There is a greater need for phone storage in Australia than ever before, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with more people working from home, studying from home, and getting their Internet in the palm of their hand. The revenue growth for the Data Storage Service industry jumped to  12.7% in 2020, which is more than double where it was at the year before. 

But, the overall growth may not be as interesting to you as knowing exactly how much phone storage you need. 

The answer to that question really depends on how you use your phone. Are you a stay-at-home mum trying to engage your kids in online learning? Are you a remote worker trying to navigate how to stay connected even though you’re not in the office? Or, are you a teen trying to attend school online while staying in touch with your friends? 

No matter what your storage needs might be, there is a phone for you. 

With that in mind, let’s take a look at how much storage you really need and some phones that might be in your best interest. 

The Budding Photographer

Do you use your phone mostly to take photos or videos? First, you’ll want a phone with incredible photo quality, like the  iPhone 8 Plus. It features a 12MP wide-angle and telephoto camera. 

In addition to a great camera, it’s important to have enough storage to keep all of your favourite moments that you capture.  

It takes about 1GB of storage to store 200 photos. This is okay for someone who rarely uses their camera app. But, if you take pictures of everything from your kids to special events in your life, you’ll want, at minimum, 30GB of space. That will allow you to save about 5,000 photos.  

Keep in mind that photos and videos are different. Videos will take up a lot more storage. So, if your capturing needs go well beyond video, you may want to opt for at least 100GB of storage. That will give you about 4 hours of HD video. 

The Media Fanatic

While streaming has taken over the world of entertainment, there are some who still want to be able to watch movies and television shows or listen to music offline. If that sounds like you, you’ll want a phone with a lot of storage. 

The  Samsung Galaxy S10+ features up to 512GB of storage. Plus, whether you’re downloading music or movies or you decide to stream live, the Infinity-O display will make you realise this is one of the best phones for watching any kind of media content. 

The Avid App User

As of 2017, the average Aussie used  36 apps each month. That number has undoubtedly gone up thanks to advancements in technology and new app development. Today, it can literally feel as though there’s an app for everything. 

It’s also easy to feel as though those apps aren’t taking up any storage. That’s usually because they use streaming platforms. So, whether you’re an avid gamer on your phone or you like to stream video content, you may not be using storage when you do so. But, you’re using storage every time you download a new app. 

Unfortunately, some of those apps can end up taking quite a bit of room on your phone. That’s especially true for gaming apps, since they tend to have a lot of data programmed into them in order to function properly. So, while you might not be using storage while playing them, they are taking up a lot of space on your phone just by being there. If you have multiple gaming apps, you might start to notice that your storage space dwindles quickly. 

Is 16 GB Enough? 

Once upon a time, smartphone manufacturers created phones with just 8GB of space. Phones with that limited storage aren’t found anymore because you will undoubtedly fill up the space in a very short time. 

You can still get phones with 16GB of storage, and they are actually often popular options, especially for people on a budget. 16GB phones are often cheaper, and they can be great for someone who doesn’t take a lot of photos or videos, and doesn’t use a lot of apps. If you are using your phone mostly for calling or texting, you can certainly survive on 16GB. 

If you do get a 16GB phone, you’ll likely have to go through and delete things periodically every few months. Even if you don’t feel like you take a lot of photos or videos, they add up quickly, and you might find yourself deleting moments that mean a lot to you just to clear up extra space. 

Never Worrying About Storage

If you don’t want to ever worry about storage again, you should go with a phone that starts at 128GB and goes up from there. These storage levels used to be reserved for only top-tier phones that were unbelievably costly. That isn’t the case today.  

Ultimately, when it comes to how much storage you need on your phone, it all depends on your lifestyle and how you use your phone on a regular basis. You could always play it safe and opt for a phone with extremely high storage levels. But you can find phones with less storage at a cheaper price. 

If you’re looking for quality phones with enough storage to fit your individual needs,  OzMobiles has you covered. We sell new, ex-demo and refurbished phones that go through a 72-point check to ensure each phone is in top condition before it's sold. 

We offer inexpensive phones with 12 months warranty and easy payment options with Zip Pay. When you buy a phone from OzMobiles, you’re supporting a local business right here in Melbourne. That’s something to feel good about, of course, but the best part? You’ll be saving money on some of the best phones available in the market right now, too! Take a look at our selection and the storage options that are included with each phone to determine which one is right for you.