The average monthly data usage for smartphone users is about 17 GB per month. While web surfing is one of the most common uses, the amount of data used while browsing is generally low. The majority of mobile data is used for streaming music and videos, online gaming, and video calls. This amount can vary if you mainly use WiFi connections, are a heavy user, or optimize your data usage.
Keep in mind that we tend to consume more data while traveling than when we are at home. This is because it may be more difficult to access WiFi networks, and we use a greater number of apps for longer periods of time.
1 GB of data can be used up in around 1 hour of video streaming in standard definition, about 3-4 hours on social media (such as streaming videos on Instagram or TikTok in low-quality playback), or more than 12 hours of streaming music on Spotify in high quality.
Our Data Usage Calculator shows the average consumption of your most used apps, allowing you to get a more accurate estimate of the amount of data you can expect to need on your device.
High mobile data usage can vary depending on your data plan and needs, but anything over 18-22 GB per month is generally considered high. This is particularly relevant if you have a limited data plan and need frequent internet access. That’s why Holafly’s Unlimited Data eSIM is an excellent option to have an internet connection while traveling. You will be able to use your device as much as you want without worrying about WiFi networks, bandwidth issues or surprise roaming charges.
Apps like YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video, or any other video streaming service allow us to adjust playback quality to optimize data usage. A 2-hour movie can use about 1.5 GB in 480p low quality, 6 GB in 720p standard definition, 9 GB in 1080p HD, and more than 17 GB in UHD 4k. These are just estimates and the actual data usage may vary slightly between platforms.
Netflix has three configurations: Standard Definition (SD), High Definition (1080p HD), and Ultra High Definition (UHD to 4K). With 5 GB of data, you can stream video for nearly 17 hours in SD, 1.5 hours in HD, and less than an hour in UHD or 4K.
Our mission is simple: to make sure you never have to ask, “What’s the WiFi password?” again. All our tips come straight from personal experience — because we’d never recommend something we haven’t put to the test ourselves.
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