using it to back up to move to a new device. Of course, that does usually mean you've purchased another iPhone so it makes sense for them from a financial standpoint to make upgrading to a new iPhone as easy as possible.

2b) I don't like Apple iCloud pricing tiers so I keep my expenses to a minimum by only having my iPhone on iCloud which I pay 99¢ per month for the 50 GiB tier. Then each month I will plug my iPhone into my Mac — which isn't tied to iCloud for Photos — and transfer the photos to my Mac. I then delete from my iPhone the ones I don't want to keep on there (which is most of them) and then clean up and label the photos for the month. This allows me to save a couple bucks per month and keep my photos more organized on my Mac, which is also backed up to a Time Machine NAS.

xyzzy01

I've got 170 GB free on my 256 GB phone (minimum capacity).

There's far less issues with 128 GB storage on iPhones than shipping Macs with 8 GB of RAM.

40domi

What a load of misleading rubbish this article is.
128gb is plenty for the vast majority, anyone that has 60gb in apps alone is not an average user!!! The writer is referring to a small minority of users.
I have a 256gb and use less than 60gb, with 2000 photos & videos and half of those are garbage that like most users I can't be bothered to go through and remove. The only reason I buy 256gb is for the faster read & write speeds.
iCloud is dirt cheap, what is it with people in the modern world wanting everything that costs money, to get it for free 😡
If you want spare capacity and future proofing pay for it or buy something else, if you're not happy with Apple!

mikethemartian

Do most people even like new Apple commercials? They seem so far removed from the infectious iPod commercials made by Chiat\Day and the “I’m a Mac” commercials of the past.

YP101

Well, if you don't play game and don't take lots of picture or video then 128GB storage is enough.
I am currently using iPhone 15 Pro with 128GB storage and still have more than 50% free space. If I am moving all pictures, then it should free up to 80%.
Question is how long Apple can charge storage and RAM price as much as 3-4 times higher than normal market price.

I don't think Apple will kill 128GB base line soon, so only choice is reducing price to upgrade but if that happen most people buy higher capacity.
If that so then why bother. Just kill base 128GB and move on to 256GB as new base.

According to wiki, iPhone storage upgrade from 32 to 64 at XR, and then 13 to 128 as base. So Around 4 years term Apple upgrade base storage.
So, I guess iPhone 17 or 18 will be 256 as base. At least Pro line up bump up first.

StrangeDays

Sure is to me. I’m only using 74gb. 

StrangeDays

Anilu_777 said:

People forget that if you store photos in iCloud you have to still keep them on the phone. If you delete them they’ll also delete from iCloud. I have always purchased the 256 GB phone and only recently have I found it going above half-full. I have Apple One for the family so its 2 TB of storage means no-one will lose their photos. If the family helps pay it’s worth it. 

You forget you don’t need to store the full-sized copies on your phone if using iCloud.  

namethespruce

I mean, yeah. I have over 11,000 photos on my 128GB phone (low-res copies, of course)... I'd say that's more than lots. HEIC is a super efficient photo format. Videos, though? I do still take care to delete all but the best couple videos the day after a show or after a vacation. It saves space, but also prevents clutter. It's harder to find the good stuff later if you just keep everything. 

ajmas

Without iCloud support 128GB isn't much, but coupled with iCloud storage and an internet connection it actually works out to be enough in many cases. I say this, because the phone will quietly offload images and videos to the cloud when the images and videos start reaching a certain threshold.

Where the storage fails is if you are an app hoarder or a music buff that needs stuff to stay on the phone. Or... you are dealing with apps that create large files without any auto-offloading support.

sbdude

And yet Apple still sells two generations of iPad starting with 64 GB.

StrangeDays

sbdude said:

And yet Apple still sells two generations of iPad starting with 64 GB.

Entry-level specs for entry-level pricing. My mother is 100% fine with that, so doesn’t use much storage. YMMV and that’s ok