Apple

iPhone 13 Storage: Which Size Should You Buy?

Published

1 year ago

03/14/2023

Choosing the right iPhone 13 storage size can be tricky so we want to help you decide between Apple’s cheapest option, the middle options, and the most expensive version of the former flagship.

You might be tempted to buy the cheapest iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, or iPhone 13 mini, or the model with the most storage. Many people will be perfectly fine with one of those. However, many others will want to buy something in-between.

One thing to remember is that you’ll probably end up paying for more storage one way or another. Either you’ll spend the money up front, or you’ll wind up paying a monthly fee for additional storage via Apple’s iCloud service.

Table of Contents

There are several factors to consider before you settle on one storage size or another and we’ll break down all of the things you need to think about before you buy in this guide.

iPhone 13 Storage Options

There are three iPhone 13 storage options at three different price points.

The iPhone 13 starts at 128GB, but the company also sells 256GB and 512GB options for people who want more space. The 128GB model is the cheapest option while the 512GB model is the most expensive variant.

iPhone 13 mini Storage Options

The company’s smallest model, the iPhone 13 mini, also comes in three sizes: 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.

iPhone 13 Pro Storage Options

As for the iPhone 13 Pro, there are four storage options, but they’re different than the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini options.

The iPhone 13 Pro starts at 128GB. From there, storage capacity goes up to 256GB, 512GB and 1TB. Yes, there’s a new 1TB option for power users.

iPhone 13 Pro Max Storage Options

The largest iPhone 13 model, the iPhone 13 Pro Max, comes in the same sizes as the iPhone 13 Pro: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.

Apple no longer sells new iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max models on its online store, but the company has started selling refurbished versions of the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Pay for Storage Today or Pay Later

You can add additional storage to some Android devices using external memory cards but the iPhone 13 series doesn’t have a microSD card slot. If you want to add additional storage to your iPhone 13, you’ll need to use iCloud or buy a Lightning-compatible drive.

If you plan to shoot 4K video on your iPhone, download movies or songs, or play games on your device, you’ll need quite a bit of storage space.

While 128GB or 256GB might seem like enough, there’s a chance your storage will fill up quickly. At that point, you’ll be forced to continuously delete files you no longer need, buy a compatible external drive, or pay for iCloud storage.

Fortunately, Apple’s iCloud storage is fairly inexpensive. You can get 50GB of cloud storage for a dollar a month. Here’s how the current pricing breaks down:

50GB: $0.99
200GB: $2.99
2TB: $9.99

Remember, you can also share iCloud storage with your family members.

Why You Should Buy a 128GB iPhone 13

The 128GB iPhone 13 models are the cheapest options and should be considered if you don’t think of yourself as a power user.

Here are a few reasons why you might want to buy a 128GB iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, or iPhone 13 Pro Max:

You stream most of your movies and music.
You don’t plan to shoot a lot of 4K video.
You plan to store your photos in iCloud Photo Library or on a computer.
You come nowhere close to using 128GB of storage on your current phone.

Why You Should Buy a 256GB iPhone 13

The 256GB option is the middle of the road choice for iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini users. It’s the second largest option for iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max buyers.

Here are some reasons why you should buy the 256GB iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, or iPhone 13 Pro Max:

You like to store some movies, photos, and music locally.
You plan to shoot some 4K video.
You plan to shoot 4K ProRes video.
You’re close to using 128GB of space on your current phone.
You hate having to occasionally manage the data on your phone.

You should note that Apple’s 4K ProRes video recording requires an ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌ or iPhone 13 Pro Max with at least 256GB of storage space.

iPhone 13 Pro‌ or ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌ Max models with 128GB of storage will be limited to shooting 1080p ProRes video at 30 frames-per-second.

The 256GB model is an excellent middle-of-the-road option that can work with or without iCloud.

Why You Should Buy a 512GB iPhone 13

Some of you might want to spend the extra money for the additional 256GB of space, even if it’s for the peace of mind that comes with having a bit more storage to play around with,

Here are a few reasons to buy the 512GB iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, or iPhone 13 Pro Max:

You like to store lots of movies and music locally.
You need or prefer to keep your photos stored locally.
You plan to shoot a lot of 4K content.
You plan to shoot 4K ProRes video.
You’re close to using 256GB of space on your current phone.
You can’t stand having to constantly manage the data on your phone.

Why You Should Buy the 1TB iPhone 13 Pro

The expensive 1TB iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max models are solid options for those that want a ton of local storage.

It should provide enough space for photography buffs, avid gamers, and those who plan to tackle school or work projects while on-the-go.

Unless you’re already using well over 512GB or don’t use the cloud, you probably don’t need this much storage. Here’s who we think should buy one of these models:

You’re an extreme power user.
You’re planning to use the iPhone as a professional creative.
You’re a photo buff who doesn’t want to use iCloud.
You’re someone who travels often and wants everything store locally.

How to Check Your Current Storage

Before you pick one of these, you should check your current storage because you’ll be able to gather some great insight into your habits. Here’s how to do this:

Tap on your Settings app.
Tap on General.
Tap on iPhone Storage.

This will show you how much free storage you currently have and how much you are using. It’ll also tell you exactly what’s taking up the most storage. For many of you, it’ll be photos and videos, apps, and messages.

If your current device is around a year old, you should still have around 50% of your storage left. If you are within 10-15% of its capacity, you probably need more storage.

If you’re using iCloud, you should also check on your iCloud storage usage:

Open Settings.
Tap on your Name at the top of the screen.
Tap on iCloud.

This screen shows your iCloud storage use and your current plan. If you tap on Manage Storage you’ll get a better breakdown of how you use cloud storage.

4 Reasons Not to Install iOS 16.7.7 & 10 Reasons You Should

Install iOS 16.7.7 for Better Security

1 / 14

If security is important to you, think about installing Apple's iOS 16.7.7 update on your iPhone right away.

iOS 16.7.7 has two security patches on board. If you want to protect your device from harm, you should install the upgrade sooner rather than later.

If you missed older versions of iOS 16, you'll get the fixes and features from updates you missed when you upgrade to iOS 16.7.7.

iOS 16.7.6 delivered several security patches to iPhone users.

iOS 16.7.5 had nine security patches on board and they're important if you want to keep you device and its data safe from harm.

iOS 16.7.3 delivered several security patches including one that patches up an issue with the Find My app.

iOS 16.7.2 brought several security patches to iPhone models still running iOS 16. Learn more about them here.

iOS 16.7.1 carried two important security enhancements including one that addressed a kernel vulnerability. You can learn more about the pair over on Apple's website.

iOS 16.7 had three security patches on board and you can learn more about them right here.

iOS 16.6.1 brought two important security patches to iPhone. If you're interested in what they patch up, here's Apple's guide.

The iOS 16.6 update featured 16 security patches. For more information about the changes, check out Apple's rundown.

iOS 16.5.1 brought two security patches to iPhone users If you want to learn more, head on over to Apple's website.

The company's iOS Security Response 16.5.1 (c) update also included a security update and you can learn more about it right here.

iOS 16.5 brought a ton of security patches to the iPhone. You can find out more about them over on Apple's security site.

iOS 16.4.1 included two security upgrades . You can learn more about the pair right here.

Apple's iOS 16.4 update had a substantial number of patches on board. You can read about them in detail over on Apple's security site.

The iOS 16.3.1 update had three security patches on board including one for an actively exploited vulnerability. For more on the security contents of iOS 16.3.1, check out Apple's security page.

iOS 16.3 brought 10+ new security patches with it and you can learn more about all of those right here.

In addition, the software came with support for physical security keys for Apple ID. These will beef up your account security by requiring a physical security key as part of the two factor authentication sign in process. Learn more about the change right here.

If you skipped iOS 16.2, you'll get its changes with iOS 16.7.7. iOS 16.2 brought a ton of important security patches with it and you can dig into the details on Apple's security site.

The update also brought end-to-end encryption to iCloud, iMessage, iPhone backups, Notes, Photos, and more. If you want to learn more about it, head over to Apple's guide.

If you decided to missed iOS 16.1.2, you'll get its solitary security patch with your upgrade. Learn more about it right here.

If you skipped iOS 16.1.1, you'll get its security patches when you upgrade. You can learn more about them right here.

If you missed the iOS 16.1 update, it brought 19 security patches to the iPhone and you can learn about the particulars of those over on Apple's website.

If you failed to download iOS 16.0.3, it had one security patch on board, a fix for a potential exploit within the Mail app. For more about the fix, check out Apple's security site.

If you're still running iOS 15 your iPhone, you'll get a bunch of other patches when you upgrade.

iOS 16.0 brought a ton of security patches to the iPhone. If you're interested in the exact nature of these improvements, you can read about them over on Apple's security website.

In addition to those patches, iOS 16 brings some additional enhancements to privacy and security including Safety Check which, according to Apple, will help "people in domestic or intimate partner violence situations review and reset the access they’ve granted others."

The feature also resets system privacy permissions for apps and restricts Messages and FaceTime to the device on hand.

Apple's also made some improvements to Passkeys in Safari. iOS 16 brings a brand new sign-in method that's end-to-end encrypted and safe from phishing and data leaks.