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 12,000 MB of data. The average webpage only consumes around 2.2MB of data, and many pictures are less than a MB 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 4GB last?
Internet browsing	144 hours+
Music Listening	81 – 900+ hours depending on quality
Watching video	4-48 hours depending on your content quality
Browsing social media	132 hours scrolling
Using Facetime, Skype, or WhatsApp	36-48 hours

How long 12GB of data will actually last all depends on how you use your phone. According to Ericsson, the average person only uses around 10GB of data a 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 use an average of 19GB 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 144 hours (7,200 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 couple of megabytes with each page. On average, 12GB of data should be enough to check out around 7,200 web pages, or browse the web for around 144 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 320 kbps 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	24+ 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 give 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 GB. This means you can potentially watch up to 72 hours of content. Alternatively, switching to the highest possible resolution for your content will consume 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 132 hours
WhatsApp video calls	36 hours of chat time
Skype Video calls	48 hours of chat time
Apple FaceTime video calls	48 hours of chat time
Photos on WhatsApp	Approximately 12000 photos

If like most 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 4.2 million instant messages, and spend 132 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 about 25MB of data every five minutes. This means you can enjoy about 36 hours of video calling with 12GB of data on WhatsApp.

Some tools, like Apple Facetime and Skype are a little more efficient, using about 240GB of data per hour. This means you can potentially extend your chatting time to around 48 hours.

If you’re sending pictures on social media, the size of the image will impact how much data you use. Most tools like WhatsApp and Google Photos prevent you from sending anything larger than 16GB. However, WhatsApp will also compress your images to 1MB or less on data saver mode, so you could potentially send anywhere up to 12,000 photos.

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.

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 for tools like Netflix and Spotify, 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 stream lower quality content when you’re connected to your mobile data, and higher-quality content when you link to a Wi-Fi connection automatically.

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.