When Apple launched the iPhone 13 series, one of the things that made users happy was that the base memory capacity had increased to 128GB. However, this good news did not last long as Apple launched the new iPhone SE and iPad Air M1, both of which retain the base memory level of 64GB.
But Apple, this is not a level of storage that users can consider worthy. Take a look at the competitors in the market and you can see that clearly.
iPhone SE is a special product in Apple’s ecosystem. It’s smaller, more affordable, and has an older design. However, it gradually becomes less attractive, especially as mid-range smartphones get better and better. You can get a lot for it for $429 – the base price of the iPhone SE 3 – and even more if you’re willing to spend close to the $579 max price.
The Google Pixel 5a is a perfect example. The device costs $449, which is only slightly more than the iPhone SE 3, but offers 128GB of base storage and 6GB of RAM. This affordable Pixel also adds a rear camera.
If you want to compare a device close to the iPhone SE “max option”, the Pixel 6 model is only $20 more expensive. Google’s products start at $599 but offer the full flagship experience instead of an outdated design and limited by a 4.7-inch screen. The Pixel 6 has a 6.4-inch display, an upgraded rear camera, and Gorilla Glass Victus.
It is true that you will get Apple’s powerful A15 Bionic chip on the iPhone SE, but 64GB is too little to take advantage of this chip’s power.
64GB of storage isn’t necessarily unacceptable on all phones. However, it shouldn’t be on a phone in the $430 price range. For example, Samsung’s Galaxy A13 is a decent budget device that offers 64GB and 5G internal storage for just $249. In this case, the amount of storage is more commensurate with the money you spend. Furthermore, the Galaxy A13 offers storage expansion thanks to a microSD card slot, which is not available on the iPhone SE.
Will cloud storage help solve everything?
If you’re worried about limited storage space, you can put everything in the cloud, right? Sure it’s a solution, however, Apple only gives you 5GB of iCloud when you sign up, which is pretty easy to fill up. After all, many phones – including the iPhone SE – are capable of 4K video recording, which will quickly use up storage space.
Once you run out of storage, you’ll have to pay a monthly fee to save more. Apple doesn’t have to be expensive, starting at around $1 per month for 50GB, but you have to keep in mind that there are things you just can’t save to the cloud. Some of the most popular apps like WhatsApp or Facebook are relatively small at first but can quickly take up more than 1GB.
If you want to install games like Call of Duty Mobile, that will cost you an extra 2.4GB right away. Add more games like Hello, Neighbor (1.7GB) or Asphalt 9 (2.6GB) and your 64GB memory really starts to evaporate.
And there’s another important part of the iPhone that you just can’t move to the cloud, and that’s iOS, which takes up a lot of space and that’s not to mention system updates.
Ultimately, the cloud cannot get you out of limited fixed storage. iPhone SE has an extremely powerful A15 Bionic chip and is an important reason for users to choose to buy the device. The device can help take sharp photos and play games comfortably, but the low memory forces you to be more careful when choosing what you want to install on your phone.
Not only “cheap” iPhone SE has 64GB capacity
Although the Phone SE came out with 64GB of basic storage, Apple probably only uses this capacity on its “cheap” product, right? The answer is no, the new iPad Air uses the M1 chip, hailed as a “performance monster”, with 5G support, Apple Pencil support, a beautiful 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display and it has… 64GB of basic storage. 64GB of storage is still the default for almost all iPads, except for the iPad Pro.
Similar to the iPhone SE, this basic capacity causes the powerful processor to lose a solid fulcrum to unleash its full power. What can the M1 do if you always have to carefully calculate how much storage each new app will use? Apple wants you to edit your photos and videos into impressive works of art, but that also takes storage space. And don’t forget that you’ll probably be using your iPad for years. You might be able to get by with 64GB, but what about 2025 or 2026?
Apple’s new iPad Air costs $599. For comparison, you can buy the base version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 with 128GB of storage and the included S Pen for $699. If you want to add Apple Pencil to your new iPad, it will cost you an extra $120. When you start adding things up, a top-spec iPad Air with 256GB of storage and an Apple Pencil will cost around $879. The highest configuration on the Galaxy Tab S8 costs 779 USD.
In the end, it seems that for Apple, 64GB is still enough for a powerful device in 2022, but if you intend to use a smartphone or tablet with top power, then this number is clearly not enough. .
Reference: AA