The iPhone 12 Pro will be available for the masses starting on October 23, 2020. This is the latest generation for the Pro model, which is the new flagship that Apple offers every year. The new iPhone 12 Pro has a brand new flat-edge design reminiscent of the iPhone 4 and 5 days, 5G, A14 Bionic, upgraded camera systems, and more. If you are looking to pick up an iPhone 12 Pro, they come in three storage capacities: 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. So which size is right for you? Let us help you decide!
iPhone 12 Pro storage size: Price per gigabyte
For those who want to look at it as getting the most bang for the buck, or just want the best value, then you'll want to start at how much it costs per gigabyte. Let's do a quick breakdown:
- 128GB - $999 or $7.80 per gigabyte
- 256GB - $1099 or $4.29 per gigabyte
- 512GB - $1299 or $2.54 per gigabyte
When you look at those numbers, it's pretty clear that the baseline 128GB version, while an improvement over the previous 64GB, is still the worst value. The 256GB option is a nice middle ground, but if you really want to get the most bang for the buck, then 512GB is the way to go. Plus, with the most storage, you won't have to ever worry about running out of space again.
iPhone 12 Pro storage size: Local storage or cloud storage?
While the 512GB is the best value, you may not actually need all of that space. Let's take into account whether you you actually require a lot of space, or do you use enough cloud storage services (iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.) that you don't rely on local storage?
Apple provides everyone with 5GB of iCloud storage for free. Even though it costs you nothing, it's such a measly and paltry amount that it is actually insignificant for most people. After all, 5GB isn't even going to be enough for an iCloud backup! However, you can buy more iCloud space if you need it, and honestly, we recommend doing so. Plans for iCloud start at $0.99 for 50GB, $2.99 for 200GB, and $9.99 for 2TB. Apple is also going to include iCloud subscriptions in its Apple One bundles coming later this year, so those will be worth looking into if you use Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple TV+, Apple Music, and the new Fitness+ services.
With an active iCloud subscription, you could use iCloud Photo Libraryto store all of your photos, rather than have local copies on your device. And with Apple Music, you get iCloud Music Library, so you can stream your music anytime, instead of having to sync it all locally. However, be aware that you aren't able to shoot and upload 4K video directly to iCloud, unfortunately, so you will still need to have some local storage on your iPhone 12 Pro for high-resolution video.
- If you already use cloud storage for pretty much everything, then 128GB should be more than enough for your needs.
- If you do a lot of traveling or just don't always have a stable data connection, then 256GB is a good medium.
- If you want everything stored locally, then 512GB is the way to go.
iPhone 12 Pro storage size: Take advantage of powerful cameras
The iPhone 12 Pro will continue with having the telephoto lens with 4x optical zoom, an Ultra Wide lens with 120-degree field of view, Night Mode portraits with the new LiDAR scanner, dual optical image stabilization on the Wide and Telephoto lenses, and more — and that's just for still photos! When it comes to video recording, you can do HDR video with Dolby Vision up to 60fps, 4K video recording at 24/30/60fps, Slo-mo videos at 1080p at 240fps, Night Mode time-lapse, and more. The front-facing TrueDepth camera also gets some new improvements, like Night Mode and Deep Fusion as well, so your selfies will never look better.
With such powerful camera systems, you're going to get beautiful, crystal-clear shots and super smooth video, but guess what — they're going to take up space! Especially if you want the highest quality video, having a lot of those stored locally will quickly eat up your available storage. If you plan to use your iPhone 12 Pro for a lot of photography and video, then you will want at least 256GB.
- If you don't plan on shooting a lot of 4K video, but will use the camera occasionally for stills and portraits, then 128GB should be okay, especially if you use iCloud Photo Library.
- If you plan on taking a lot of photos and some video with the camera, you should consider the 256GB.
- If you are planning to use your iPhone 12 Pro for a lot of photos and video, then pick up the 512GB.
With the iPhone 12 Pro, you're getting a gorgeous 6.1-inch OLED screen for the Super Retina XDR display. This is slightly larger than the previous 5.8-inch screen of the iPhone 11 Pro (RIP), which means you can see even more on the screen at once. While I would still prefer to use a larger tablet screen or even a monitor or TV for watching movies and shows, sometimes you'll just need to work with what you have.
The average size of a movie on iTunes is between 1GB to 3GB for a standard file, or 3GB to 6GB for an HD file. Television show episodes are about half the size of movies, but of course, you need more episodes to compensate. Music files clock in at much smaller sizes than movies and shows, but with whole albums, that can also add up pretty quickly.
With music, it's not just iTunes either — we have music streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify, but you also have the option of downloading music files for offline listening (great for spotty data areas). And think about video streaming services too, such as Hulu, Netflix, Disney+, and more, which also let you download content to enjoy without a data connection. You may stream all the time, but want to download some stuff so that it's always readily available, data connection or not — this adds up, and you'll need enough space for everything you want.
- If you solely plan to just stream all of your content, then 128GB is plenty.
- If you are going to download some music or video to enjoy offline, then 256GB should be enough.
- If you want to download a lot of music or video, or just want to not worry about space when doing so, then get 512GB.
iPhone 12 Pro storage size: Fill it up with apps and games
To make the most out of your iPhone 12 Pro, you're going to want to experience all of the cool and fun apps and games on the App Store. With pretty much millions of apps and games available to download, there's a lot to discover and experience! Apps can help you be productive, maintain a healthy lifestyle, entertain or inform you, let you gaze at the world through the eyes of others, and so much more. And if you want fun, then there are a ton of mobile games on the App Store, and Apple has its own gaming service, Apple Arcade. With Apple Arcade, you can enjoy unlimited exclusive and premium games for just $5 a month.
But in order to experience all of these amazing apps and games, you'll need space. While most apps are small in size, the more graphic intense apps and games are bigger, and can clock in at at least 1GB of space, depending on what it is. If you continue to just download apps without checking your storage, you may end up using up a lot of that space. It's just another thing to consider.
- If you don't play a lot of mobile games and use the stock apps, but may download an app every now and then, 128GB is fine.
- If you want to download a variety of apps and games, then 256GB is good.
- If you want to download freely without having a care in the world, then 512GB is for you.
Who should get the 128GB iPhone 12 Pro?
Those who mostly use cloud storage services, stream music and video, aren't planning to shoot a lot of 4K video or photos, don't need a lot of apps, and don't do mobile gaming will be fine with the 128GB iPhone 12 Pro. It is the worst value in terms of price per gigabyte, but sometimes the minimum is all you need.
(opens in new tab)
iPhone 12 Pro 128GB
The 128GB baseline model is double what Apple offered previously. It should be enough for most people.
Who should get the 256GB iPhone 12 Pro?
The 256GB iPhone 12 Pro is the perfect middle ground for most people, from the casuals to the power-users. I personally use the 256GB size and it's been able to handle what I need for years. I can have files stored locally on my device and use cloud storage, stream and download music and video, take a lot of photos with some video, and enjoy plenty of apps and games. You still get some room to spare.
(opens in new tab)
iPhone 12 Pro 256GB
If you want something in-between, the 256GB is perfect. You can enjoy local media, files, stream content, take a lot of photos and some 4K videos, and plenty of apps and games.
Who should get the 512GB iPhone 12 Pro?
The power-users who want as much free storage as possible, without ever having to worry about running out of room. With 512GB, you can have a lot of files available without a data connection, including music and videos, and you can shoot more 4K videos and amazing photos on a whim. And you can download apps and play the best games available on iPhone. This is also the best value, technically, so why not make the most of it?
(opens in new tab)
iPhone 12 Pro 512GB
If you want to be able to have all of your files locally, as well as all of your music and videos, apps and games, and take tons of photos and 4K video without every having to worry about space, get 512GB.
Go with what you need
This is the first time that Apple has bumped up the baseline storage capacity of an iPhone to 128GB, and we're glad to see it. This means that those who usually get the base model now have twice the storage to work with at the same price, offering a bit more leeway and flexibility. But those who need more, the 256GB and 512GB options are good values and don't cost that much more, in all honesty. And if you're getting an iPhone 12 Pro, make sure to protect it with some of the best cases so far!
We've outlined it for you here, but ultimately, it comes down to what you need and what you can afford. The iPhone 12 Pro is not cheap, so even the baseline model is high for most people. Still, if you end up realizing that what you bought isn't going to work out, you can return it to Apple within the 14-day return window and try another storage capacity, or even a different device. Just double check Apple's updated return policy FAQ (opens in new tab) before you do that, because of current store availability.
(opens in new tab)
Apple iPhone
○ iPhone 12 and 12 Pro Deals
○ iPhone 12 Pro/Max FAQ
○ iPhone 12/Mini FAQ
○ Best iPhone 12 Pro Cases
○ Best iPhone 12 Cases
○ Best iPhone 12 mini Cases
○ Best iPhone 12 Chargers
○ Best iPhone 12 Pro Screen Protectors
○ Best iPhone 12 Screen Protectors
iMore Newsletter
Get the best of iMore in your inbox, every day!
Christine Chan
Christine Romero-Chan was formerly a Senior Editor for iMore. She has been writing about technology, specifically Apple, for over a decade at a variety of websites. She is currently part of the Digital Trends team, and has been using Apple’s smartphone since the original iPhone back in 2007. While her main speciality is the iPhone, she also covers Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac when needed.
When she isn’t writing about Apple, Christine can often be found at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, as she is a passholder and obsessed with all things Disney, especially Star Wars. Christine also enjoys coffee, food, photography, mechanical keyboards, and spending as much time with her new daughter as possible.
FAQs
How much GB do I need on my iPhone 12 Pro? ›
256GB: enough for the average user
You can download the latest apps and games without having to worry about how much space you have left. You have plenty of storage space for photos, videos, and music.
128 GB of storage space will be sufficient for average use cases (calls, SMS, emails, social networks, some photos, videos, music, etc.). 256 GB will be more useful if you take many photos, some videos, or if you want to be able to download a movie from time to time.
Which iPhone 12 Pro Max storage should i get? ›Storage Popularity
The most popular iPhone 12 Pro Max storage option is 128 GB, chosen by 57% of buyers on Swappa.
Apps and photos are big enough now that you're going to be running out of space quickly. If you constantly use your iPhone for professional work — if you're a photographer, for example — or want it to be your main gaming device, then consider 512GB.
How many photos can 128GB hold iPhone 12? ›The iPhone 12 128GB should hold at least 22,600 JPG photos when stored at standard resolution and compression.
Do I need 256GB on my phone? ›Most folks need 128GB or 256GB of phone storage space which is enough for regular app downloads, picture taking, and video shooting. Power users like gamers should opt for 512GB to 1TB, while casual users will be fine with 64GB.
Is it worth upgrading from 128GB to 256GB? ›128GB is usually enough for most people, but a big reason why many still consider upgrading to 256GB is simply to get some peace of mind. After all, you don't want to have to bother freeing up storage space all the time. If that peace of mind is important to you, 256GB will do the job.
Is 256GB worth it over 128GB? ›256GB might seem like a lot of storage for a smartphone at first, but if you either hoard media files, play resource-intensive games, or create video or image content online, this option gives you more freedom than 128GB.
How many photos can 128GB hold? ›128GB Card in a Camera (DSLR, Mirrorless etc.)
The images it takes range in file size from 17 to 31MB. This would mean that using a 128GB memory card- you could hold something between 7529 and 4129 photos depending on the subject and its amount of detail and data.
Remove videos, books, and music stored on your phone
Sometimes what's taking up the most amount of storage are the data and documents stored within an app on your phone. You can find out if that's the case by once again heading to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and then clicking on an app.
Is it better to get more storage on iPhone? ›
An Apple device like an iPhone, iPad, or Mac comes with a set amount of storage. The more storage your device has, the more music, apps, photos, and other content you can store on that device.
How many photos can 256GB hold iPhone? ›Number of RAW vs JPEG Photos on Memory Cards
128GB = 4,368 photos. 256GB = 8,732 photos.
Overall, for most casual smartphone users 64GB phone memory is enough, although many people prefer to choose between 128GB and 256GB. Those who use their mobile phone to the absolute maximum should consider phones with storage of 512GB and 1TB to avoid running out of storage space and suffering with a slow phone speed.
How many pictures can 512GB hold? ›| Capacity 1 | Approximate number of photos (12MP) | Approximate number of photos (24MP - Uncompressed RAW) |
|---|---|---|
| 512GB | 428,571 | 6,400 |
| 256GB | 214,286 | 3,200 |
| 128GB | 107,143 | 1,600 |
| 64GB | 53,571 | 800 |
If you mainly store text files and photos, 512GB of storage space is enough. Do you want to save movies, games, and other large files on your PC? Choose at least 1TB of storage space. That way, you can last some time without the risk of your laptop filling up.
Can I change 128GB to 256GB iPhone? ›The question about upgrading iPhone storage is unfortunately easy to answer: It's not possible to upgrade iPhone memory capacity.
How much memory is good for iPhone 12? ›You can get the iPhone 12 with 64GB, 128GB or 256GB of space. For a better picture on how much 256GB is, it equates to an average amount of 73,224 photos. For the 64GB model, that's approximately 15,000 photos!
How many pictures can an iPhone 12 Pro Max 256GB hold? ›256GB. The iPhone 12 Pro 256GB should hold at least 48,200 JPG photos when stored at standard resolution and compression. The iPhone 12 Pro 256GB should hold at least 1,205 minutes of 1080p HD video at 30 frames per second.
Is 256GB worth the money? ›Apple's 256GB of storage is rather generous and should be the best choice for most people. App sizes will grow over the lifetime of your phone, and with Apple offering up to five years of support for your iPhone 14, there's no harm in squeezing out as much life as you can from this device.
What's the difference between 128GB and 256GB on a phone? ›Oh YES there is a very huge difference between a 128GB and 256GB models. Simply put, the 128GB models are born with only 4GB of RAM. As opposed to the 256GB born with a whopping 6GB of RAM.
Is 512gb enough for a phone? ›
It really depends on the person and how many photos/ videos you take and how many apps you download… For example: a user that does not use up a ton of space with pics and apps it could be totally fine whilst a person who really needs every bit of space for work or just for fun it may be worth the upgrade.
How long will 128GB storage last? ›It can be anywhere from 8 hours to under an hour, depending on the bitrate used. For example, on 128GB, you can fit over 8 hours of 4K footage at a low bitrate of 35 Mbps or about 44 minutes of 4K footage recorded on a high-end camera at 400 Mb/s.
Is 128GB enough for years? ›128 GB is probably sufficient for the majority of users (and it's good that 128 GB is now the typical the base amount because the old 64 GB standard was marginal for many and 32 GB ridiculous.) But if you store a lot of music or especially videos then 128 GB can get tight, so again, depends entirely on the user.
Do you really need more than 128GB? ›128GB should be enough if you only occasionally take photos. For videos, most people take in 1080p, so that should save some storage compared to if you keep taking 4k videos.
What is 256GB enough for? ›For most people, 256GB of storage space is enough for them to do what they need to do. This includes word processing, PDF programs, and basic computer functions. Gamers need more storage, as do people who regularly download large files or whose profession involves graphic arts or video editing.
How much can you fit on 256GB? ›256GB Card in a DSLR or Mirrorless Camera
This means that by shooting only raw, you can hold 5638 photos, but if you shoot large JPGs, then you can hold 18962. If you choose to shoot raw+JPG, then you could hold 4346 photos.
It can be anywhere from nearly six and a half hours to under an hour, depending on the bitrate used. For example, on 256GB, you can fit over 16 hours of 4K footage at a low bitrate of 35 Mbps or about one and a half hours of 4K footage recorded on a high-end camera at 400 Mbps.
Is 128GB enough for iPhone? ›Ultimately, the 128GB or 256GB iPhone 13 variants will be plenty enough for almost everyone.
How many apps can 128GB hold? ›Then 128GB is more than enough for you. You can save about 1280 to 5000 apps. With 128GB, you won't run out of space any time soon.
How much can 128GB of memory store around? ›A 128GB card or drive can hold about 35,500 photos. The number can vary depending on the picture quality, so that number assumes a lower-quality image. If your camera has more megapixels, each picture will take up more space. A 12MP camera can fill 128 gigs with about 35,500 photos.
What should I delete when my phone storage is full? ›
- Close apps that don't respond. You don't usually need to close apps. ...
- Uninstall apps you don't use. If you uninstall an app and need it later, you can download it again. ...
- Clear the app's cache & data. You can usually clear an app's cache and data with your phone's Settings app.
It may be that your iPhone has accumulated cache files over a period of time, and these caches are now too large for your iPhone to handle. In this case, what you can do is to clear the cache files on the iPhone to free up memory space.
What takes up the most phone storage? ›- Old or Unwanted Songs, Podcasts, and Videos. 2 Images. ...
- Old or Unwanted Emails and Drafts. ...
- Automatically Downloaded Content. ...
- Apps That Can't be Deleted, But Aren't Needed. ...
- An Uncleared Cache. ...
- Miscellaneous Files.
256 GB: Great for heavy mobile games, and will allow storing more photos and other media files locally. 512 GB: Lots of media storage space for professionals or people who take many videos. 1 TB: Good for pro use, storing 4K video, and more.
Can I delete photos from iPhone and keep on iCloud? ›You can delete photos from your iPhone but keep them in iCloud by turning off iCloud photo sharing. You can also use a different iCloud account to keep the previous account's iCloud photos safe. Another solution is to use a different cloud server, like Dropbox or OneDrive, to back up the photos.
What happens if you don't have enough storage on your iPhone? ›This error means you are not able to store any new data such as pictures, videos, downloads, and more. You need to clear some space on your iPhone before you are able to save a new one. The first thing you can do is check how much storage space your apps are using.
How many photos can you store on an iPhone 12 pro? ›The smallest storage capacity available for the iPhone 12 Pro is 128GB. If you have 50GB free, that's enough room for 25,000 JPEG photos at an average of 2MB each. That same space can only fit about 2,000 RAW images.
Is 256GB a lot of storage? ›Should I get 256GB or 512GB? For the average person, 256GB should provide plenty of storage. But if you anticipate storing a large number of games, music, and local movies, then it may be worth it to jump to 512GB.
Is 256GB enough for photography? ›How many photos can a 256GB SD card hold? A 256GB SD card is more than most people will ever require. On your phone, it should be able to capture about 50,400 images. And on a GoPro shooting at 12MP, it will theoretically be able to take 60,960 images.
Is 512GB too little? ›A 512GB SSD can store exactly 512GB of data which equates to 512,000 megabytes. Translating into language we can all understand, 512GB SSD can store approximately: 8 to 10 video games at 30-50GB each. 128,000 pictures at 4MB each.
Is bigger phone storage better? ›
If you play a lot of mobile games and/or take a lot of high-res photos, you'll want at least 128GB. However, if you don't use many apps and stream most of your content (like movies and music), you'll probably be fine with 64GB.
Is 512GB faster than 256GB phone? ›They show the 512 faster than the 256 and that is consistent with about all flash storage devices due to the way the chips are laid out on larger drives. There is a thread here with some 1TB tests and they are a little faster than the 512, but not a whole lot.
Is 512GB enough for photography? ›A 512GB storage can hold up to 426666 images and as few as 7757 images. The average range of JPEGs you can expect it to store is between 77570 to 426660 images. For RAW files, it can hold between 7757 to 42666 images.
How many photos can 1tb iPhone hold? ›One terabyte gives you the option of storing roughly: 250,000 photos taken with a 12MP camera OR. 250 movies or 500 hours of HD video OR. 6.5 million document pages, commonly stored as Office files, PDFs, and presentations.
How many videos can a 512GB iPhone hold? ›| 720p HD @ 30 fps | 4K HD @ 24 fps @ 30 fps @60 fps | |
|---|---|---|
| HEVC 492 GB free (512 GB phone) | 205 hrs | 60 hrs 48 hrs, 14 min. 20 hrs, 30 min. |
| h.264 492 GB free (512 GB phone) | 140 hrs, 30 min. | 30 hrs, 22 min. 23 hrs, 26 min. 20 hrs, 30 min. |
Honestly, it is for the average user, especially if they aren't known to take videos & use heavy amount of apps for a long term use. 512GB of internal storage is really something you'd more likely need on an iPad as oppose to an iPhone.
How many hours can 512GB hold? ›For example, on 512GB, you can fit over 33 hours of 4K footage at a low bitrate of 35 Mbps or nearly 3 hours of 4K footage recorded on a high-end camera at 400 Mbps. So it really depends on the capabilities of your camera and which settings you're shooting with.
Is it better to get 128GB or 256GB? ›256GB might seem like a lot of storage for a smartphone at first, but if you either hoard media files, play resource-intensive games, or create video or image content online, this option gives you more freedom than 128GB.
How many photos can 128GB hold iPhone? ›128GB. The iPhone 13 128GB should hold at least 22,600 JPG photos when stored at standard resolution and compression.
Which GB is best for iPhone 12? ›The iPhone 12 starts at 64GB with 128GB and 256GB options available for people who want more space. The 64GB model is the cheapest option while the 256GB model is the most expensive.
Is 128GB a lot for a phone? ›
128GB is usually enough for most people, but a big reason why many still consider upgrading to 256GB is simply to get some peace of mind. After all, you don't want to have to bother freeing up storage space all the time. If that peace of mind is important to you, 256GB will do the job.
Is 128GB or 256GB enough for iPhone? ›128GB should be enough if you primarily consume content through streaming. Are you on the road a lot and planning on storing some content locally? Then, go with the 256GB model. Finally, if you want to download a lot of music or videos and don't want to worry about running out of storage, go with the 512GB option.
How do I get more storage on my iPhone 128GB? ›Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage to see which apps are taking up the most space on your device. Select the apps you don't use as much and uninstall them. You can also remove music, podcasts, videos, and other media to free up even more space.
Is 256GB too much for iPhone 12? ›Storage Requirements
If you are someone who stores everything on the cloud, going with the iPhone 12 Pro 128 or 256GB will be more than enough. Apple iCloud offers ample storage space (5GB expandable up to 2TB) to store and backup your data such as photos, videos, music, documents, apps, ebooks and more.
You can upgrade to iCloud+ from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or PC. After you upgrade, you'll be billed monthly.
Why is 128GB better than 64gb? ›The difference between the two is the storage capacity and RAM. The storage capacity of the 128 GB is double which allows you to store more information and download more programs and applications. However, you can add a memory card to the 64 GB and be ok. The main difference is the RAM.
Is 128GB enough for long term? ›128 GB is probably sufficient for the majority of users (and it's good that 128 GB is now the typical the base amount because the old 64 GB standard was marginal for many and 32 GB ridiculous.) But if you store a lot of music or especially videos then 128 GB can get tight, so again, depends entirely on the user.
Do I need 128GB of memory? ›Unless you're editing 8K resolution videos or planning to work with multiple RAM-demanding programs simultaneously, 128 GB is overkill for most users as well. Those who run workloads that demand upwards of 128 GB will probably already know how much RAM they need.