Samsung Announces Massive 256GB Storage Option, Why Apple Should Follow Suit

Do you already have the 128GB version of the iPhone but have so many files that you wish you had more? Well, good news, your next phone could have double that, at a whopping 256GB.

Samsung has announced that it is creating 256GB flash storage chips for mobile devices, which will not only be double the amount of memory on current flagship devices, but will also have a much higher speed. In fact, it will be double the speed of the current standard of Universal Flash Storage (UFS), meaning it will be able to access your files quite a lot faster.

Of course, I’m sure there are plenty people reading this thinking that this isn’t really that big of a deal. After all, some of your phones already probably support microSD cards, right?

There are a few things wrong with this. Expandable storage has long been a source of customers having to seriously manage files, plus it has never performed as well as onboard storage. This is probably why Apple has simply chosen to not offer expandable memory, a decision that irks plenty of people, but ultimately improves the customers experience.

It’s important to note that Samsung’s next generation of UFS will have larger implications than just phones with 256GB of memory. Phones will be faster in general, with Samsung’s mobile storage having long been considered the best in the world. In fact, even Apple used Samsung flash storage in many of its previous generation iPhones. It remains to be seen whether or not Apple goes back to using Samsung storage in the iPhone 7, but it certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see.

While Apple didn’t use Samsung’s UFS storage for the current generation of iPhones, Apple relies on Samsung for plenty of other things, such as for RAM. Considering the fact that one of the iPhone 7 rumors is that the iPhone 7 Plus will offer 256GB of memory, it could certainly be possible that Apple is either going back to using Samsung for storage, or that Apple has made a few storage breakthroughs of its own.

With breakthroughs like this, it is becoming less and less acceptable for Apple to still be offering iPhones with a measly 16GB of storage. 16GB is nowhere near enough storage for the average person, with apps along taking up more and more space as they get more complex and advanced. Throw in things like music and photos, which are also getting better in terms of quality and taking up more space, and 16GB fills up quickly.

Apple is long past moving on from offering 16GB as a minimum, and most hope that the company will do away with the option for its next generation of iPhones. In today’s mobile landscape, even 32GB is a little low. It would be nice to see the next generation of iPhones have a minimum storage option of 64GB, however it’s more likely that 32GB will become the default.

Still, things are starting to move to cloud storage, making it a little easier for users to quickly move their files to a safe backup location. Users can quickly have their files and photos automatically sent to the cloud, after which they can free up their onboard storage by deleting those files. Still, as mentioned, apps are getting more complex and taking up more space, and 16GB isn’t really enough to accommodate that.

Another issue at hand is the issue of future-proofing. Even if 16GB were enough for a user now, it wouldn’t be enough for a user in the near future. For those that intend to keep their phones for a while, buying larger storage options is always a better choice, as it ensures that even if your needs for phone storage grow, your device can accommodate.

In any case, it will certainly be interesting to see which phone manufacturers are able to take advantage of Samsung’s new technology. Even if its not by the next generation of devices, Apple will almost certainly release a 256GB device within the next few years. Samsung will, of course, likely also release a 256GB smartphone in the near future, probably by the time the Galaxy S8 smartphone appears on the market.

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[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]