64, 128, 256 or 512??
The bigger the better right?
That’s almost $1500!!
I can’t possibly need storage that bad, or do I?
Hey everyone, welcome to DIY in 5.
I’m your host Trisha Hershberger and today, we are going to break down
how much phone storage you really need.
Whether iOS or Android, there are many considerations you should take into account before you spend
way too much money on your next phone or spend too little and end up
with a phone that can’t match your needs.
If the tips in today’s video help you out, please go ahead and subscribe to this channel
and hit that bell so you don’t miss out on any future tech tips.
Alright, right off the bat, know that your phone operating system is going to take up some space.
And while the actual operating system files may only run 2 to 5GB, the system functions,
system apps, cache, temp files and other things necessary for your OS to function
can run you between 10 to 20GB or more.
Both iOS and Android have a way to find your System Storage and currently my Pixel 4 uses
13GB which is about the same as a new iPhone 11.
Plus, operating system updates will require an extra 4 to 5GB of free memory to safely update,
so would recommend mentally setting aside at least 20GB of your storage for operating system purposes.
Next, let’s look at your apps, particularly games.
Some of the latest games like Hearthstone, Wizards Unite and Raid Shadow Legends
to name a few each take over 1GB and that can add up quickly.
Other apps like Audible and Instagram can quickly fall into this over 1GB club
when you add in user data and cache.
That’s over 5GB of storage taken up on my phone with just those few examples.
Also, streaming apps like Netflix, Spotify, your favorite podcast app, etc all allow you to
download content for offline consumption.
If you download a few movies, some podcasts and your favorite playlist before going on a trip,
that’s another few gigs right there.
Long story short, if you are a gamer, major offline content consumer or someone who uses
photo or video editing and sharing apps regularly, extra storage will be key.
Speaking of photos and videos, this is usually the biggest space eater on any phone.
As phone cameras get better, so does the footage they capture, usually translating to a larger file size.
A still photo taken from a phone can range from 2.5 to 25MB per photo depending on the
quality of photo taken and the photo type saved - ie RAW vs JPEG.
The average 1.5 minute video of your dog being adorable will take significantly more space
- well into the gigabytes depending on your settings.
If you plan on doing tons of smartphone video and photo content creation, plan to get a
lot of storage or transfer content off your phone regularly.
But Trisha, how do I transfer data off my phone if I still wanna use it?
One of my favorite ways to minimize data use on my phone is by using
the free photo storage offered with both Google Photos and iCloud photo Library.
iCloud offers 5GB of free storage to all users with pricing plans after that
and Google Photos allows unlimited photo and video storage with a small amount of compression
and has pricing plans if you are a always-save-the-original person.
Honestly, unless you are blowing up large canvas prints of your photos,
the minimal compression is fine for most.
Plus you can still access the photos using both through the phone’s native photo app.
If Cloud storage isn’t for you, you can offload your storage using physical storage options.
Some Android phones still offer expandable storage by way of a microSD.
We’ve covered how to choose the best microSD for you in a previous DIYin5 video, link in the description,
and I have it on good authority that Kingston has a shiny new Canvas Select Plus
with A1 app support, in sizes all the way up to 512GB! Huzzah!
If you have an iPhone you also have external storage options
via a lightning USB like the Kingston Bolt, but you still need an app to use it.
iOS 13 doesn’t support external storage like the new iPadOS does.
Tl:Dr - most users really don’t need 256GB, 512GB or even 1TB of phone storage.
Most of us sit right in the 64GB or 128GB space.
Weigh your needs thinking about the things we’ve discussed in this video and shop accordingly.
What is the one thing taking up the most space on your phone right now?
Let us know in the comments.
Alright, thank you for watching everyone and I’ll see you next time with more DIYin5.
Isn’t everyone just gonna say porn?
What?