We asked, you told us: Most of you are against 64GB of fixed storage

Apple launched the iPhone SE 2022 yesterday, bringing a powerful processor, compact design, and 5G connectivity to the table. One downside is that the cheapest model only offers 64GB of storage, despite many mid-range Android phones now bringing 128GB of storage to the table.

The confirmation comes after prominent analyst and Apple watcher Ming-Chi Kuo first claimed that the iPhone SE 2022 would ship with 64GB of storage in the base model. We asked readers what they thought of 64GB of storage in a smartphone, and here’s how they answered this question.

What do you think of 64GB storage on smartphones?

Results

We posted the poll on Friday, March 4, and almost 3,000 votes were cast to date. It turns out that the single-most popular option was “it’s not acceptable to me,” with almost 44% of respondents choosing this option.

We can understand why, as 64GB of storage is pretty small in today’s era of 4K/60fps or even 8K recording, huge game sizes, and offline media downloads (e.g. YouTube, Netflix, music). Plus, Android is still a little finicky with microSD storage.

Just over a third of polled readers say they’re fine with 64GB of fixed storage. Comments suggest that some readers struggle to fill up 64GB of storage.

Finally, just over 22% of respondents say they’re fine with 64GB of storage if the phone supports microSD expansion as well. This makes sense too, as it’s possible to save snapped photos and recorded videos to the microSD card, for example. The likes of Netflix also let you download shows and movies to a memory card.

Comments

• KRB: Haven’t had a phone with a base amount of storage of sixty-four gigabytes in gosh, like five or so years. Just isn’t enough now that folks store so much on their devices. And don’t be fooled, your device might come with sixty-four gigs, but after the stuff that the manufacturer puts on your device and then the OS itself you’ll maybe have forty or forty-five to work with… Buy a device, Apple or Android, with as much storage as you can possibly afford. If you’re buying Android, then look for a device with an SD card slot.
• HaywireTX: One thing I’ve learned is you need more storage with iOS vs Android. I filled up 128GB iPhones and had to fork out for 256GB phones. So far, I’ve been fine with my 128GB Pixel 4. I’ve only used 77GB. iOS definitely requires more resources.
• turnedstone: What are you storing on your phone that makes you think 64 GB isn’t okay for a normal phone? I’m struggling to get past 40GB
• WhoozaWhatsis: People can now buy a phone with a 4K display and enough storage to hold all of their personal movies, and even download their favorite Hollywood films for offline viewing or casting to the TV. I have most of my DVD collection on my phone on a 512GB microSD card. A 64GB phone with no SD card slot is an automatic NO from me.
• Wes: I always laugh at these articles. I don’t hesitate to fill my phone up with apps. I never come close to 64GB with close to a 100 apps on my phone. As far as document and photos go, isn’t that what cloud storage is for?