Which iPhone 11 storage option should I get? Is 64GB enough?
The Apple iPhone 11 comes in three storage options – 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB, while the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max come in 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB. Naturally, the 64GB storage option is the most affordable one, and you may be wondering whether that one would be enough for you or you’ll be better off paying for more storage. Let’s find out!
How much free storage will your iPhone 11 have out the box?
A smartphone’s operating system and core apps always take up some of its storage space out the box, and thus, you’ll never be able to use the full, advertised storage. For example, if you get the 64GB iPhone 11, about 7.50GB would be taken by what the iPhone classifies as System storage, so you’re actually looking at 56.5GB of free storage.
In turn, if you get an iPhone 11 or an iPhone 11 Pro in 128GB, expect about 120.5GB of those to be free, and if you get a 256GB model – 248.5GB. As for the highest and most expensive option of 512GB, you’re going to have about 504.5 of those gigabytes for yourself.
Those numbers aren’t perfectly accurate, as preinstalled apps will also be taking some storage out the box, though you can remove what you don’t need. And all of this is normal, and also applies to Android phones, but it’s a good thing to know when choosing your phone’s storage option.
Will all the apps that I need fit in the 64GB iPhone 11?
I’m using a 64GB iPhone 11 right now, and even after downloading all the apps I need, and several that I don’t need, I still have over 46GB free. If you stream your music and content like I do, and don’t need to download anything other than apps locally, 64GB should be good enough for you.
But let’s take a look at some popular apps and see how much storage they would take. Gmail takes about 285MB, Google Maps – another 202MB, Instagram – 190MB, Netflix – 165MB, Google Calendar – 151MB, Skype – 119MB, Discord – 91MB, SoundCloud – 73MB.
All of those apps amount to a mere 1.27GB of storage, and most other social media apps you may want average between 100 and 350MB also, so you’re definitely not going to fill up even the base storage iPhone 11 option by just downloading apps.
So let’s throw in some large games – Call of Duty: Mobile is about 2.64GB, PubG Mobile takes 2.43GB, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is 2.1GB and Max Payne Mobile is 1.8GB. Those games together take close to 9GB of storage. Add in the previously-listed apps, and we’ve taken up 10.27GB.
Still, far from filling up the base 64GB iPhone 11 storage model, so you’ll be able to download much more games and apps, should you wish to.
How many photos and videos can I shoot before I fill up a 64GB iPhone 11?
By default, the iPhone 11 shoots video at 1080p HD, 30 frames per second (FPS). That equates to taking up about 60MB per minute of recorded video. Thus, you’ll need to record clips that amount to 15.5 hours in order to fill the base iPhone 11 storage option. So even if you film clips often, if you stick to the default video recording settings, you should be more than okay with 64GB of storage.
If you choose to film in 4K at 60FPS however, a minute equates to 400MB of storage being taken, so you’ll fill up the phone by shooting videos amounting to about 2.3 hours.
As for photos, you’ll likely never have to worry about them filling up your iPhone 11, Pro or Max. Even on the base 64GB storage option, you’ll be able to fit tens of thousands of photos.
So, which iPhone 11 or iPhone 11 Pro model should I get: 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB, 512GB?
The 64GB iPhone 11 / Pro / Max is more than enough for all of your apps, countless hours of video clips filmed and tens of thousands of photos taken. You need to consider a higher storage option mainly if you plan on recording lots of 4K videos and to download plenty of movies, games and music on your phone. Those can fill up 64GB quite fast. However, if you stream everything you watch and listen to, and don’t play more than 5 or 6 large games, a 64GB iPhone 11 will suit your needs well.
The 128GB and 256GB iPhone 11 / Pro / Max storage options are good ones to consider if you rely on your iPhone for everything – from work to entertainment. You’ll also be better off with one of those storage options if you’re unsure whether 64GB will fit all of the games you want to play, movies and shows you want to download and watch offline, or your music collection, if it’s a large one.
The 512GB iPhone 11 Pro / Max storage option is overkill for most people, and an unnecessary expense. However, if you want everything to be on your phone – all of your movies and shows, countless songs and games – this is the storage option to go with. 512GB is also the best option for people who want to film in 4K 60FPS constantly without worrying about storage, or gamers who want all the games they’d ever need on-device.