Compare smartphones with 256 GB storage

Depending on the device, the operating system and pre-installed apps already take up 15 to 30 GB. Messaging apps quickly grow to several gigabytes with chat histories, photos and voice messages. A photo from the main camera usually needs a few megabytes, but a minute of 4K video can easily take several hundred. If you regularly film, play games or store music and series offline, you will soon hit the limits of 128 GB.

Many mid-range Android models still have a microSD slot – in that case a 128 GB model may be enough, since you can put photos and music on the card. iPhones, Pixels and current Galaxy S models have no slot. There, choose generous internal storage from the start, because the extra cost at purchase is smaller than the frustration of a constantly full device. Memory cards are also slower than internal storage; apps are better kept internally.

Models with more storage usually fetch a higher price when resold. With iPhones and Samsung flagships in particular, which people often sell after a few years, this offsets part of the extra cost. Check the exact storage spec in listings: some retailers use one title for several variants, and the cheapest variant has less storage.

Part of the space problem can also be solved by staying organised: cloud backups for photos, automatic deletion of old messaging media and clearing out offline downloads. Still, plan a reserve, as nearly full storage hampers updates and can slow the system down. As a rule of thumb, around ten to fifteen per cent should remain free.

Professional video formats such as Apple ProRes or 8K recording on top Android models are especially storage-hungry: they take up many times more space per minute than normal video. If you want to use such formats, plan for at least 256 GB or record directly to an external SSD.