After Apple announced their latest iPhone 6 last year, and I had the chance to buy it, I was faced with a dilemma: should I get the 16GB, the 64GB or the 128GB device? At the point of purchase, the 64GB device was sold out due to its popularity. I needed a replacement phone quick, so it was down to either the 16GB or the 128GB.
My decision then was really driven by two factors: the cost difference, and how much space I really needed. 128GB sounded a bit too much space for me; after all, most of my data is stored in the cloud (Google Drive, Dropbox, Spotify, and Evernote).
The 16GB device came with a S$988 price tag, while the 128GB would cost S$1288.
“S$300 is a bit too much for extra storages which I may never use,” I thought.
I decided then to buy the 16GB device, and boy — what followed next was months of torture and regret.
1. iCloud Sync was a nightmare
Although the phone came with 16GB of storage space, the actual available memory was way lesser. When I switched on the phone for the first time, Apple prompted me to enter my Apple ID and asked if I wanted to sync all my existing data to the new device. Obviously I chose yes, but what Apple could have done better was to tell me how much data I have, and whether or not the new device would have enough storage left after syncing.
Halfway through the syncing process, Apple decided to inform me that I didn’t have sufficient memory space. This resulted in my new phone having a completely messed up photo gallery which I have yet to sort through to date, simply because it would take too long to do so. Here’s a look at some parts of my gallery now:
I had to stop syncing the rest of my photos to my phone, because I needed more storage capacity for my apps.
2. Limited Space for App Usage
And then there are the apps. I underestimated the storage space needed to download and store documents and data for apps which I use daily. With the 16GB device, I became very selective of the apps I use, and pared those down to only the essentials like Spotify, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Evernote, Dropbox and a few others.
Here’s a look at my current storage usage:
What most might not know is that as you browse your social media feeds (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), the data you download gets stored and cached into your phone memory over time. This builds up, slowly but surely. Take Facebook for example: the app itself takes up 145MB, but after one day of use, the documents and data stored in your phone can shoot up to over 300MB.
Since I needed to keep the app storage capacity to below 400MB, I have to delete and reinstall the Facebook app every 2 – 3 days, just to clear the cache and documents. Same goes for my Twitter and Messenger app.
3. Videos Are A No No.
Another thing which frustrates me is that I can never take videos, because those will burn away my storage space. Even if I wanted to, my phone will alert me that there is not enough memory to save the video — while I’m halfway through shooting it.
Image this: you see a moment worth video-ing, you whip out your phone and start shooting — only to realise that you don’t have enough memory space to save it.
So if you are thinking of getting an iPhone, and are stuck with either the 16GB or the 128GB device, spend the extra money to get the 128GB.
Trust me: it will be worth it.
In related news though, Apple might be discontinuing the 16GB model in the near future, with the possibility of the 32GB model being brought back. This will act as the entry level model for iPhone customers. That said, even with the 32GB model, I’d still recommend that you get the 128GB one.
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