Why does my phone have fewer GB than the manufacturer says on the box?
Typically, in any phone review or ad, you'll always see the amount of RAM and storage. In the case of the latter, you'll see numbers like 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. Obviously, these are sizes written on paper, not the actual numbers you can see on your device. Why should you have less memory than you should?
When you get a new phone or have used it for a short time, you probably haven't installed many apps yet. However, when you check the internal storage and discover that the smartphone's usable capacity is less than that advertised on the box, it's understandable that you might have doubts. Why does this happen? Here are the reasons why.
It's actually a fairly old problem; it happened on all computers in the world and later moved to mobile phones as well.
It's understandable that the average user may feel a bit confused when it comes to the storage capacity advertised by smartphone brands. While the answer may be simple for those familiar with the technology, some people may also feel frustrated that this advertised capacity isn't fully reflected on their mobile devices.
However, it's important to note that phones' internal memory has a specific capacity advertised in catalogs, social media posts, and on their packaging. The problem arises when this capacity is combined with the rest of the device's components.
- Why does my phone have less memory than advertised?
The system reduces your phone's memory without you having to do anything at all, because once it's installed and running, it already takes up space. However, that's not the only reason. We explain below:
There are several explanations that will answer your question. The first is due to the shape and the difference in measurement. The truth is that we understand 1 GB to be 1000 MB, but operating systems use binary code, so in reality, 1 GB is 1024 MB. Therefore, the total number of megabytes will give a smaller number than the actual gigabytes.
- Operating system and pre-installed software
Phones come with an operating system and many applications preinstalled by the manufacturer. These occupy a portion of the internal memory, reducing the space available to the user.
In this sense, manufacturers reserve space for system files, which typically take up much more storage space than you might imagine. Between 15 and 20 GB can be allocated for this type of use on a smartphone.
- Updates
It's important to keep in mind that updates to your mobile phone also take up memory space. Although you may not notice it immediately, this contributes to a decrease in available storage on your device. This is unavoidable, as keeping your device up-to-date is essential to ensuring its security and access to the latest news and service improvements.