How to read in binary file data as something other than double datatype?

I am trying to read in data from a binary file using the fread function (see example below). No matter what precision I specify, the output is always of the datatype 'double'. I want the output to be int16 datatype. I do not want to simply convert the output from a double to int16 - the reason I want to read in the data as int16 is to minimize memory usage. I'm using MATLAB 2020a

fileID = fopen('nine.bin','w');
fwrite(fileID,[1:9],'int16');
fclose(fileID);
fileID = fopen('nine.bin');
A = fread(fileID,[3,2],'int16') %A comes out as 'double' datatype here. I need int16

Answer 1

[Steven Lord]

From the description of the precision input on the documentation page for the fread function, specifying the precision as *source means "The input values and the output matrix, A, are of the class specified by source."

A = fread(fileID, [3 2], '*int16');

[Scott Kilianski]

Ahhhhh, simple as that. I should've given it a closer read. Thank you very much Steven.

[Scott Kilianski]

Just an update on this. I am also skipping some data when reading it in which means I need to use the N*source syntax (where N is the number of values before skipping occurs). This prevents me from simply using the following:

A = fread(fileID,[3,2],'2*int16') %using '2*int16' as the precision reads in 2 values from
                                  %the binary file, and A becomes a double datatype again

Instead, I use:

A = fread(fileID, [3 2], '2*int16=>int16'); %=> specifies the that the output should be 'int16'