How much is 12GB of data and do I need more than that?

Contents list Introduction What can I do with 12GB of data? How can I track my data use? Can I reduce my data use? Should you have more than 12GB of data?

Introduction

At first, 12GB of data probably sounds like quite a lot. It’s essentially 12,000MB of data. The average webpage only consumes around 3MB of data or less, and many pictures are less than a megabyte in size. However, in today’s world of online browsing, mobile shopping, and social media, 12GB of data can quickly disappear if you’re not careful.

Knowing exactly what you can do with 12GB of data is crucial if you’re shopping for a new Pay As You Go phone plan or contract deal, as the majority of today’s phone plans are priced based on your data usage. Many deals automatically include unlimited text messages and calls, so the amount you spend will generally come down to how much data you’re going to consume.

So, is 12GB of data enough for you? Let’s find out.

How long does 12GB of data last?

How many hours will 12GB last?
Internet browsing	120 hours+
Music Listening	84 - 282 hours, depending on quality
Watching video	4 - 72 hours depending on your content quality
Browsing social media	132 hours scrolling
Video calls	13 - 102 hours

How long 12GB of data will actually last all depends on how you use your phone. According to Ofcom’s Communications Market Report for 2024, the average person uses around 9.9GB per month, so you may find 12GB is more than enough for you if you only use your device for a little light scrolling through social media, and the occasional music or video binge.

Alternatively, if your mobile activities are more data intensive, like the users of the Three network, who in the first half of 2024 used an average of 30.5GB a month, you might end up running out of data just before you get your next top up. Ultimately, you’ll need to ask yourself how you plan on using your phone so you can make the right decisions about your data needs.

If you’re going to be watching a lot of videos in high-quality, streaming podcasts, or chatting with friends through video apps, 12GB of data just might not be enough.

Internet browsing

Normal internet browsing
12GB of Data	Around 120 hours (4,100 web pages)

The answer to “how long will 12GB of data last” depends heavily on what you’re going to be using your mobile device for. Some activities are more data intensive than others. If you’re simply browsing web pages online, you’ll only be consuming a few megabytes with each page. On average, 12GB of data should be enough to check out around 4,100 web pages, or browse the web for around 120 hours.

Audio data

Songs streamed on Spotify
12GB of data	Around 1600+ songs

Listening to songs on apps like Spotify consumes a little more data than just checking out a web page. The exact amount of data you’ll use depends on a few factors, including which streaming service you choose, the quality of your audio, and the length of the song.

Let’s use Spotify as an example. A 320kbps song on Spotify (the highest quality) will use about 2.4MB of data per minute. This means you can stream around 1656, 3-minute length songs at full quality with 12GB of data.

Alternatively, if you lower the quality of the sound, you can stream for even longer. Streaming at only 96kbps, for instance, will allow you to listen to about 5,550 songs (3 minutes each) without running out of data.

Video data

Netflix video streaming (on phone)
12GB of data	Up to around 36 Netflix films

Since videos require your phone to download and stream both audio and visual content at the same time, they use a lot more data than your average song file. However, just like listening to music, the amount of data you use when watching videos will depend on the quality of the content, the length, and the streaming service you choose.

Using Netflix as an example, users can stream around 4 hours of content for every 1GB of data, providing they’re using the “Automatic” video quality settings. This means 12GB of data will allow you to stream around 48 hours of content, or about 24 2-hour films.

If you use the “Save Data” option on Netflix, however, you can get around 6 hours of content out of every gigabyte. This means you can potentially watch up to 72 hours of content. Alternatively, switching to the highest possible resolution for your content will consume upwards of 1GB of data every 20 minutes, so you’ll only get around 4 hours of content in total.

Social media data

Social media use examples for 12GB of data
Social media browsing	Around 120 hours
WhatsApp video calls	13 - 81 hours of chat time
FaceTime video calls	30 - 102 hours of chat time
Photos on WhatsApp	Approximately 12,000 photos

If like many tech-savvy individuals today, you use your phone mostly for social media, you shouldn’t have a problem browsing as much Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest as you like. 12GB of data will allow you to send over 1.2 million instant messages, or spend at least 120 hours browsing through feeds.

However, if you’re using social media to connect with your loved ones through video calls, your data usage will increase. On WhatsApp, video calls consume between 2.5MB to 15MB of data per minute, or 150MB to 900MB per hour. This means you can enjoy between around 13 and 81 hours of video calling with 12GB of data on WhatsApp.

Some tools like FaceTime are a little more efficient, using between about 120MB and 380MB per hour. This means you can potentially extend your chatting time to between roughly 30 and 102 hours.

If you’re sending pictures on social media, the size of the image will impact how much data you use. Some services can compress images, with WhatsApp for example compressing your images to 1MB or less on data saver mode, so you could potentially send anywhere up to 12,000 photos. But if you’re sharing uncompressed high resolution images then you’ll be able to send far fewer.

How can I see my data use?

The best way to determine whether 12GB of data is enough for you or not, is to examine your current data use. You can check out your data usage numbers on most smartphones. On an Android device, go into the “Settings” page on your phone, then “More Network Settings”. From here, you should be able to see a subheading for “Data Usage”.

If you’re an Apple iPhone user, go into the “Settings” page, and tap on either “Cellular” or “Mobile data” depending on what shows on your device. You should be able to see how much data you’ve used in the last month or billing period. Plus, some phones will allow you to set alerts when you’re about to reach a data cap, or prevent yourself from using too much data with a limit.

You can also typically see your data use on your mobile network’s app or your online account.

Can I save on data use?

If you discover you’re using a lot more data than you thought, and you don’t want to pay for an unlimited data plan, then you could look for ways to cut down on your data consumption.

A good way to start lowering your data usage is by making sure you use Wi-Fi connections whenever possible, so you’re not eating up your data allowance. You can also change the settings on the apps you frequently use – especially the likes of Netflix and Spotify as they can use a lot of data – to ensure you’re not streaming content at the highest possible quality. Many apps have their own “Data Saver” modes.

Some apps will even allow you to automatically stream lower quality content when you’re connected to your mobile data, and higher quality content when you link to a Wi-Fi connection.

Should I have more than 12GB of data?

Ultimately, only you can decide how much data you actually need. 12GB of data can be more than enough for someone who uses their phone primarily to browse the internet and scroll through social media channels. But it could also be too little if you’re planning on using your device to make a number of video calls over social apps, or stream high-quality content.

If you’re not sure how much data you’re going to need, look for a phone provider offering flexible contract options. Some vendors will allow you to change your data allowance each month, based on your variable usage.