The iPhone 18 Pro models have been out for a day, but there is probably one “small” caveat that you may need to reconsider if you’re planning to upgrade to an iPhone 18 Pro.
According to Tech Actually (@techactually on X), the source indicates that the 1TB model uses QLC instead of TLC. What does this mean? One benefit of QLC is that it fits more data into each cell for greater density; however, one downside is that it may be more vulnerable to failure, and the writing speeds could throttle a bit, especially for longer writes.
The iPhone 18 Pro models start at 256GB of storage, and Apple now makes the 2TB option available for both models. It’s unclear whether the 2TB models also use QLC, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the case. I’d say the reason that the more expensive models would use “slower” storage likely contributes to the ongoing supply/demand imbalances for memory chips. Apple had to raise prices across its entire iPhone lineup last week to offset those higher memory costs, and it’s a shame that Apple had to use cheaper NAND chips for higher storage just to avoid even more expensive “premium upgrades” overall. Still, I think the iPhone 18 Pro is more than a solid upgrade overall with its variable aperture, the more efficient A20 Pro chip, the larger vapor chamber, and even longer battery life.
