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What can you do with one GB of data?

Ting Staff • October 3, 2017

Do more with data and understand what one GB really gets you

At this point, we’re all used to walking around with supercomputers in our pockets and zettabytes of information at our fingertips.

You may have chosen an unlimited data plan in order to utilize said zettabytes of data. But not everybody needs an unlimited plan. In fact, not everybody that currently has an unlimited plan needs an unlimited plan. If you want to save money by going with a less expensive set data plan, all you need to do is be smart about Wi-Fi usage and to understand data.

Here are the basics: The things you need to know to quantify what 1 GB actually is in real-world terms.

What’s in a GB?

We’ll break down the GB math in a minute. First though, what can you do with 1 GB?

Video uses more data than audio which uses more data than still images which uses more data than text. It’s a bit difficult to package up but broad strokes, here’s about what a gig gets you:

>2,850 emails (with attachments) sent or received or
>5,560 web pages or
1,000 minutes of streaming music or
500 photos uploaded or downloaded or
1 hour of HD video streaming or
250 app downloads

One GB by the numbers

Not unlike inches and feet, data measurements can be separated into a progressive step system. The bit is the first rung of the data size ladder, and the next step up is a byte, which is eight bits. After that, each step up is roughly 1,000 of the units on the step below, creating the measurement system we all know and love.

Note that after the byte, each measurement is actually precisely 1,024 of the units below it (and yes, 1 GB on Ting is actually 1024 MB). We talk in terms of 1,000s to keep the math simple.

Bit: A single 1 or 0
Byte: 8 bits
Kilobyte (KB): Roughly 1,000 bytes, equivalent to about one paragraph of plain text
Megabyte (MB): Roughly 1,000 KB, or one image
Gigabyte (GB): Roughly 1,000 MB, or one hour of video

How to do more with less data

It’s important to note that a lot of mobile data use can quite easily be moved to Wi-Fi, where you don’t pay by the GB. By this we mean there’s quite a bit of content that you can download beforehand over Wi-Fi, rather than using mobile data to stream in real time.

You can download Netflix videos so you’re not using data when away from Wi-Fi, for example. Similarly, you can download Spotify music and content from Apple Music so you can listen offline. There’s no end to the kind of deep data saving tricks you can employ to avoid overpaying for cell phone service. To get started, check out our guide to lowering your mobile data use.

Now that you understand the numbers behind your data, go forth, surf smartly and save a buck.

Save on your monthly bill with Ting Mobile

At Ting Mobile, we have a variety of plans designed to fit every type of user. Always on the move and need unlimited data? We’ve got you covered. We also offer a set data plan so you can save while knowing exactly how much you’ll pay per month, while our Flex plan allows you to simply pay for data as you use it. Check out the different ways you can save.