What Does Your Phone Data Get You? Mobile Data Explained

Sometimes it can be hard to know exactly what your mobile phone gigabytes get you (especially when on holiday). Often a number like ‘25GB’ is thrown out there, we use our phones and just hope our data isn’t eaten up too much. In the event we do run out, we then get presented with various add-ons that read like a bingo menu!

To help you make an informed decision, here’s a breakdown of what exactly your GBs equate to

First, before we dive into the nitty-gritty, here’s a quick explanation of the 3 main units of mobile phone data. 

Gigabyte (GB)

A ‘GB’ is a unit of data storage capacity which is equivalent approximately equivalent to 1 billion bytes.

Kbps

‘Kbps’ stands for ‘Kilobytes per second’. This measurement is often used to represent the quality of compressed audio formats, such as MP3 or AAC.

MB

MB stands for ‘Megabyte’ and is considerably smaller than a gigabyte for example. MB is equivalent to one million bytes.

How long does 1GB of data last?

Although 1GB of data might initially seem quite low, you can actually do a bit more with it than you expect. 

Activity	Time with 1GB of data
General Internet browsing	16.6 hours
FaceTiming	5.5 hours
Skype	3.7 hours
Social media scrolling	11 hours
Social media interacting	6.4 hours
Youtube watching	36 minutes (1080p quality) / 22 minutes (4K quality)
Spotify (Music Playing)	92.5 hours (24kbps) 23 hours (96kbps) 13 hours (160kbps) 6.9 hours (320kbps)

How long does 10GB of data last?

Unlike 1GB of data, 10GB is a common amount of data that people pick when selecting a mobile phone plan – so let’s break down what it gets you!

Activity	Time with 10GB of data
General internet browsing	166 hours
Spotify (Music Playing)	925 hours (24kbps) 231 hours (96kbps) 138 hours (160kbps) 69 hours (320kbps)
Netflix watching	10 hours (standard definition)  3 hours (high definition)
Watching YouTube	6 hours (1080p quality) 4 hours (4K quality)
FaceTiming	55 hours
Social media scrolling	111 hours
Social media interacting	64 hours

How long does 20GB of data last?

Activity	Time with 20GB of data
General internet browsing	333 hours
Spotify (Music Playing)	1,851 hours (24kbps) 462 hours (96kbps) 277 hours (160kbps) 138 hours (320kbps)
Netflix watching	20 hours (standard definition)  6.6 hours (high definition)
Watching YouTube	12.8 hours (1080p quality) 7.4 hours (4K quality)
FaceTiming	111 hours
Social media scrolling	222 hours
Social media interacting	128 hours

How long does 50GB of data last?

Halfway to 100GB of data, 50GB is still a huge amount- plenty to support all your phone activities from streaming to music playing for hours on end. Here’s what exactly you can get:

Activity	Time with 50GB of data
General internet browsing	833 hours
Spotify (Music Playing)	4,629 hours (24kbps) 1,157 hours (96kbps) 694 hours (160kbps) 347 hours (320kbps)
Netflix watching	50 hours (standard definition)  16 hours (high definition)
Watching YouTube	32 hours (1080p quality) 18  hours (4K quality)
FaceTiming	277 hours
Social media scrolling	555 hours
Social media interacting	320 hours

How long does 100GB of data last?

100GB is a massive chunk of data. The comparison that often comes to a customer’s mind when looking for a mobile phone deal is 100GB vs unlimited data. Well, in most cases opting for a 100GB data deal can save you some serious cash vs going for an unlimited deal. Here’s info on what you can get (spoiler it’s a lot!):

Activity	Time with 100GB of data
General internet browsing	1,666 hours
Spotify (Music Playing)	9,259 hours (24kbps) 2,314 hours (96kbps) 1,388 hours (160kbps) 694 hours (320kbps)
Netflix watching	100 hours (standard definition)  33 hours (high definition)
Watching YouTube	64 hours (1080p quality) 37 hours (4K quality)
FaceTiming	555 hours
Social media scrolling	1,111 hours
Social media interacting	641 hours

And there you have it, now you can confidently select which data plan is right for you, and know exactly what bang you’re getting for your buck!