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iPhone 7 storage options: Why 32GB is likely not enough

May the 16GB iPhone rest in peace.

Jason Cipriani Contributing Writer, ZDNet
Jason Cipriani is based out of beautiful Colorado and has been covering mobile technology news and reviewing the latest gadgets for the last six years. His work can also be found on sister site CNET in the How To section, as well as across several more online publications.
Jason Cipriani
3 min read
Watch this: Apple's iPhone 7 wants you to cut the cord

Last September, Apple finally did away with the abysmal, 16GB model in its iPhone lineup. Starting with the iPhone 7, you have the option of 32GB, 128GB and a whopping 256GB.

Even the iPhone SE has kicked the low-storage habit, with Apple recently doubling its base storage to 32GB.

For someone who is antsy to order Apple's latest wares, which model should you get? Let's take a look.

Is 32GB enough?

If you own a 16GB iPhone, you probably endure the ongoing message warning that your iPhone's storage is full. It's why Google made that hilarious Google Photos commercial that makes fun of smaller iPhone models, without actually naming the iPhone.

You might be compelled to automatically choose the 32GB, since it's the same price as last year's 16GB model. But... I plead with you to really ask yourself: is 32GB enough? Odds are, it's not.

How often did you clear photos, videos, apps or delete Messages conversations? Now consider that the new Memories feature in the photo app and the sticker- and photo-heavy revision of the Messages app might make you accumulate more data -- and want to keep it around.

There are also Apple Music playlists you can download for offline listening, Netflix video downloads, 4K video recording and high-resolution photos. Add those to everything else and 32GB might feel like 16GB all over again.

If you hardly ever found yourself clearing space from your 16GB iPhone, however, the 32GB is most likely just right for you.

128GB is the sweet spot

At first 128GB may seem overkill. 128GBs! That's eight times the amount of space the 16GB iPhone has!

Even though it was once considered to be a luxurious amount of storage, 128GB is most likely the sweet spot going forward. It provides enough space to keep a healthy Photos and Music library on the iPhone, without forcing you to pick and choose what gets to stay and what gets deleted.

If you snap a lot of photos, and record a lot of 4K video, the 128GB will ensure you don't have to worry about running out of storage.

Who needs 256GB?

If your phone is your lifeline to the outside world, holding work documents, photos, movies, videos, songs, apps and games, this is the phone you're looking for.

I own a 128GB iPad Pro, which is essentially my work computer and I've come nowhere near filling it. But that's also likely because I rely on cloud storage quite a bit.

256GB can hold an adequate amount of movies for long flights and all of your documents for that upcoming presentation with plenty of room to spare.

You can't add a memory card

Remember that. Apple doesn't offer an option with expandable storage, so what you buy now is what you're stuck with two-years from now. For $100 more, you go from 32GB to 128GB. Break that down with one of the carrier leasing programs and it's only a few extra dollars a month. In the end, avoiding a headache of constantly managing storage is well worth the extra cost.

Editors' Note: This post was originally published on September 9, 2016, and has since been updated.