2026 iPhone lineup may get a 2 TB model at the expense of performance and longevity

According to a recent report from TrendForce, Apple is looking into adopting quad-level cell (QLC) storage technology for its iPhone lineup, by as early as 2026. If true, this will pave the way for 2 TB iPhones in the future, doubling the current maximum storage offered in Apple's flagship lineup.

QLC, which stands for Quad-Level Cell, is a storage technology that stores four bits of data per cell, thereby increasing the storage capacity as compared to TLC (triple-level cell) and MLC (multi-level cell) by allowing for higher-density storage in the same physical space. While this does lead to higher-capacity, affordable storage devices, this technology is not without its fair share of drawbacks.

For starters, QLC is hindered by slower write speeds as well as noticeably reduced endurance when compared to TLC or MLC. This means that even though QLC storage is cheaper, it will most likely suffer from longevity and performance issues under write-intensive operations, which has the potential to adversely affect the user experience.

Earlier this year, DigiTimes also claimed that Apple was considering switching to QLC storage for the 1 TB iPhone, lending credibility to this possibility. While it may be argued that storage performance is not particularly crucial in smartphones, the ever-improving photography and videography capabilities bear steadily increasing performance demands, especially storage performance. How Apple plans on addressing these potential woes of QLC storage in high-end iPhones, remains to be seen.

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