A gigabyte (GB) is a unit of digital information that's equal to one billion bytes. However, if you're asking what a gigabyte is in the first place, that answer is probably not going to be very helpful.
Bytes are the measurement unit for digital information and memory size. They're tiny 8-bit phrases of 0s and 1s that make up the entire digital world. Because bytes are so small, we've come up with measurement units like gigabytes to explain large memory sizes. These terms apply to device storage sizes, measurements for internet speeds, and data allotments for phone plans.
For the context of a phone plan, 1GB of mobile data will get you about an hour of Netflix, 17 hours of Google Maps, or 13 hours of Facebook. Looking into your monthly data usage via your cell phone carrier is an easy way to see how many gigabytes you typically use so that you can make sure to make any plan adjustments if necessary.
Let's dig into Gigabytes and learn more about how the measurement impacts your cell phone and wireless plans.
What is a gigabyte?
A gigabyte is simply a measurement of digital information. It's equal to one billion bytes or 1,024MB (megabytes). Think of them as similar to units of measurement for distance like feet or miles. If you're giving someone directions, would you tell them their destination is in 26,400 feet or 5 miles? It's exactly the same measurement, but one makes a lot more sense.
While it's easy to judge distance, it's a little more complicated to understand digital information. Data is measured all the way down to a "bit." Some tasks might only use a few bits, while others could use entire gigabytes. Luckily, we do know roughly how much data is used for certain tasks on your cell phone.
| BIT | BYTE | KILOBYTE | MEGABYTE | GIGABYTE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual Size? | 0/1/0 a binary digit | 8 Bits | 1,024 Bytes | 1,024 Kilobytes | 1,024 Megabytes |
| How Much Data? | "Hi / bye" message | A little bit more. | 20KB = 1 plain text email | 1 iTunes song 5MB, Facebook App 10MB, 3 Web Pages |
68 short YouTube videos |
Measuring cell phone memory
You've probably also noticed your device uses gigabytes to show its memory size. Standard sizes on most cell phones are usually 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB. Some premium devices can even hit 1TB (terabyte), which is 1,000GB!
You need to make sure you pick a device that has enough memory to handle the tasks on your smartphone. If you don't use your device a lot, you can get away with smaller storage sizes. However, if you take a lot of pictures or download music or shows to your phone, you'll need much more storage space to keep everything running smoothly.
What uses gigabytes on a phone?
Any app or activity that requires an internet connection will use gigabytes on your smartphone, assuming you’re not connected to WiFi. This includes common online tasks such as:
- Scrolling through and posting on social media.
- Checking and sending email.
- Browsing the web.
- Sending iMessages.
- Sending messages on WhatsApp.
- Video chatting (FaceTime, Zoom, etc.).
- Streaming music and video.
- Playing online games.
Aside from mobile data usage, your phone utilizes onboard storage space to hold apps, pictures, and video files. Learn how much phone storage space you need based on your lifestyle.
What does 1GB get you?
So what does 1GB get you when it comes to cell phone tasks? Here is a breakdown of the various online activities you can do with 1GB of data. Keep in mind, the estimates we’ve calculated were based on streaming in standard quality—if you stream music or video on HD or higher, 1GB will not get you nearly as far.
Data use by category
| Online Activity/App | 1GB of Data |
|---|---|
| Online Gaming | Up to 25 hours* |
| Spotify | 25 hours |
| Web Browsing | 17 hours |
| Podcasts | 17 hours |
| Google Maps | 17 hours |
| 13 hours | |
| FaceTime | 12 hours |
| YouTube | 3.5 hours |
| 1.4 hours | |
| TikTok | 1.2 hours |
| Netflix | 1 hour |
*Depending on the game, this figure could be as low as 3 hours for 1GB of data.
How many gigabytes do you need?
How many gigabytes you need for a cell phone plan depends on what you typically use your phone for. Heavy streamers and gamers will need higher data allowances than those who mostly use their phones for email and web browsing. Here’s a quick overview of recommended plan sizes based on your smartphone activities.
Recommended plan sizes
| Online Activity | Phone Plan |
|---|---|
| Email, web browsing, navigation | At least 1GB |
| Podcasts, social media | At least 3GB |
| Music streaming, social media, light gaming | At least 5GB |
| Podcasts, social media, some video and music streaming | At least 10GB |
| Video streaming, gaming, social media | Unlimited Data |
How to check how much mobile data you use
There are a few ways to check how much data you’ve used in a given month. The first is to login to your carrier’s website or open your carrier app and check your data usage there. The major carriers, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T, as well as MVNOs like Metro by T-Mobile, Cricket, and Mint Mobile allow you to do this easily. Just make sure to create an account if you don’t already have one.
Some carriers also allow you to check your data usage by sending a quick text message. For example, if you have T-Mobile, you can text #WEB# (#932#) to check your current data usage. If you have Verizon, you can text #DATA (#3282) to learn how much data you’ve used this month. You can also check how much data you’re using in your iPhone or Android phone’s settings.
Here’s how to check your data usage on an iPhone:
- Click “Settings.”
- Select “Cellular.”
- Scroll down to the “Cellular Data” section.
- Beneath that header, you will see “Current Period” next to the number of gigabytes you’ve used that month.
- Under that, you’ll see a breakdown of how much data each app uses.
Here’s how to check your data usage on an Android device:
- Select “Settings.”
- Tap “Network & Internet.”
- Click “Data Usage.”
- Under “Mobile,” you can view how much data you’ve used this month.
- Click “Mobile data usage” to view graphs and details.
- Below the graph, you will see a breakdown of how much data each app uses.
Find a cell phone plan with enough gigabytes
Now that we've explained what a gigabyte is and how it translates to cell phone usage, you may have a better idea as to how much data you need from your cell phone plan. If you find that you tend to use much less data than your monthly allowance, you may want to consider switching to a plan with less data. Oftentimes, these low data plans will save you some money on your monthly bill.
Conversely, if you find that you are regularly using up your mobile data allowance before the end of the month, it may be time to upgrade your plan to include more gigabytes. And don’t worry, more data doesn’t necessarily mean more expensive!
There are countless affordable phone plans to choose from, whether you want to stay with your current carrier or switch to a new one. In fact, you can get unlimited data for as low as $15/month through Mint Mobile, a T-Mobile MVNO. That plan gets you 50GB of premium data and a 20GB mobile hotspot.
Mint Mobile Unlimited Data Plan
| Carrier | Mint Mobile |
|---|---|
| Data | Unlimited Data |
| Type | No Contract |
| Current Deal | Get this plan for just $25/mo. when you switch to Mint Mobile using promo code 15OFF at checkout. Upfront payment required |
| Total Price |
$25 per month
$75.00 upfront payment for 3 months (equals to $25.00/month). Intro pricing for new customers only.
|
| View Plan |
For fans of Verizon, Visible is an MVNO that offers a $25/month unlimited plan. It includes unlimited 5G data and an unlimited mobile hotspot with speeds capped at 5Mbps.
Visible $25 Visible Plan
| Carrier | Visible |
|---|---|
| Data | Unlimited Data |
| Type | No Contract |
| Total Price |
$25 per month
Taxes & Fees included
|
| View Plan |
You can also check out some of the other top MVNO unlimited plans below:
|
#1
|
XFINITY Mobile
Mobile Select Plan
$0.00/mo
(for the first year of service) <br>Regular rate of $30/mo. thereafter
|
|
#2
|
Astound Mobile
Unlimited Data Plan
$0.00/mo
+ $14.99 Upfront
|
|
#3
|
Boost Mobile
Unlimited Plan
$10.00/mo
with AutoPay
|
|
#4
|
Cricket
3-Month Unlimited Plan
$15.00/mo
$45 advance payment for 3 months (equals to $15/month)<br>regular rate for 3 months is $120 (equals to $40/month)
+ $9.99 Upfront
|
|
#5
|
Google Fi Wireless
Unlimited Essentials for 1
$17.50/mo
|
If you don't know where to start, you might want to check out our guide to the Best Cell Phone Plans, which include a range of options for various data tiers. If you've decided unlimited is the way to go, check out the best unlimited data plans tested and reviewed by our team.
Chris Holmes
Staff Writer
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