Poll: Would you splash the cash on a 512GB iPhone?

While earlier reports have suggested that the iPhone 8 will be available in just two storage tiers – 64GB and 256GB – a new rumor today suggests that there will be a third option: 512GB.

Is this overkill for a phone, or does it make sense these days? You could make an argument either way …

The argument against says that it’s a phone. Lots of on-board storage might make sense for an iPad, where you may choose to carry lots of downloaded movies and TV shows for viewing while travelling, and you may use an iPad as a video-editing device, storing your 4K footage on the device. But do people really keep that much content on a phone?

There’s also the fact that Apple is pushing cloud storage. It’s never been easier to store data in the cloud and to AirDrop content to an iPad or Mac. And with Apple Music offering streaming or temporary download on demand, there’s far less reason to keep your iPhone permanently loaded-up with lots of music.

The argument for says that people do more and more with their iPhones – especially larger screened ones. Watching a TV show on an iPhone 7 Plus isn’t such a strange thing to do, and it’ll make just as much sense on the iPhone 8.

Then there’s 4K video. If you have kids in particular, you can soon start filling up a lower-capacity phone. Similarly if you go on holiday for a couple of weeks, when you may not have roaming data for iCloud transfer, and you may not be carrying a Mac.

Finally, we all know less-techy people whose lives are essentially stored on their phones. They don’t do iCloud. They don’t do Macs. Everything stays on their phone. For them, on-board access to all their photos and 4K videos is key.

Perhaps you have other reasons for wanting more storage?

Let’s make a couple of assumptions for the sake of this poll. First, let’s assume the base-model iPhone 8 costs $999. Second, let’s assume Apple does its usual $100 price jumps for the higher storage tiers – so $1099 for 256GB and $1199 for $512GB. Would you pay the premium for the top tier?

Please take our poll and share your reasons – for or against – in the comments.

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