How to Check Your Phone's Storage Capacity
Storage tier is one of the biggest single factors in a resale offer. Here's how to find the true total capacity on iPhone, Samsung and Android — not just the free space left. General guidance only, not a confirmed valuation.
Reviewed by the PhonesForCash buying teamLast reviewed
This guide reflects practical device identification, inspection and resale considerations used by our buying team when assessing phones and other devices. It is general guidance, not a confirmed valuation.
Total capacity (e.g. 256GB) is what determines value. Available space is unrelated — clearing photos won't change the offer.
iPhone
- Open Settings → General → About
- Look at Capacity — this is the total storage tier (e.g. 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB)
- Available shows free space — not relevant to valuation
- If the figure shown is unusual (e.g. 119GB) that's because the marketing capacity is base-2 vs base-10; 128GB is your tier
Samsung Galaxy
- Open Settings → About phone → Storage (or Settings → Battery and device care → Storage)
- Look at the Total capacity — this is the storage tier
- On older Samsungs with microSD support, internal and SD storage are listed separately — we value internal storage only
Other Android phones (Pixel, OnePlus, Xiaomi, etc.)
Open Settings → Storage (or Settings → About phone → Storage on some skins). The total figure is the storage tier. Pixel phones show this under Settings → Storage at the top of the page.
Why storage capacity affects valuation
The second-hand market consistently pays more for larger storage tiers, especially on Pro / Ultra / Pro Max devices where camera files fill smaller tiers quickly. A 1TB iPhone 14 Pro Max in good condition can value over £100 more than the 128GB version in the same condition. See why storage size affects value for the full breakdown.
Memory vs storage — common confusion
Storage (also called "internal storage" or "capacity") is where your photos, apps and files live — measured in gigabytes (GB) or terabytes (TB). Memory (RAM) is short-term working memory for active apps — usually 6GB / 8GB / 12GB / 16GB on modern phones. Resale values are based on storage, not RAM (though premium models tend to ship with both).
Common mistakes
- Reporting available space (e.g. "60GB free") instead of total capacity
- Assuming a phone is 128GB because that's the base model — many were sold in 256GB / 512GB
- Reading microSD card capacity instead of internal storage on older Samsungs
Common questions
If I delete everything, does my phone become more valuable?
No — total capacity doesn't change. Deleting personal data is still important before selling, but it won't raise the offer.
Why does my 128GB iPhone show ~119GB capacity?
Apple uses base-10 marketing (128GB = 128,000,000,000 bytes) while the OS reports base-2. The tier is still 128GB.
Does external microSD storage add to my phone's value?
The phone is valued on its internal storage only. You can keep your microSD card.
Want this applied to your specific device? Send the model and we'll come back with a realistic guide figure.
Related reading
Device Knowledge Centre →
All selling, valuation and recycling guides.
Why storage size affects value →
The full pricing logic explained.
Identify your iPhone model →
Confirm model before checking storage.
Find your Samsung model →
For Galaxy users.
How phone valuations work →
What else moves the offer.
Sell my phone →
Start a valuation.