iPhone 13 could be the first to come with 1TB of storage built in

iPhone 12
(Image credit: TechRadar)

The iPhone 12 hasn't long been out but it's never too early to start speculating on what the iPhone 13 might have in store for us next year – and we might well see a jump to 1TB of storage on some models, up from the 512GB maximum at the moment.

That's according to prolific tipster Jon Prosser on Twitter, who is often right when it comes to Apple predictions. Don't take it as confirmed just yet, but this seems like a spec that Apple could bump up without adding too much in the way of cost, and one that it could make sense to increase.

Cast your mind back to 2018 and the iPhone XS, which was the first Apple handset to have the option of 512GB on board. The first iPhone that had a 256GB configuration, meanwhile, was the iPhone 7 in 2016.

See more

Based on those timescales, Apple is already behind schedule on adding a 1TB option. If it does appear when the iPhone 13 handsets get announced, it's likely to only feature on the higher-end, more expensive Pro models – and of course you'll have to pay for it.

With most media apps relying on streaming these days, and Apple selling its own iCloud cloud storage deals, adding extra local capacity to the iPhones is unlikely to be a top priority for the team at Apple.

That said, photo and video storage sizes continue to increase – if you're going to be doing a lot of filming on your Apple smartphone, then the extra room can really come in handy. Power users are going to appreciate the option to have 1TB on board.

The iPhone 13 wouldn't be the first 1TB phone though – the Asus ROG Phone 2 and the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus from 2019 both had 1TB storage options. Interestingly enough, those options disappeared in the Asus ROG Phone 3 and the Galaxy S20 Plus.

That might suggest demand isn't huge for so much on-board storage, but iPhone owners might be able to find uses for it where Android owners couldn't. If Apple sticks to its traditional schedule, the iPhone 13 should be out in September 2021.

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.