I bought an iPhone 15 Plus with 128 GB of storage when it was released, but years of concert videos, photos, and messages have now filled it completely. I want to keep my old photos and messages, and I really like the larger Plus-sized screen. Since the Plus model may no longer be available, I'm concerned about having to switch to a smaller phone. A Pro Max is outside my budget, so I'm considering a newer Plus-sized model with more storage, such as the iPhone 16 Plus, to give myself more room for the future. I'm also considering cloud storage, but I'd rather avoid an ongoing subscription if possible. What would be the most practical and cost-effective way to preserve everything while freeing up space?
4 Answers
If you want the least maintenance and can afford it, a phone with much more storage is the simplest option. However, upgrading only delays the problem because photos and especially concert videos keep getting larger. A good compromise is a larger-capacity phone plus a local computer or external-drive backup, rather than relying on the phone as the only place your memories exist.
Before replacing the phone, make a separate backup of your photos and videos to a computer or external drive, then verify that the files open correctly. You can also remove downloaded media, large message attachments, and duplicate videos. An external backup avoids a monthly fee, but it requires you to maintain the drive and ideally keep a second copy somewhere else. One drive alone is not a complete backup strategy.
The two realistic solutions are moving your photo and video library to cloud storage or buying a phone with substantially more internal storage. Cloud photo storage can keep full-resolution originals safely backed up while leaving smaller versions on the phone. The 200 GB plan costs about $3.99 per month, while the larger plan is around $12.99 per month. It also includes automatic backups and can be shared with family, which may make the cost easier to justify.
My concern is that the subscription cost adds up over many years, especially if I eventually need the larger plan. I’m wondering whether buying more phone storage would be cheaper in the long run.
Your photos and videos are the irreplaceable part, so prioritize preserving them before deciding on an upgrade. Messages can also be included in device backups, but it’s worth checking that your backup completed successfully. In practical terms, the choice is paying for convenience with cloud storage, or paying upfront for storage and managing your own backups. Neither option is completely free, and a new phone by itself should not replace a proper backup.
I’d prefer to keep the larger screen and avoid the Pro Max price. That’s why a 16 Plus with more storage seems appealing, but I’m unsure how noticeable the smaller screen on newer non-Plus models would be.