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The iPhone 16 Pro could be more expensive than you thought

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A person holding the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

We’re only a few days away from Apple’s “It’s Glowtime” event (on September 9, this coming Monday), and more information has come out about the iPhone 16 and its possible price. Spoiler: It could be more expensive than you thought. That’s not wholly unexpected given the number of expected upgrades and improvements, but it’s not the most welcome news.

According to TrendForce, both iPhone 16 models might feature a base storage of 256GB. That’s a good improvement; 128GB doesn’t leave much room for apps or photos after accounting for the operating system. Doing away with that lower-level storage means the starting price will be higher, though.

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We saw this pattern with the iPhone 15, too. The iPhone 15 Pro Max had a starting price hike of $100 more than the iPhone 14 Pro Max due to the loss of the 128GB storage option. If that trend continues, the iPhone 16 Pro might also be even pricier than expected. Of course, if you already planned to buy a model with a higher storage tier, the difference in price won’t make much difference. The change applies only to the base model, not the more advanced options.

However, another rumor suggests that storage might increase on the higher end, too. Sources suggest Apple might release a 2TB Pro model for the first time ever. If this holds true, then dropping the lowest storage tier makes a lot of sense. Given the relative size of apps, games, and data in general, 256GB is a much better starting point. After all, no one wants to juggle files just so you can download Zenless Zen Zero and get involved in the gacha craze.

Patrick Hearn
Former Technology Writer
Patrick has written about tech for more than 15 years and isn't slowing down anytime soon. With previous clients ranging from…
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