IPhone 128 vs 256 gb ?

[Brian Tymchak]

Finally going to make the big switch - dump the Android phones for the iPhone. Doing some online shopping for phones and plans. Will be going with either TMobile or Consumer Cellular, probably the latter and the iPhone 14 Plus. Both companies have only 128Gb phones in stock. So here's my question: with the advent of 5G and the iPhone video features, I'm wondering if I should wait for the 256Gb (or higher) to come back into stock? I would characterize us as light users of picture/video features. We've never maxed our old 128Gb phones on storage, so I'm inclined to believe we wouldbe OK. But I thought it would be prudent to throw the question out to the Creeker Verse. See what I might be missing.

Thanks!

[Keith Pitman]

You might want to look at the iPhone 13 generation as I understand there’s not much difference and you can score a better deal.

I’m a light user to. I’ve only loaded up 79 gb of 128 gb.

AlsoI got a two for one deal on phones at TMobile last December.

[Bruce Page]

The wife & I just upgraded to the 13 Mini (neither of us like the large format phones). We debated upgrading to 256gb but we are also light users. So far, 128gb is more than enough for us.

[Brian Tymchak]

You might want to look at the iPhone 13 generation as I understand there’s not much difference and you can score a better deal.


True on cost. The 13 pro is about $4 a month less expensive than the 14 pro. Consumer Cellular doesn't have the 13 pro, at least right now.

We hold onto our phones a long time. (Mine is 7+ years old.) When we upgrade we've always gone newest models.

[Mike Henderson]

True on cost. The 13 pro is about $4 a month less expensive than the 14 pro. Consumer Cellular doesn't have the 13 pro, at least right now.

We hold onto our phones a long time. (Mine is 7+ years old.) When we upgrade we've always gone newest models.

In that case, I'd recommend the 256GB. It'd be a bummer to have to get new phones because you ran out of storage. That happened with my wife. She couldn't even take another picture because there was no place to put it.

Mike

[Jim Becker]

My iPhone 13 Pro Max has 128gb and that's the largest I've ever had...it was the base release. I honestly don't find it to be an issue, but I also do not leave a lot of photos and videos on the device. I move them to my Mac if I intend to keep them for some purpose. While my music library is over 6000 songs, I also keep that largely "in the cloud" since streaming them down is so efficient at this point. "Back in the day" just a few years ago, that was my biggest issue...music storage.

[Bill George]

Why are you storing 2000 pictures plus on your phone? Download to your computer or to the Cloud? I only have 64 Gb and I did have 2,200 at one time.

[Brian Tymchak]

My iPhone 13 Pro Max has 128gb and that's the largest I've ever had...it was the base release. I honestly don't find it to be an issue, but I also do not leave a lot of photos and videos on the device. I move them to my Mac if I intend to keep them for some purpose. While my music library is over 6000 songs, I also keep that largely "in the cloud" since streaming them down is so efficient at this point. "Back in the day" just a few years ago, that was my biggest issue...music storage.

Completely forgot about music... Thanks for mentioning that. Although since I retired I haven't listened to much music I also assume I would use cloud storage if I get back into it.

Do you use Apple's cloud or a music service like Spotify?

[Kev Williams]

Just some comments--

I recently got the wife the Iphone 13 pro-max w/256gig storage, moved up from an 8, which was up from a 5... And, her provider had been Cricket, since 2007, way before her first Iphone. No problems with Cricket, but when I got the 13 I decided to call Ryan Reynolds bluff and check out Mint Mobile. Actually, the wife couldn't be happier, no issues whatsover plus better service in our house (we're in a semi-dead zone) and at $150 a YEAR for unlimited service, I couldn't be happier :)

Me, I don't do smart phones. I have an old LG Rebel tracphone and ALL I use it for is to call or text the wife, maybe 2 or 3 times a month...

[Mike Henderson]

Why are you storing 2000 pictures plus on your phone? Download to your computer or to the Cloud? I only have 64 Gb and I did have 2,200 at one time.

2,000 photos? I have about 15,000 on my iPhone:) (And my wife has more - she takes pictures of everything!)

If you choose to do it, Apple will put your photos in the cloud and all you'll have is a small, low resolution photo on your phone. When you go to see the photo, the phone will download the actual photo to your phone. Just takes a few seconds.

I chose to pay for more storage and have my actual, full size photos both on my phone and in the cloud. Just my preference.

Mike

[glenn bradley]

I have been a happy Consumer Cellular customer for several years. Even when I used one supplied by my employer I never used an iPhone with a large amount of memory. I tend to use my phone as a phone, the other features are a convenience when there’s nothing more suitable available. When I want to use a computer I use a computer.

This may just be an old school mentality. A laptop is a compromise when you can’t use a real computer. The phone is a compromise when you can’t get your hands on a laptop… JMHO but, for serious work when compared to an actual computer a phone is essentially a Game-Boy.

I routinely dump my photos to a desktop for back up, general storage, and organization. If your phone is your computer I suggest you get as much storage you can tolerate.

[Jim Becker]

Completely forgot about music... Thanks for mentioning that. Although since I retired I haven't listened to much music I also assume I would use cloud storage if I get back into it.

Do you use Apple's cloud or a music service like Spotify?

I use Apple's iTunes Match...essentially all my music, whether RIPped from CDs or purchased from Apple are all available from the "iTunes" online system on any of my Apple devices. For the RIPped material, if they have it in their database, they just serve it from their copy. If it's something unique, like my nearly complete collection of Life at the World Café compilations, they store a copy automatically to be able to serve the material back anytime one of my devices requests it and it's not available locally. The iTunes Match subscription is $24.99 per year. This is separate from iCloud storage. I don't put pictures there, so I have that 99 cent a month uplift in storage just so there is enough space for Messages, calendaring and contact data. (Messages ... texting ...which I use extensively, takes up just a hair more than the default space because of images, etc., that are preserved with conversations. I offload photos to my Mac as I noted, so I don't need a "yuge" amount of iCloud storage. Long term off-site photo backup is in Microsoft's OneDrive cloud as I have that via Office365 which I maintain for the family and some close friends/quasi-family.

[Alan Lightstone]

I have the 512GB 14 Pro Max and am using 254GB on it right now. And this is with no music. Just photos. I would definitely get the 256GB model if you keep phones for that long.

Camera is better on the 14 Pro models compared with the 13 Pro models (which I had previously). But it's not a jaw dropping difference unless you are taking pictures in RAW format and running them through Lightroom, Photoshop, ON1 RAW, or Luminar Neo afterwards. I'm not sure how much of a step down the camera is on the non-pro 14 model. Didn't look into it as photography is important to me.

[Curt Harms]

Just some comments--

I recently got the wife the Iphone 13 pro-max w/256gig storage, moved up from an 8, which was up from a 5... And, her provider had been Cricket, since 2007, way before her first Iphone. No problems with Cricket, but when I got the 13 I decided to call Ryan Reynolds bluff and check out Mint Mobile. Actually, the wife couldn't be happier, no issues whatsover plus better service in our house (we're in a semi-dead zone) and at $150 a YEAR for unlimited service, I couldn't be happier :)

Me, I don't do smart phones. I have an old LG Rebel tracphone and ALL I use it for is to call or text the wife, maybe 2 or 3 times a month...

I too have Mint Mobile. How do you find the coverage away from populous areas? That is my only concern, their coverage map looks a bit spotty west of the Mississippi river. I did read that has improved, see below. I've been mostly east of the Mississip since getting Mint Mobile and coverage hasn't been an issue. One thing I did read about T Mobile (Mint Mobile's carrier) is that if your phone supports band 71, coverage may be better. Here's something about it:

What is Band 71?

As we mentioned, Band 71 is the 600MHz frequency. The lowest frequency band available for cellular data in the United States, T-Mobile purchased the rights to the band in 2017 and have been using it ever since to expand their coverage in remote areas. Because it is such a low frequency, it can travel very far from cell towers. With Band 71, previously unreached areas now have reliable internet! For those traveling remotely using T-Mobile, Band 71 has almost certainly come in handy. That is, as long as the right equipment was used.
https://www.mobilsat.com/band-71-fact-and-fiction/

[Mike Henderson]

I have the 512GB 14 Pro Max and am using 254GB on it right now. And this is with no music. Just photos. I would definitely get the 256GB model if you keep phones for that long.

Camera is better on the 14 Pro models compared with the 13 Pro models (which I had previously). But it's not a jaw dropping difference unless you are taking pictures in RAW format and running them through Lightroom, Photoshop, ON1 RAW, or Luminar Neo afterwards. I'm not sure how much of a step down the camera is on the non-pro 14 model. Didn't look into it as photography is important to me.
I have the iPhone 13 Pro and considered the iPhone 14 Pro for the camera improvements. But they didn't seem like enough to make me upgrade. Any comments based on your experience with the 14 camera will be appreciated.

I have Photoshop and Luminar Neo but mostly just use the JPEG photos. I found that using RAW just didn't improve the image that much. The Apple engineers did a good job with the JPEG conversion.

Mike

[Alan Lightstone]

I have the iPhone 13 Pro and considered the iPhone 14 Pro for the camera improvements. But they didn't seem like enough to make me upgrade. Any comments based on your experience with the 14 camera will be appreciated.

I have Photoshop and Luminar Neo but mostly just use the JPEG photos. I found that using RAW just didn't improve the image that much. The Apple engineers did a good job with the JPEG conversion.

Mike

The 42 megapixel stuff is mostly hype. It then chooses pixels and down-converts it, or whatever they call it (pixel binning). Macro mode colors supposedly better on the 14 Pro Max. Slightly wider angle wide-angle lens (24mm vs 26mm).

If you're shooting mostly in JPEG (which most people do), not much if any difference. Supposedly better in low light (not a situation I run into much), and 4K video (which I don't care about). I mostly use Lightroom, but have been playing with Luminar Neo a lot, and now ON1 Raw 2023. The AI in these programs is simply stunning. The future is truly scary. And, as I'm sure you realize, you can do far more to improve/fix photos if they are taken in RAW. Then, once done, you can share them in JPEGs. Of course, these are toys compared to my Nikon D850 with quality lenses, but that weighs about 10 pounds. Not exactly easily portable. Anyway, my usual workflow.

I do like the dynamic island. And I'm sure it will get more interesting in the future.

[Mike Henderson]

Thanks, Alan. I went and looked at ON1 Raw 2023 but for right now, I'll stick with Luminar Neo. You're right about the ease and power of the new editors. I'm really impressed with what I can do (so easily) with Luminar Neo. And they keep adding new features.

Mike

[Alan Lightstone]

Thanks, Alan. I went and looked at ON1 Raw 2023 but for right now, I'll stick with Luminar Neo. You're right about the ease and power of the new editors. I'm really impressed with what I can do (so easily) with Luminar Neo. And they keep adding new features.

Mike
I prefer Luminar Neo too (and like supporting a Ukrainian company whose women workers have fled the country but whose male workers have stayed around and are somehow working), but the new AI in ON1 Raw 2023 leapfrogs it. Especially for Super Select AI which is truly amazing. But overall there are many features I really like about Luminar Neo, and I'm much more used to using it. And find it far more intuitive. I really use Lightroom Classic far more than either of them, and clearly for the database and organization of my 125,000 photos (and hopefully growing real soon). In your copious free time, you should check out some of Scott Kelby's online courses. Really well taught (mostly about Lightroom and Photoshop, but also about photography, gear, etc...)

Kinda hijacked the thread, but hopefully providing some useful information.

[Ole Anderson]

Just upgraded my iPhone 8 to a 14 pro yesterday. My old phone had only half if its 128 gb storage used, so I stayed with 128. My wife was close to maxing out her iPhone 11 with 128 GB so she went with the 14 (Not pro) with 256 GB model. Nice upgrade as I usually just get her phone. I wanted the 14 Pro for the upgraded camera features. I don't take a lot of pictures, but when I do I want quality.

We have Comcast (Xfinity) for our home cable/TV and security, so we moved from ATT to Xfinity which uses Verizon towers. They discounted the phones $400 each and have just a 24 month payback, no interest. Two phones for $60/month and a $20 /month discount on the existing home bundle, unlimited data. So the new phones only cost us $20/month each plus the two year buyout. Pretty good deal IMO.