Apple

iPhone 12 Storage: Which Size Should You Buy?

Published

1 year ago

01/13/2023

Picking the right iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, or iPhone 12 Pro Max storage size is tricky so we want to help you decide between the cheapest option, a middle-of-the-road option, or the most expensive version.

You might be tempted to buy the cheapest iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max or the model with the most storage. And while a lot of you will be perfectly fine with one of those variants, others will want to buy something in between.

One thing you need to remember is that you will 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.

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.

Table of Contents

iPhone 12 Storage Options

There are three iPhone 12 storage options at different price points.

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.

iPhone 12 mini Storage Options

The smallest model, the iPhone 12 mini, also comes in three sizes: 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB.

iPhone 12 Pro Storage Options

As for the iPhone 12 Pro, there’s also three storage options, but they’re a bit different than the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini options.

The iPhone 12 Pro starts at 128GB instead of 64GB. From there, the iPhone 12 Pro’s storage capacity goes up to 256GB and 512GB.

iPhone 12 Pro Max Storage Options

The iPhone 12 Pro Max comes in the same sizes as the iPhone 12 Pro: 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.

Pay for Storage Today or Pay Later

While you can add additional storage to some Android devices, the iPhone 12 series doesn’t come with a microSD card slot. If you want to add additional storage you’ll need to use iCloud or buy a Lightning-compatible drive.

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

While 64GB or 128GB might seem like enough, there’s a chance you fill up that space up quickly. At that point you’ll be forced to continuously delete files you no longer need or pay for iCloud storage.

Fortunately, 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 share iCloud storage with your family members.

Why You Should Buy the 64GB iPhone 12

The 64GB iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini are the cheapest options and should be considered if you don’t consider yourself as a power user.

Here are a few reasons why you might want to buy a 64GB iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 mini:

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 64GB of storage on your current phone.

Why You Should Buy the 128GB iPhone 12

If you’re interested in going with the iPhone 12 Pro or iPhone 12 Pro Max, the cheapest option is the 128GB model.

The 128GB versions of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini sit between the cheapest and most expensive versions of the two non-Pro models.

Here are some reasons why you should buy the 128GB iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, or iPhone 12 Pro Max:

You like to store some movies, photos, and music locally.
You plan to shoot some 4K video.
You’re close to using 64GB of space on your current phone.
You hate having to occasionally manage the data on your phone.

Why You Should Buy the 256GB iPhone 12

Some of you might want to spend the extra money for the additional 128GB 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 256GB iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, or iPhone 12 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’re close to using 128GB of space on your current phone.
You can’t stand having to constantly manage the data on your phone.

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

Why You Should Buy the 512GB iPhone 12

The expensive 512GB iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max models are solid options for those that want, or need, 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 256GB 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 new security patches on board, but Apple hasn't revealed them yet. It's likely waiting to release additional software before doing so.

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.