How much is 4GB of data and do I need more than that?

Contents list Introduction What can I do with 4GB of data? How can I track my Data Use? Can I reduce my data use? Should You Have More than 4GB of Data?

Introduction

When you’re shopping for a new phone deal, a key factor determining how much you’ll pay is how much data you’re going to use. 4GB of data might seem like a lot at first, but how much browsing and content does 4GB of data really allow?

Knowing exactly what you can do with 4GB of data is important, as it could save you some significant cash on your phone plan. When you’re signing up for a “Pay As You Go” plan, or a monthly package, your price will vary depending on the data you use.

Most plans typically include unlimited text messages and calls already, so it’s usually your data usage which determines whether you’ll be paying more or less. The less data you use, the more money you’ll save. Let’s take a look at what you can do with 4GB of data.

What can I do with 4GB of Data?

How many hours will 4GB last?
Internet browsing	48 hours+
Music Listening	27 – 300+ hours depending on quality
Watching video	1 hour and 40 minutes to 24 hours depending on your content quality
Browsing social media	44 hours scrolling
Using Facetime, Skype or WhatsApp	12-16 hours

Ultimately, the amount of time you’ll be able to spend browsing the internet with 4GB of data, and completing other tasks will vary depending on what you want to do.

If you’re not sure how much mobile data you need, it can be helpful to get an insight into the average usage of most people. It’s difficult to know for certain how much data people use these days, but Three reported in December 2021 that most customers use around 19GB per month.

Notably, Three’s users are a little more likely to use higher quantities of data than others. A report published by Ericsson found the average person uses around 10GB per month, as of June 2021. Splitting the difference, we’d suggest most people use somewhere around 15GB of data per month.

Of course, it is possible to use less data, depending on how you access your phone. Ofcom reports most consumers need a minimum of at least 4GB of data, but many consumers prefer to access more data whenever possible.

Internet Browsing

Normal Internet Browsing
4GB of Data	Around 48 hours (2,400 web pages)

4GB of data is around 4,000 MB. In the internet browsing world, each web page usually equates to around 3MB of data, and will typically download to your phone in a matter of seconds. On average, 4GB of data will allow you to view approximately 2,400 web pages, or 48 hours of online content.

Audio Data

Songs streamed on Spotify
4GB of data	Around 550+ songs

If you’re streaming music to your smartphone, each song will have a specific data value connected to it. On Spotify, the average size of a song will depend on both its length, and the audio quality.

A 320 KBPS song will use approximately 2.4MB of data per minute. This means a 3-minute song will cost around 7.2MB of data. With 4GB of data, you’ll be able to stream around 552 full 3-minute tracks at 320KBPS.

However, if you stream at a lower quality, you’ll be able to listen to a higher number of songs. At a quality of 96KBPS, 4GB will get you anywhere up to 1,850 songs (2.16MB per song). Here’s an insight into the amount of data used by different audio qualities: 320kbps: 144MB per hour, 160kbps: 7.2MB per hour, 96kbps: 43.2MB per hour and 24kbps: 10.8MB per hour

Video Data

Netflix Video Streaming (On Phone)
4GB of data	12+ Netflix films

Video consumes a lot more data on average than a song, because you’re processing both visual, and audio content at the same time. The amount of data you use to watch video will vary depending on which streaming service you choose. Let’s use Netflix as an example.

Netflix claims you can watch around 16 hours of content with 4GB of data, or 4 hours for every 1GB. However, you’ll need to use the app on “Automatic” quality to balance video quality and data usage.

However, if you switch to “Save Data” mode, you can increase your streaming potential to around 6 hours per GB, or 24 hours for 4GB of data. The highest possible resolution for Netflix videos will consume up to 1GB of data every 20 minutes. This means you’ll have around an hour and 20 minutes of video content available for 4GB.

Notably, these figures are only applicable to the mobile app for Netflix. Desktop and TV variations of the app stream at different levels. Additionally, YouTube numbers are slightly different. You can watch around 16 hours of content in standard definition on YouTube with 4GB.

Social Media Data

Social Media Use Examples for 4GB of Data
Social media browsing	Around 44 hours
WhatsApp video calls	12 hours of chat time
Skype Video calls	16 hours of chat time
Apple FaceTime video calls	16 hours of chat time
Photos on WhatsApp	Approximately 4000 photos

If you’re using your phone for social media, the amount of data you’ll use depends on how you’re going to use your social channels. You can send around 1.4 million instant messages through social media with 4GB of data. However, if you want to share photos or video, your limits decrease.

A video call on WhatsApp will cost approximately 25MB of data for 5 minutes, or up to 300MB per hour. This means you’ll get around 12 hours of video from WhatsApp calls with 4GB of data. Alternatively, Skype and Apple FaceTime are slightly more efficient. They only use around 240MB per hour, giving you up to 16 hours of chat time with 4GB.

If you’re sending images through social media, the amount of data you use will depend on the size of the photo file. Most photos are limited to 16MB at a maximum on WhatsApp. Images stored on Google Photos are also limited to this size at maximum too. Often, WhatsApp will keep files to a megabyte at maximum if you switch to Data Saver mode. This allows you to send up to 4000 photos through your social app.

How can I see my data use?

While looking at average data consumption numbers can be helpful, it’s often much more effective to examine your own specific data situation. To decide how much data you need personally, you can find your data usage numbers on your smartphone device.

If you have an Android device, go into the “Settings” section of your phone, then click on “More Network Settings”. Here, you should see a “Data Usage” subheading. Alternatively, you can go to Settings, then click “Connections”, followed by “Data Usage”.

On an iPhone (iOS), visit the “Settings” page, followed by either “Mobile Data” or “Cellular”, depending on the type of phone you have.

Usually, you’ll be able to see how much data you’ve used in your previous billing period, or over the last month. You can also set alerts when you’re about to reach your data cap, or set a “data limit” on your phone to stop you from going over your allowance. There’s usually a “Data warning & Limit” section to help with this.

In some cases, you’ll also be able to check your data usage by accessing your mobile network’s app on your device, or visiting your online profile for your account.

Can I save on data use?

Reducing your data consumption is a good way to save money. To do this, you’ll need to keep a close eye on your data usage, so make sure you know how to watch your data consumption on your phone. It’s also helpful to stick to Wi-Fi connections wherever possible.

When you’re leveraging Wi-Fi, you won’t use any of your phone’s data allowance, so you should save some decent cash. Another way to cut data usage is to go into the settings for each app you use regularly on your phone, and adjust the data settings. You can switch to “Data Saver” mode for some apps, and adjust the quality settings on video and audio streaming apps to “low”.

Some apps will also allow you to specifically use a lower quality stream when you’re using mobile data, then switch to higher settings when you’re connected to Wi-Fi. You can sometimes even download content when you’re on a Wi-Fi connection, to view at a later time without data usage.

Should I have more than 4GB of data?

The amount of data you need really depends on how you plan on using your phone. If you’re just occasionally checking the internet and browsing social media, you should be able to get by with 4GB of data. However, if you’re going to be streaming a lot of high-quality music and videos regularly, or making video calls, you may need more data.

It’s worth searching for a deal with your phone provider which allows you to adjust your contract according to your data usage each month. Alternatively, you can measure your data for a while and get to know your consumption average before you find a contract.