iPhone 14 Storage: Which Size Should You Buy?

Picking the right iPhone 14 storage size for your needs and budget can be tricky so we want to help you decide between Apple’s cheapest options, the middle options, and the most expensive versions of the iPhone 14 series.

You might be tempted to buy the cheapest iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, or iPhone 14 Pro Max, or perhaps the model with the most storage. Many people will be perfectly fine buying one of those. However, others will want to buy something in-between.

One thing to keep in mind is that you will likely wind up paying for more storage one way or another. Either you’ll spend the money up front when you buy your new phone or you’ll end up paying a monthly fee for additional storage via Apple’s iCloud service.

There are several factors you need to consider before you settle on one storage size or another. We’ll break down everything you need to think about about before you buy your new iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, or iPhone 14 Pro Max in this guide.

iPhone 14 Storage Options

Apple offers three iPhone 14 storage options at three price points.

The iPhone 14 starts at 128GB and the company also sells 256GB and 512GB options for those who need more storage. The 128GB model is the cheapest option while the 512GB model is the most expensive.

iPhone 14 Plus Storage Options

The company’s new iPhone 14 Plus also comes in three sizes: 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.

iPhone 14 Pro Storage Options

As for the iPhone 14 Pro, there are four storage options, but they’re different than the options that come with Apple’s iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus.

The iPhone 14 Pro starts at 128GB. From there, the device’s storage capacity goes up to 256GB, 512GB and 1TB.

iPhone 14 Pro Max Storage Options

The largest and most expensive iPhone 14 model, the iPhone 14 Pro Max, comes in the same sizes as the iPhone 14 Pro: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.

Pay for Storage Today or Pay Later

You can add additional storage to Android devices using external memory cards but the iPhone 14 series, like its predecessors, doesn’t have a microSD card slot. If you want to add additional storage to your new iPhone you’ll need to use iCloud or buy a Lightning-compatible drive.

If you plan to shoot high-resolution video on your iPhone, download movies or songs, or play games on your device, you’ll need quite a bit of storage space.

While 128GB or 256GB might seem like enough, there’s a chance your storage fills up quickly. At that point, you’ll be forced to continuously delete files you no longer need, buy a compatible external drive, or pay for iCloud storage.

Fortunately, Apple’s iCloud storage is fairly inexpensive. You can get 50GB of cloud storage for a dollar a month. Here’s how the current pricing breaks down:

You can also share iCloud storage with your family members.

Why You Should Buy the 128GB iPhone 14

The 128GB iPhone 14 models are the cheapest options and they should be considered if you don’t think of yourself as a power user.

Here are a few reasons why you might want to buy a 128GB iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, or iPhone 14 Pro Max:

Why You Should Buy the 256GB iPhone 14

Apple’s 256GB option is the middle of the road choice for prospective iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus users. It’s the second largest option for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Here are some reasons why you should buy the 256GB iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, or iPhone 14 Pro Max:

An 256GB iPhone 14 model is an excellent middle-of-the-road option that can work with or without iCloud.

Why You Should Buy the 512GB iPhone 14

Some of you might want to spend the extra money for more space, even if it’s for the peace of mind that comes with having a bit more storage to play around with,

Here are a few reasons to buy the 512GB iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, or iPhone 14 Pro Max:

Why You Should Buy the 1TB iPhone 14 Pro

The expensive 1TB iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models are solid options for those that desire a ton of local storage.

It should provide enough space for photography buffs, avid gamers, and those who plan to tackle school or work projects while on-the-go.

Unless you’re already using well over 512GB or don’t use iCloud, you probably don’t need this much storage. Here’s who we think should buy one of these models:

How to Check Your Current Storage

Before you pick one of these, you should check your current storage because you’ll be able to gather some great insight into your habits. Here’s how to do this:

This will show you how much free storage you currently have and how much you are using. It’ll also tell you exactly what’s taking up the most storage. For many of you, it’ll be photos and videos, apps, and messages.

If your current device is around a year old, you should still have around 50% of your storage left. If you are within 10-15% of its capacity, you probably need more storage.

If you’re using iCloud, you should also check on your iCloud storage usage:

This screen shows your iCloud storage use and your current plan. If you tap on Manage Storage you’ll get a better breakdown of how you use cloud storage.

Install iOS 16.1 for Better Security

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If security is important to you, and you’re still lingering on iOS 15, think about installing Apple’s iOS 16.1 update right away. The iOS 16.1 update features 19 security patches and you can learn abut the particulars over on Apple’s website. If you missed iOS 16.0.3, it had one security patch on board. It fixed a potential exploit within the Mail app. For more about the fix, check out Apple’s security site. If you’re still running iOS 15 your iPhone, you’ll get a bunch of other patches when you upgrade. iOS 16.0 brought a ton of security patches to the iPhone. If you’re interested in the exact nature of these improvements, you can read about them over on Apple’s security website. In addition to those patches, iOS 16 brings some additional enhancements to privacy and security including Safety Check which, according to Apple, will help “people in domestic or intimate partner violence situations review and reset the access they’ve granted others.”  The feature also resets system privacy permissions for apps and restricts Messages and FaceTime to the device on hand. Apple’s also made some improvements to Passkeys in Safari. iOS 16 brings a brand new sign-in method that’s end-to-end encrypted and safe from phishing and data leaks.

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