Wednesday 20 May 2015

Storage Wars

Do you know how much storage you need?


We helped a customer this past week who had some issues moving data between devices after upgrading through her network, after several days talking to her network she reached out to me for some help to get the new phone set up and move her data from one to the other, after meeting with her it became clear the main issue she had was that her previous phone was 32GB (Gigabyte) and the new phone just 16GB (Gigabyte) this obviously caused quite a problem and its probably something you should be considering when looking for your next device.

Despite mentioning various lifestyle needs during her upgrade conversation with the network and that she took a lot of photos it was clear that the issue of storage was overlooked, it was also overlooked as a possible cause of the data transfer issues.  With smartphones becoming more advanced and mobile operation systems becoming larger as a consequence the issue of what memory size you take on your next phone should up there as a major consideration when choosing a device.


So what memory size should you get?  Well if you consider that a 16GB(Gigabyte)  iPhone 6 has 13GB (Gigabyte) available out of the box it is definitely with thinking about not only how you use your phone now but how you will use it going forward.  Large Mega-pixel cameras mean that your photos will be bigger, the ability to shoot 1080p( High Definition) or even 4K (Ultra-High Definition) Video mean that video files are getting larger and larger. Another thing to consider are the software updates that now come over the air to most phones, iOS 8 (Apple) was a 1.6GB (Gigabyte)  File and required 5.8GB (Gigabyte) of free space to install, this meant several users were not able to update without virtually emptying their phones.


Its not just Apple either, When Samsung launched the Galaxy S5 there was only 8.65GB(Gigabyte)  storage available to the user on a 16GB(Gigabyte)  phone, that's almost 50% taken up by the operating system, leaving you with half the storage you thought you had for your photos, videos and applications.


So you may be thinking , who cares, I don't use my phone like that, no problem, if you don't take a lot of photos then maybe you can survive with lower storage , but think about this 8GB(Gigabyte)  storage can hold approximately 2800 photos, not that may seem like a large amount but the client I mentioned at the beginning had 5600 photos, if you have you phone for 2 years on a contract then 2800 photos is just 4 photos taken per day.

I would recommend that 32GB(Gigabyte)  is the minimum amount of storage that you consider for your next phone, obviously there are cost implications to way up as well but a lack of storage will seriosly hinder how the device functions and how much you use and enjoy it.  Hopefully manufacturers of our favourite gadgets will soon offer more realistic storage options, but for now make sure you give this some proper thought when you are ready to upgrade.


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