Contents list
- Introduction
- What can I do with 30GB of data?
- How many hours will 30GB of Data last
- How can I track myData Use?
- Can I reduce my data use?
- Should You Have More than 30GB of Data?
- Exclusive deals and alternatives to a 30GB data plan
Introduction
If you’re shopping for a new phone, pay-as-you-go plan or contract, one of the first things you’ll need to consider is how much data you’re going to need. After all, most phone deals now include unlimited calling minutes and texts as standard. This means the price you pay will depend mainly on the phone model, and your data consumption.
30GB might seem like a lot at first, but if you don’t know what you can do with this much data, it’s hard to decipher whether it might be too little, or too much for your requirements. Making sure you’re getting exactly the right plan for your needs will ensure you don’t over-pay for your plan, or end up with extra fees to pay at the end of each month.
So, how much is 30GB of data?
How Long Does 30GB of Data Last?
Internet Browsing
Normal Internet Browsing | |
|---|---|
30GB of Data | Around 360 hours (18,000 web pages) |
30GB of data equates to around 30,000 MB. If you mainly use your phone to browse the internet, 30GB will give you more than enough access to all of the pages you want to view. After all, the average web page only consumes about 3MB of data. This means with 30GB, you can view around 18,000 web pages, or browse for 360 hours!
Audio Data
Songs streamed on Spotify | |
|---|---|
30GB of data | Around 4,140+ songs |
Streaming audio is a little more data-intensive for the average smartphone than viewing a website page. If you’re streaming music or podcasts on your smartphone, the amount of data you use will depend on three things: the length of the file, the audio quality, and your streaming platform.
Let’s use Spotify as an example. A 320kbps (the highest quality) song on Spotify will consume 2.4MB of data each minute. That means one 3-minute song should use 7.2MB of data. If you like to listen to music in the highest quality, you should be able to listen to around 4,140 3-minute tracks.
If you adjust your stream to a lower quality, you’ll use less data, which means you can listen to more songs. For instance, streaming a 3 minute track at 96Kbps will only consume 2.16MB of data. This means you could listen to up to 31,050 tracks.
Here’s a run-down of what you’ll spend data-wise per hour for each quality option on Spotify:
- 320kbps: 144MB per hour
- 160kbps: 7.2MB per hour
- 96kbps: 43.2MB per hour
- 24kbps: 10.8MB per hour
Video Data
Netflix Video Streaming (On Phone) | |
|---|---|
30GB of data | 60+ Netflix films |
As you may imagine, videos are even more data-intensive than songs, because you’re accessing video and audio at the same time. Once again, the amount of data you use depends on your quality choice, video length, and streaming service. Netflix, for instance, claims you can watch 4 hours of content for every 1GB of data using the “Automatic” quality settings.
This means 30GB should get you 120 hours of content, or around 60 2-hour films. If you switch to “Data Save” mode on Netflix, you can get up to 6 hours of content for every GB, which equates to 180 hours of content, or around 90 2-hour films.
Streaming video on YouTube will give you about 60 hours of content, or 15 hours in high-definition, as the data consumption rates are slightly different.
Social Media Data
Social Media Use Examples for 30GB of Data | |
|---|---|
Social media browsing | Around 330 hours |
WhatsApp video calls | 90 hours of chat time |
Skype Video calls | 120 hours of chat time |
Apple FaceTime video calls | 120 hours of chat time |
Photos on WhatsApp | Approximately 30,000 photos |
If, like many people, you use your phone for social media, the amount of data you’ll use will depend on which apps you use, and how you access them. You can send around 10.5 million instant messages via social media, or 60,000 rich email and IM messages. Alternatively, if you’re making video calls via tools like Skype or Apple Facetime, you can expect lower limits.
Video calls on WhatsApp cost around 300MB of data per hour, giving you around 90 hours of chat time for 30GB. Apple Facetime and Skype are slightly more efficient, so you can usually get up to 120 hours of video chat out of each. If you’re sending images through social media, the amount of data you use depends on the size of the file.
WhatsApp compresses most photos to around 1MB, which means you could potentially send up to 30,000 photos. However, the data consumption could be lower or higher depending on your chosen attachment and service.
30GB of Data: How Many Hours will it Last?
How many hours will 30GB last? | |
|---|---|
Internet browsing | 300 hours+ |
Music Listening | 202 – 2,777+ hours depending on quality |
Watching video | 10 hours to 180 hours, depending on quality |
Browsing social media | 330 hours scrolling |
Using Facetime, Skype or WhatsApp | 90-120 hours |
30GB of data is definitely a lot of data depending on how you’re going to be using your phone. Ultimately, you should be able to spend countless hours browsing the internet and interacting with contacts using this amount of data.
A report from Three even found the average person uses around 19GB of data per month, so you should be set even if you’re a heavy data user, like many 3 customers. Other reports from brands like Ericsson found the average person uses 10GB of data a month. Even if you’re conventional with your estimates and assume you’ll use about 15GB a month, 30GB should be more than enough.
How can I see my data use?
If you’re not sure whether 30GB of data is suitable, or even too much for your needs, it’s worth taking a closer look at your typical data usage. It’s relatively easy to discover your data usage using your Android or iOS device. Android users can click into the “Settings” page on their phone, then tap on “More Network Settings” to see data usage.
iPhone users can click into “Settings” followed by either “Cellular” or “Mobile Data”, depending on the phone they’re using to access their insights. You should be able to see how much data you’ve used over the last month or billing period. Plus, some devices will allow you to set data limits with alerts and notifications when you’re about to reach your maximum.
You may also be able to find your data usage by checking your mobile network’s app, built into your device, or logging into your account online.
Can I save on data use?
With 30GB of data, you probably won’t need to worry about cutting down on data usage. However, if you want to reduce your data consumption and access a cheaper plan, you can use various strategies to minimise your data requirements.
For instance, it’s worth sticking to Wi-Fi connectivity whenever possible, so you don’t consume your phone’s data allowance. You can even switch to “Data saver” mode for each app on your smartphone, so you automatically reduce your quality settings when you’re connecting via mobile data.
Some apps will allow you to implement settings so you can load content in a lower quality via a mobile connection, but automatically switch back to a higher quality when you link to Wi-Fi. It may also be a good idea to download content when you’re on a Wi-Fi connection so you can access it later.
Should I have more than 30GB of data?
The amount of data you need will depend on how you plan on using your phone. Most people shouldn’t need more than 30GB of data, as this will give you plenty of scope to use your device for everything from video calls to social media browsing.
However, if you find yourself accessing a lot of high-quality content on your device, it may be worth considering an “unlimited” plan. Remember, if you find 30GB of data is too much for you, it’s also possible to downgrade to a cheaper plan and save some cash.
Exclusive SIM only deals and alternatives to 30GB
If you’re looking for an amazing deal on a 30GB data plan, 5G.co.uk has a lot of great options to choose from. There are countless SIM only deals available here, as well as a comparison matrix you can use to track down the best price.
You could even increase your data allowance while saving money. The data packages we offer range from as low as 1GB to unlimited data, to suit everyone’s needs.
FAQs
How many days does 30GB of data last? ›
Time duration with 30GB*
Did you know there are 720 hours in 30 days (the average month)? And that's if you were awake for every hour! So, as you can see, 30GB of data allows you to do many things on your smartphone for days on end without having to use Wi-Fi.
Normal Internet Browsing
If you mainly use your phone to browse the internet, 30GB will give you more than enough access to all of the pages you want to view. After all, the average web page only consumes about 3MB of data. This means with 30GB, you can view around 18,000 web pages, or browse for 360 hours!
Even 2GB will be cutting it close, so for some breathing room we'd generally suggest at least 3GB. Meanwhile, if you're using mobile data much of the day, every day, or using data intensive things like video streaming and tethering regularly, you'll probably want at least 50GB – and even that might not be enough.
How many hours can you use 30 GB data? ›A 30GB data plan will allow you to browse the internet for around 360 hours, to stream 6,000 songs or to watch 60 hours of standard-definition video. Nowadays, the key difference between mobile phone price plans is how many gigabytes of data it comes with.
How much mobile data does the average person use a month? ›In 2021, the average data used per smartphone per month worldwide amounted to 11.4 gigabytes (GB). The source forecasts that this will increase almost four times reaching 41 GB per smartphone per month globally in 2027.
How many GB is a movie on Netflix? ›Data used per hour, per device:
High: Best video quality: Standard definition: up to1 GB. High definition: up to 3 GB. Ultra high definition (4K): up to 7 GB.
In legal terms, cellular unlimited means any connection to the internet but not at any specific speed. Unlimited to a customer buying a data plan means they can get consistently fast internet connection speeds for as long as they want, and for whatever internet activity that they want to use it for.
How many GB is 2 hour movie? ›Streaming Movies or TV
A 1080p HD 60 fps 2-hour movie averages 6 GB in file size. A 1080p HD 30 fps 2-hour movie averages 3 GB in file size. A 720p HD 2-hour movie averages 2 GB in file size. A Standard Definition (SD) 2-hour movie averages 1 GB in file size.
Apps. Apps are likely the biggest data users on your phone. Anything that needs to connect to the Web to update, refresh, or download will use cell data. This means all your social media and streaming apps, from Facebook to Twitter, Spotify to Netflix, will quietly eat up your data.
Is 3GB enough for a month? ›With your 3GB of data, you'll be able to browse the internet for approximately 36 hours per month, to stream 600 songs online or to watch 6 hours of online video in standard definition.
How many GB of data do you use in an hour? ›
How much DATA you are using? Streaming 2 hours of music daily would use about 3 GB of data each month. General Internet browsing, accessing Google Classroom, and playing online games uses between 60-150 MB per hour. Streaming Netflix for just one hour would use about 3GB of data in just that time alone.
How many GB is an hour of data? ›Expect to use around 1.5GB per hour for SD (480p), roughly 2.1GB per hour for HD (720p), and 3.4GB per hour for Full HD (1080p) playback. UHD content (2160p) data usage is even bigger for compatible videos: basically, treat it as double the size of Full HD content.
How much is unlimited data? ›| Carrier | Unlimited data monthly cost | Data limit |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T Unlimited &More | $70 | 22GB/month |
| Verizon "gounlimited" | $75 | none |
| T-Mobile One Plus | $80 | 50GB/month |
| AT&T Unlimited &More Premium | $80 | 22GB/month |
With 25GB of data, you could stream audio for a very long time each month, though it's unlikely you'd find time to listen to 578 hours of music! Needless to say, you would have more than enough data to browse the internet and social media. You'd also have plenty of room to watch videos too.
Is 20 GB enough for a month? ›20GB per month is considered to be a fairly large amount of mobile data, alongside 30GB and 50GB.
Does texting use data? ›You can send and receive text (SMS) and multimedia (MMS) messages through the Messages app . Messages are considered texts and don't count toward your data usage. Your data usage is also free when you turn on chat features.
What is a good amount of mobile data? ›8GB monthly data allowance
On an 8GB mobile data plan allowance, you'll be able to indulge in around six hours of web browsing per day. Alternatively, 8GB should be good for around an hour of medium quality Netflix streaming per day, or around 4 hours of music streaming on normal quality.
Time duration with 1GB*
As you can see, a 1GB bundle is quite small, and doesn't allow you to do a lot each month before it runs out. For reference, there are 720 hours in an average month, so if you watched one hour-long Netflix episode in standard definition, you'd be out of data!
What uses the most data on your mobile device? Streaming HD video content is by far the biggest perpetrator when it comes to draining your monthly mobile data allowance, however it's the combination of everything you do your mobile device which adds up to your overall data threshold.
Do you still use data while on Wi-Fi? ›A Wi-Fi connection lets you connect to the Internet without using any cellular data at all. While connected to Wi-Fi, you can also download videos, TV shows, or movies to your phone or SD card to watch anytime at your convenience, with no data required.
Do apps use data when not in use? ›
It's worth knowing that despite your best efforts, some apps continue to use data in the background even while you don't have them open. There are many Android apps that, without your knowledge, will go ahead and connect to your cellular network even when the app is closed.
Is it better to download or stream Netflix on data? ›Streaming. Whether you choose to download or stream your favourite shows or movies, it makes little difference to your Netflix data usage. They use more or less the same amount of data, so it really depends on your viewing preferences.
Can I watch Netflix without Internet? ›Select See What You Can Download, Find Something to Download, Find More to Download, or Available for Download, depending on your device. Select a TV show or movie. will appear next to each available episode. Android users will also see a Download Season option to download all episodes in the selected season.
Is it better to download or stream on data? ›Downloading requires the file be retrieved and stored in entirety before you can enjoy it, while streaming allows it to play without the entire file being loaded. So, walking away in the middle of a streaming file saves you the amount of data that you don't listen to, while a downloaded file does not.
What happens if you go over unlimited data? ›If you run out of data, you will likely be charged extra for any additional data you use. Internet providers that impose data caps usually charge $10 for every 50 GB of data you go over your monthly limit. You also may see drastically slowed speeds on your internet connection when you exceed your monthly data limit.
Do I need wi fi if I have unlimited data? ›The simple answer is yes. Mobile networks and WiFi connectivity are in no way related, and often there are places where you can connect to the WiFi network around you even if there is no cell service.
Does unlimited data get worse the more you use it? ›Many unlimited data plans have restrictions on the amount of high-speed data you can use each month. Once you use more data than the cap the plan stipulates, your carrier can significantly slow down your data, according to CNBC.
How many GB do I need a month to stream TV? ›Standard definition uses up to 0.3 GB per hour. High definition (720p) uses up to 1 GB per hour. Full HD (1080p) uses up to 3 GB per hour. UHD (4K) uses up to 7 GB per hour.
How many GB does a 90 minute movie use? ›Using these figures, an average 90-minute HD film would use approximately 4.5GB of data. Binge-watch a 10-episode TV show in Ultra HD, with one-hour episodes, and that's a hefty 70GB of data.
How many GB does it take to stream live TV? ›Live TV streaming uses about 1.4 GB per hour of HD video. That's more than double the amount of data that streaming movies or music videos use. So, if you're streaming live TV, you can expect to use about 2.8 GB of data per hour.
What happens when I turn cellular data off? ›
Turn off cellular data completely
This way, no data will be used, and certain apps will only work if you are connected to a Wi-Fi network.
What happens when I run out of mobile data? What happens when you run out of mobile data depends on what type of phone plan you have, your provider and your plan contract. Some providers will charge you for extra data, while others will simply cut your data access until your plan resets.
Why is my data running out so fast? ›Your browser tends to consume your data rapidly. This is because browsers provide high-quality pictures and also allow ads that swallow up your data in a short period of time. To avoid this, turn on the data saving mode on these apps.
What counts as data usage? ›Data usage is how much data your phone uploads or downloads using mobile data. To make sure that you're not using too much data on your data plan, you can check and change your data usage.
Does my Smart TV use data when turned off? ›No, smart TV do not use the data when closing.
Because when turned off, smart TV doesn't work, don't need to connect to the Internet.
Browsing the net with 2GB will last for around 33 hours. So you could browse for around one hour per day before reaching your limit. Similarly, you could use social media for less than an hour each day.
How many hours of internet is 3GB? ›How much is 3GB of data? This amount of data lets you send or receive about 12,000 emails with standard sized attachments. Or in terms of browsing online, you'll get about is 60 hours' worth.
Is 15 GB a month a lot? ›How much is 15GB of data? By most standards, 15GB is considered a fairly large data bundle. According to Ofcom's 2021 Market Report, the average monthly data used per mobile data connection was 4.5 GB. Considering this, 15GB is over triple the average!
Is 3GB enough for a cell phone? ›The short answer is that you need at least 4GB. That's enough RAM for web browsing, social media, video streaming, and some popular mobile games.
How much data does texting take? ›While SMS messages don't count against your data plan, your carrier charges for each message sent and received if text messages aren't included in your plan. Long messages can be even more costly, as each 160 characters in a message may be charged separately.
How long will 50GB of data last you? ›
Time duration with 50GB*
As you can see, 50GB of data would allow you to browse the internet for 833 hours, which exceeds how many hours are in a month. Similarly, you would be able to use social media without an internet connection for almost the entire month before your data ran out.
It is a common misconception that making phone calls and sending text messages uses cellular data. These activities do not use data at all and most carriers now offer plans with unlimited talk and text.
How many GB is a typical movie? ›A standard definition (SD) movie that you download to your device for streaming tends to be between 1 GB and 2 GBs, while high definition (HD) videos are twice that, ranging from 2 to 4 Gigabytes.
How many GB does it take to store a movie? ›Typically, downloaded standard definition Digital Movie files take up approximately 1-2 Gigabytes of space, and high definition files can take up to 2-4 GB. Bonus features can double these space requirements.
Is 30GB data enough for Netflix? ›Binge 120 hours of Netflix
This equates to about four hours per 1GB, which is a massive 120 hours of streaming for your entire 30GB allowance.
With your 40GB of data, you'll be able to browse the internet for approximately 480 hours per month, to stream 8,000 songs online or to watch 80 hours of online video in standard definition.
Is 50GB data enough for a month? ›Is 50GB of data enough for me? For the above average phone user, 50GB looks to be more than enough to last for a whole month's activity, particularly when you consider that you probably won't need to use your mobile data for that entire time if you have Wi-Fi at home.
How many GB does 2 hours of Netflix use? ›Data used per hour, per device:
Standard definition: up to1 GB. High definition: up to 3 GB. Ultra high definition (4K): up to 7 GB.
A 1GB data plan will allow you to browse the internet for around 12 hours, to stream 200 songs or to watch 2 hours of standard-definition video. Nowadays, the key difference between mobile phone price plans is how many gigabytes of data it comes with.
Can 1GB last a month? ›1GB,3GB and 30GB is capable of the following: 1GB a month is roughly enough to: Browse for 11 hours. Send 16,000 emails without attachments or 300 with attachments.
Do I need Wi-Fi if I have unlimited data? ›
The simple answer is yes. Mobile networks and WiFi connectivity are in no way related, and often there are places where you can connect to the WiFi network around you even if there is no cell service.
What happens if you go over 50GB of data? ›After 50GB, you still get unlimited LTE data but may at times notice reduced speeds in areas with network congestion.
Is 5GB a lot of data for a month? ›How much is 5GB of data? 5GB of data is a difficult one to place - for the average user (defined by Ofcom's 2021 report), it's not too much and it's not too little. Yet, based on the number of plans out there, 5GB is still considered to be a smaller plan with less gigabytes to offer.
How long will 50GB last watching Netflix? ›With these estimates, if you have 50 GB of data, streaming Netflix on a high-quality standard definition setting at 1 GB an hour could give around 50 hours of streaming on one device or 25 hours of streaming for two devices.