A few days ago, a sketchy leak from China showing the purported pricing structure for the iPhone 7 series hinted that Apple would finally ditch the 16GB storage tier, and replace it with a 32GB iPhone. Strangely enough, that leak suggested the iPhone 7 would be available in three versions, including one 4.7-inch model and two 5.5-inch variations (Plus and Pro), just as some early iPhone 7 rumors claimed.
Now a second report from China seems to reinforce last week’s story, and we sincerely hope it turns out to be accurate.
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The previous leak said that the iPhone 7 would be available in 32GB, 64GB and 256GB options while the iPhone 7 Pro and iPhone 7 Plus would launch in 32GB, 128GB and 256GB flavors – that seems like something Apple would never do. Here’s how those suggested prices, as posted by that tipster on Weibo, compare to the current iPhone 6s prices in China:
- iPhone 6s: ¥5288 (16GB), ¥6088 (64GB), ¥6888 (128GB)
- iPhone 7: ¥5288 (32GB), ¥6088 (64GB), ¥7088 (256GB)
- iPhone 6s Plus: ¥6088 (16GB), ¥6888 (64GB), ¥7788 (128GB)
- iPhone 7 Plus: ¥6088 (32GB), ¥6888 (128GB), ¥7888 (256GB)
- iPhone 7 Pro: ¥7088 (32GB), ¥7888 (128GB), ¥8888 (256GB)
A new possible leak on Chinese website WeChat now says that Apple is killing both 16GB and 64GB storage tiers, replacing them with 32GB and 128GB options across the board. The quoted prices match the ones above from the original report, and this scenario is at least within the realm of reality. There’s just no way Apple is going to deal with the logistical headache brought about by using different sized memory modules in different models.
Here’s what the new leak says:
- iPhone 7: ¥5288 (32GB), ¥6088 (128GB), ¥7088 (256GB)
- iPhone 7 Plus: ¥6088 (32GB), ¥6888 (128GB), ¥7888 (256GB)
- iPhone 7 Pro: ¥7088 (32GB), ¥7888 (128GB), ¥8888 (256GB)
It’s widely believed that Apple will finally kill the 16GB storage tier starting with the iPhone 7. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’ll use a 32GB/128GB/256GB storage setup for the new iPhone. We will point out that, if these storage tiers are real, then Apple could claim on stage and in marketing that it’s doubling the storage in the iPhone across the board without raising prices – currently, Apple sells its newest iPhone in 16GB, 64GB and 128GB configurations.
