One measly minute of 4K ProRes video eats 6GB of an iPhone 13 Pro's storage

Iphone 13 Pro And Iphone 13 Pro Max
Iphone 13 Pro And Iphone 13 Pro Max (Image credit: Rene Ritchie/ iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple's iPhone 13 Pro will see 6GB of storage disappear for every minute of ProRes video it records.
  • Apple already prevents 128GB iPhones from recording 4k ProRes.

We're now just a day away from Apple bringing iPhone 13 to the masses, but those who are buying an iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max to take advantage of the promised ProRes video support ought to keep one thing in mind — that video's going to be huge!

I already suspected that ProRes was going to be an issue on lower storage configurations before Apple limited the 128GB versions of its new high-end iPhones to recording in just 1080p ProRes. The higher capacity models get the full 4K treatment — and according to one report, that 4K HDR ProRes video is going to be bigger than you might imagine. To the tune of 6GB for every minute of video.

Here's Input's Ray Wong on the matter.

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While Apple won't have ProRes support ready until the fall, alongside SharePlay and more, it's a feature that some creators are already looking forward to. They're likely already dealing with huge file sizes when filming with a 'real' camera, but those cameras have memory card slots — an iPhone does not.

Regardless of the storage limitations, this will undoubtedly be the best iPhone for capturing video. Whether it's the new ProRes support, Cinematic Mode, or just the improved lighting capabilities afforded by the new lenses, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max are going to be video recording monsters.

Are you (im)patiently waiting for your new iPhone to arrive? Let me know which model you're waiting on in the comments below. Me? I have a Siera Blue iPhone 13 Pro Max waiting at the local Apple Store.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.