Written by Willem Antonelli; edited by Johannes Lynch
09-29-2022T21:10:26Z
When you make a purchase through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission.Learn more
- You can buy an iPhone with five different amounts of storage: 64 gigabytes, 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB and one terabyte.
- Most iPhone users won't need more than 256GB or 512GB if you take a lot of photos and videos.
- Apple also offers iCloud online storage, which can free up your device's internal storage space.
NEW LOOK
Sign up to get the inside scoop on today's top stories in markets, technology and business, delivered daily.Read example
Thank you for registering!
Access your favorite topics on the go in a personalized feed.
Advertisem*nt
Every new iPhone comes with an upgraded camera that allows you to take beautiful photos. But the higher the quality of your photos and videos, the more space they take up to store.
This means that having enough storage space on your iPhone is more important than ever. And thankfully, Apple gives users a fair amount of control over how much storage space they have.
Advertisem*nt
iPhones are available in five different stock sizes
Depending on the type of iPhone you buy, you can get one of five different storage sizes. Here's a quick overview showing what each iPhone Apple currently sells has to offer:
| iPhone-model | Stock sizes offered | Taken |
| iPhone SE (2nd generation) | 64 gigabytes (GB), 128 GB, 256 GB | $ 429, $ 479, $ 579 |
| iPhone 12 | 64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB | $ 599, $ 649, $ 749 |
| iPhone 13mini | 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB | $ 599, $ 699, $ 899 |
| iPhone 13 | 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB | $699, $799, $999 |
| iPhone 14 | 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB | $ 799, $ 899, $ 1099 |
| iPhone 14 Plus | 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB | $ 899, $ 999, $ 1199 |
| iPhone 14 Pro | 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, one terabyte (TB) | $999, $1099, $1299, $1499 |
| iPhone 14 Pro Max | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | $ 1099, $ 1199, $ 1399, $ 1599 |
A terabyte, the largest size, is about twice as much storage as the 512GB option.
A typical photo taken with the iPhone's main camera is about 2MB in size, or 0.002GB. In other words, it takes about 500 photos to fill one gigabyte. Apps can range from 2MB to 2GB depending on what they are for and how much you use them.
And a few GB of spaceis always occupied by important system files, which are difficult to remove or compress.
Advertisem*nt
How Much iPhone Storage Do I Need?
Whichever type of iPhone you buy, you have a number of different storage options. So which one is right for you?
128 GB and 256 GB are the best options for most users. They provide enough storage space for thousands of photos and videos, along with dozens of apps.
At this point, buying something with only 64GB is a mistake. Apps and images are now large enough that you quickly run out of space.
If you use your iPhone constantly for professional work (for example, if you're a photographer) or you want it to be your primary gaming device, consider 512GB. However, for regular users it is a bit overkill.
The only reason you'll ever need a 1TB iPhone is if you regularly shoot 4K or 8K video and your iPhone is the only place you need to store it. Unless your entire world and career revolves around one iPhone, you don't need 1TB.
Advertisem*nt
iCloud gives you more storage space
Even if you've already purchased an iPhone, you're not stuck with the storage space you purchased.
You can link your iPhone to a free Apple ID account, which comes with 5GB of free iCloud online storage. And if you are willing to pay a monthly fee,you can upgrade the 5 GB to 50 GB ($0.99 per month), 200 GB ($2.99/month) or 2 TB ($9.99/month).
To manage what's stored on your iCloud Drive, open the iPhone Settings app and then tap your name at the very topiCloud.
One of the best features you can dial in here isOptimize iPhone storageinstitution. When this is enabled, photos or videos you take will not be saved to your device. Instead, only a preview is saved, and when you open the photo or video in the Photos app, the original is downloaded immediately. This can save gigabytes of space without deleting data.
You can enable this by opening the iCloud menu and tappingPhoto'sand then selectOptimize iPhone storagepossibility.
Willem Antonelli
Tech Reporter for insideranmeldelser
William Antonelli (he/she/they) is a writer, editor, and organizer based in New York City. As a founding member of the Reference team, he helped Tech Reference (now part of Insider Reviews) grow from humble beginnings to a powerhouse that attracts more than 20 million visits per month. Outside of Insider, his writing has appeared in publications such as Polygon, The Outline, Kotaku and more. He is also a regular source for technical analysis on channels such as Newsy, Cheddar and NewsNation. You can find him on Twitter@DubsRewatcher, or contact him by email atwantonelli@businessinsider.com.
Advertisem*nt
