iPhone Storage Calculator

Open Settings → General → iPhone Storage on your current phone and enter the used amount shown near the top. That value gives the planner a stronger starting point than vague questions about whether you have many apps or photos.

Current used storage already includes iOS, apps, media, messages, files, caches, and system data. The calculator therefore takes the larger of your entered usage and the selected target-system reserve instead of adding a second full system allocation.

Photo and video fields describe new media you expect to create during the ownership period. App, game, message, and file fields are annual additions. Offline downloads are a fixed extra amount you expect to keep beyond what is already included in current used storage.

Every media rate remains editable. Apple publishes approximate file sizes for ProRAW and selected Final Cut Camera formats, but there is no single universal size for an ordinary iPhone photo or video because the final file depends on the scene, codec, resolution, frame rate, processing, and software version.

The calculator projects end-of-ownership storage, divides that amount by the usable share left after your selected free-space buffer, and chooses the smallest available capacity that meets the result. Model presets restrict the answer to the capacities Apple lists for that model; custom mode lets you compare selected common tiers.

The 10%, 15%, and 20% buffers are Olivez planning margins, not Apple requirements. A buffer does not create extra storage, but it helps reveal when a lower tier would leave little room for future updates, temporary files, larger apps, or a change in how you use the phone.

Apple says a standard current configuration can use approximately 12GB to 24GB, including iOS and removable Apple apps. The visible system-reserve field defaults to 24GB so the assumption is conservative and adjustable.

Apple also says on-device Apple Intelligence models use approximately 7GB and can be removed when Apple Intelligence is turned off. The calculator includes that reserve only when the option is selected.

With iCloud Photos and Optimize iPhone Storage enabled, full-resolution originals can remain in iCloud while space-saving versions are kept on the phone when storage is needed. Apple does not promise that local media will always occupy a specific percentage of the original library.

For that reason, selecting Optimize iPhone Storage adds an explanatory note but does not silently reduce projected media by an invented amount. You can create a less conservative scenario by entering lower measured media-growth assumptions yourself.