iPhone Storage Calculator

On your current iPhone, open Settings → General → iPhone Storage and note how much space is used. Enter that number, select the iPhone you are considering, and choose how many years you expect to keep it. The calculator compares only the advertised storage tiers of that model. Use Custom capacity tiers for an older model or another selection of sizes.

Current usage is a starting point, not an amount to add to the new phone's total capacity. It already includes apps, media, iOS and other data. The calculator also considers a configurable minimum system allowance for the target phone, without adding a second full system allocation to existing usage.

Enter how many new photos and minutes of video you expect to capture per month. Do not enter the photos and videos already counted in your current used storage. The estimate multiplies your monthly activity by the selected media sizes and the number of months you plan to own the phone.

The default photo rate is 3 MB for HEIF, and the default video rate is 175 MB per minute for 4K30 HEVC. These are planning inputs, not guaranteed file sizes. You can change the format or enter measured average sizes under More storage settings. Apple quotes approximately 25 MB for a 12 MP ProRAW photo and 75 MB for a 48 MP ProRAW photo. Its Final Cut Camera documentation says 4K30 HEVC may exceed 175 MB per minute, while ProRes 422 may exceed 4.4 GB per minute.

Under More storage settings, enter additional yearly storage for apps and games, messages and files, and a one-time amount for offline downloads. Only include storage you expect to add after the current-usage baseline. For example, a movie already downloaded to your current iPhone should not also be entered as a new download.

All growth figures are optional. Leaving them at zero means the calculation assumes no extra storage from those categories; it does not predict that real-world use will remain unchanged.

The calculator estimates your storage at the end of the selected ownership period, then chooses the smallest offered capacity that leaves your selected free-space margin. The default margin is 15%; 10%, 20% and custom values are available. These are planning choices, not Apple requirements.

The result compares available capacity tiers, estimates remaining space and shows how much usage would exceed your preferred margin. When no listed capacity can meet the estimate, the calculator says so instead of recommending an unavailable model configuration. The projected time until a limit is reached assumes storage grows steadily at the rates you entered.

Apple's current technical specifications state that a standard iPhone configuration uses approximately 12–24 GB, while Apple Intelligence on-device models may use about 7 GB. The calculator uses a configurable 24 GB system allowance and can include the additional 7 GB. These settings establish a minimum baseline: if your current usage is already higher, the calculator does not simply add both allowances again.

Apple's advertised 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB tiers do not represent identical amounts of space available for personal files. The result compares advertised capacities and should not be read as a guarantee of the exact free-space figure shown in iOS.

Optimize iPhone Storage can keep smaller local copies of photos and videos while the full-resolution originals remain in iCloud. How much space it saves changes with your library and the space available on your device. The calculator does not deduct an invented percentage from future media storage; adjust your entered media assumptions if you have reliable usage measurements.

iCloud storage and the physical storage built into an iPhone are separate. A larger iCloud plan does not change a 128 GB phone into a 256 GB phone.