How Much Storage (in GB) Do I Need In My Phone?

Choosing a new smartphone with the right amount of storage space (measured in gigabytes or GB for short) can be difficult, especially when it impacts the price. This article explains what to consider about a phone’s storage space to help you decide how much you need.

How Do I Know How Much Storage I Need?

There are a few important factors to consider when determining how much storage you’ll need on your phone. Price is a big consideration, as costs increase with higher storage models, but it doesn't change how much you need.

With solid-state memory costs decreasing in recent years, you can effectively double your phone’s storage cost for a minimal fee. For example, when this article was published there was only a $60 difference between the Samsung Galaxy S23 with 128GB ($799) and the 256GB model ($859).

Cloud storage is another option to take into account. Many smartphone brands now offer free cloud storage and you can easily expand this amount for a small monthly fee. If you know you’ll be saving a lot of files to the cloud, you may not need a phone with a large amount of internal storage.

A smart way to gauge how much phone storage you need is to see how close you are to filling up what you already have. Below are directions for checking this on Android and iPhone.

Check How Much Storage Is Being Used on Android

Here's how to check your Android phone's current storage usage:

1. Open Settings.

2. Tap Storage or, on some phones, Device Maintenance > Storage.

   You can also get there by searching the Settings app for storage.

3. You should now see your phone's maximum storage capacity and available space. From here, you can uninstall documents, apps, and more to free up space.

Check How Much Storage Is Being Used on an iPhone

Use the Settings app to see how much space you're using and how much is free.

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap General.

3. Choose iPhone Storage.

Do I Need 64 GB or 128 GB on My Phone?

On the low end, most phones now come with at least 64 GB of internal storage, with many new Android devices starting at 128 GB. While either amount may fit your needs on paper, it’s important to remember you won’t have access to your device’s full storage.

The operating system, pre-installed apps, and other system software use up a significant portion of internal storage, and this share will increase over time as you download new software updates.

In addition to pricing and cloud storage considerations, you should factor in what you’ll be using your phone for. If you play a lot of mobile games and/or take a lot of high-res photos, you’ll want at least 128 GB. However, if you don’t use many apps and stream most of your content (like movies and music), you’ll probably be fine with 64 GB. 

If you’re still unsure how much storage (again, measured in GB) you’ll need on the next phone you buy, take a look at your current usage rates. If you aren’t running out of space, you probably don’t need a big upgrade. But if you frequently need to free up space on your phone, it’s probably a good idea to get as much storage as you can. 

How Much Internal Storage Does the Average Phone Have?

Every smartphone comes with a set amount of internal storage space and this amount has increased dramatically in the last decade. Whereas a 32 GB phone was at the upper limit of what you could buy in 2012, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, for example, starts off at 256 GB. On the higher end, most popular smartphone brands now offer 512 GB and even 1 TB models.

One thing to keep in mind is internal storage cannot be increased or decreased. If your phone doesn’t have an expansion slot for a microSD card or other form of external storage, you’re bound to whatever the phone shipped with.

The main advantage of internal storage is it lets you store data locally for offline access. While cloud storage is an excellent resource for keeping your photos, videos, and other files, you can’t access these files without a Wi-Fi or mobile data connection.