You can significantly minimize the frustration of running out of storage on your iPhone if you knew precisely how much storage space is really available for your iPhone and how to get much more storage back. Now, there are many ways to optimize iPhone storage, from finding apps that are not used to new optimized strategies on iCloud and the other clouds. Get storage hints and tips for managing your space so your iPhone has the room it needs to run great. Keep reading to learn more about maximizing your iPhone storage and uncovering the answer to “how much iPhone storage” you truly need.
Table of Contents
iPhone model and available storage capacity
iPhone 11: The iPhone 11 was released in three storage capacity variants: 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB, catering to the need of users with a choice of storage size.
iPhone 12: Like its predecessor, the iPhone 11, it is available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage capacity models. Moving into the even higher demand for expanding storage, the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max also sport a 512GB model, allowing more options and choices for users.
iPhone 13: The iPhone 13 series has slightly modified its storage capability by ditching the base model of 64GB instead of starting on 128GB, while the other two capacities remain 256GB and 512GB optional. The iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max models also offer a top-of-the-line storage capacity of 1 TB.
iPhone 14: The configuration of storage capacities remained the same in the iPhone 14 series as that of the iPhone 13, which includes 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB versions. Likewise, the maximum storage provided by the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max is the same as that of the iPhone 13, amounting to 1 TB.
The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will both be available with a storage capacity of 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB, and the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will further enhance their capabilities by offering 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1-terabyte options for storage.
| IPhone model | Publication year | Storage space options |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 6 | 2014 | 32GB, 128GB, 256GB |
| iPhone 7 | 2016 | 32GB, 128GB, 256GB |
| iPhone 8 | 2017 | 64GB, 256GB |
| iPhone X | 2017 | 64GB, 256GB |
| iPhone XR | 2018 | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB |
| iPhone XS | 2018 | 64GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| iPhone 11 | 2019 | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB |
| iPhone 12 | 2020 | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB |
| iPhone 12 Pro | 2020 | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| iPhone 13 | 2021 | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| iPhone 13 Pro | 2021 | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| iPhone 14 | 2022 | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| iPhone 14 Pro | 2022 | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| iPhone 15 | 2023 | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| iPhone 15 Plus | 2023 | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| iPhone 15 Pro | 2023 | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | 2023 | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
How many things can you do with 128 GB of storage
Light to moderate photography and videography: If you’re the kind of person who loves capturing memories with the iPhone camera but isn’t a freak about it by taking thousands of photos or filming hours upon hours of videos every day, then 128GB should be enough. It lets you take a good amount of photographs—considering the average file size of 5 MB per photo at 12 MP—and some videos without running out of space too fast.
App and game use: If you download key applications and multiple games, 128GB is enough for you to store all of your important applications, a number of casual games, and still have space to update iOS frequently.
Minimal local media storage: If you stream most of your music and videos instead of downloading them or storing them in cloud services, 128GB is enough, and you won’t need to manage often to make some space.
What do you do with 256 GB of storage capacity
Heavy Photography and Videography: In case you are a serious photographer or videographer, 256 GB of storage will give you the freedom to take a lot of high-resolution videos with ease, minus the need to delete the older content constantly.
Gaming Enthusiasts: Gamers looking to download large, graphics-demanding titles will appreciate the extra space offered by 256GB. If it’s not obvious yet, many modern games take up several gigabytes. With extra room, you can ensure that your favorite title doesn’t compromise space that you could otherwise use for other apps or other files.
Things one can do with 512GB and 1TB storage
Professionals working directly on their iPhones are photographers, videographers, and creators of content who have major files to store, edit pictures and videos, and manage work with several projects.
For users who just want everything they have on their devices, the higher levels of storage will grant access to thousands of photos and videos, many apps, games, and media files.
Another reason to go for the 512GB or 1TB option is that your iPhone will let you save the growing apps, games, and media files over time. This provides more enduring storage capacity.
How to optimize iPhone storage space
Deleting Unused Apps
Open the app library and look for apps that you have not opened in a long time or are not important to you. Now that you have picked out the unused apps, you can delete them to get more space. Just hold any app icon for a while until it starts to wiggle, after which the “x” appears in the corner of the app icon. Confirm deletion, and the app, along with its data, will be removed from the device.
Using iCloud or Other Cloud Services
That’s why you can save so much space on your device for videos and photos with iCloud or another cloud service. It also comes with an integrated feature, meaning your file access is highly simplified on any device, using your iPhone. Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive are also some other options.
To give more space for your photos and videos, iCloud Photo Library is just right once you turn it on. It saves your photos and videos in the iCloud, and even if you delete them from your device, they are still accessible from the iCloud or any other device that is signed in with your Apple ID.
Also, ensure that your iPhone is backed up with either iCloud or iTunes. That can mean all the difference if you accidentally delete something and need to restore it from a backup.
Optimize Storage Space
Your iPhone settings located in the Settings app under Photos allow you an option to really make storage work better for you. Pick ‘Optimize iPhone Storage’ and the original full-resolution photos and videos are kept in iCloud while smaller versions are kept on your iPhone. If you want to see those full-resolution versions for sharing or just viewing, they are there; the full, original ones are there on demand.
Offload Unused Apps
Apps can be completely uninstalled from a device, or you may really want to take them off elsewhere by offloading them. By offloading an app, it removes the app from your device but retains the data, so you can always reinstall it without any problems since your progress and settings wouldn’t be lost. Follow these steps to offload an app: Go to “Settings” > “General” > “iPhone Storage.” Tap on the app to bring up an “Offload App” button.