iPhone 7: Apple to drop 16GB storage option for new handset, fixing controversial small size

As people take more photos and fill up more of their phones with music, the tiny amount of storage has proved more and more annoying to users

An attendee inpsects the new iPhone SE during an Apple special event at the Apple headquarters on March 21, 2016 in Cupertino, California (Getty)

Apple could be about to change the thing that winds people up most about the iPhone.

The lowest storage option might finally get an upgrade from 16GB to 32GB, helping people avoid running out of space and having to delete things.

The company has said that people should save space by using the cloud or upgrading to Apple’s more expensive handsets. But it looks to finally be about to respond to people’s complaints about the small storage option and upgrade its minimum storage amounts.

The company has long offered 16GB phones as its lowest storage option in every new phone. The model is much hated, since people tend to opt for it to avoid spending on extra storage – and then find themselves without space to store their photos and music.

But now it will upgrade that cheapest model to 32GB, according to a post from an IHS Technology analyst that claims to be based on knowledge of Apple’s supply chain. The company has had success with previous iPhone leaks in the past, predicting the new iPhone SE before it was released.

Apple has gradually been upgrading the maximum amount of storage that it offers in its phones, releasing the first iOS devices with 256GB of storage this year. And it has at the same time been offering easier ways of filling up that space, including the introduction of 4K video recording with the newest iPhones.

It isn’t clear how the rest of the line-up will come together in terms of storage. At the moment, Apple offers the iPhone 6s in 16GB, 64 GB and 128 GB sizes – and one of the reasons it is thought to keep it around is because it can sell people on upgrading to 64GB for around $100.

The iPhone 7 is otherwise thought to keep a design largely the same as the existing iPhone 6 and 6s. But it is rumoured to include new features including a dual-camera setup for better photos and the removal of the headphone jack.