How much storage do I need on a smartphone?

Nowadays, the vast majority of people spend more time tinkering with their smartphones than they do their PCs?

It is, after all, equipment that is almost always with us, and that we use for the most varied functions, even for the consumption of music and video in high definition. Not to mention the capture of images and video, with the ever better photographic systems.

Which raises the question … How many GBs of storage is really needed on a smartphone?

After all, we are a long way from the time when a smartphone hit the market with 4 or 8GB of internal memory. Nowadays, any ‘decent’ smartphone has at least 32GB of memory, with the ‘base’ versions of any top-of-the-range phone boasting at least 64 or 128GB of memory.

Not to mention the many versions with 512GB or even 1TB of storage! But does this make sense? Are there users taking out so many selfies, who need this enormity of space? Let’s try to figure it out!

What occupies most of the memory of a smartphone? 

First, we have the operating system that can occupy between 5GB and 15GB of internal memory (depends on the manufacturer).

Later we have the games, which although they do not occupy 50 GB or more like on a PC. There are already several titles to come and even exceed the 2GB mark. (Metal Gear Rising comes to occupy 5GB!). However, most games will occupy only a few hundred MBs. So if you have 4 or 5 more elaborate games and then several simple games, we can count on 10-15GB of memory only for games.

In addition to these great culprits, we also have video capture, which with the quality of the existing cameras, makes the 4K resolution quite appealing to consumers. Which in turn will require quite a lot of storage? However, in this field, we have the ‘Cloud’ that allows us to save photos and videos without major problems. Namely Google Photos, which with its unlimited storage option, is simply a ‘must have’ on any smartphone. (Let’s count on 15GB)

We still have classic photos! After all, nowadays, in a smartphone ‘premium’ a photograph occupies 4/5MB is not surprising. So if you have 500 photos or more, the number of GBs needed will increase very quickly. (Let’s count on 4GB)

We still have music, which of course can be heard only by streaming. But there are still those who prefer to have their playlists available on their device, instead of having extra services. (Let’s count on 2GB)

And finally, the remaining Apps that you will definitely install on your smartphone.

In short, a demanding user will need at least 64GB/128GB to be more or less at ease.

So why do we have so many models with 512GB or more of internal memory?

In fact, the memory will always depend on the use that each gives to your smartphone. If you happen to have a WhatsApp group always sending funny videos, you like to download multiple series and movies to watch on the go, or just on the living room sofa. It is likely that your requirements are much higher than the most common mortals.

If you need help, have doubts or concerns, do not hesitate to leave a comment in the comment box below and we will try to help you as soon as possible!