Storage is always at a premium on your phone. Even the largest iPhone models offer only 128GB of space. The same is true of A...
Storage is always at a premium on your phone. Even the largest iPhone models offer only 128GB of space. The same is true of Android phones, and some models come in sizes as small as 32GB. That kind of storage vanishes quickly. That’s why savvy consumers seek more space via upgradable storage slots. Here’s a guide on the Top Four (4) Benefits of Expandable Storage on a Smartphone and Tablet devices.
More Storage at a Cheaper Price
The cost of cellphone storage is an oddity. A consumer can buy a 2TB hard drive for $70 or less; however, a 2TB flash drive didn’t even enter the marketplace until 2017. The explanation is that making a technology smaller is more expensive. For years, laptop computers cost more than desktop systems for this reason.
Businesses that sell smartphones base their pricing strategy on this premise. The basic tier of a phone has the least storage. Adding another 32GB could cost another $100. Historically, the best option for a customer was to buy cloud storage space. A phone can upload files to the cloud, thus saving room for more important files. Such cloud services come with a monthly or annual subscription fee, though.
The best solution is to add space in modular fashion. Some smartphones now include micro SD card slots. Here, users can add their own storage cards, swapping in the files that they need at any time. The savings are dramatic for the customer. A 32GB micro SD card costs less than $20 (savings of $80 or more). Plus, you can keep several of these on file, exponentially increasing the size of your cellphone storage. That’s why savvy manufacturers have continued to make models such as T-Mobile's LG V20, which have micro SD expansion slots.
No Accessibility Issues
The other issue with cloud storage is that it’s inconvenient. Without access to the data, it’s useless. That’s a problem for everyone. Swapping files in and out of the cloud takes time, and you always run the risk of picking the wrong documents or media. Then, you’re stuck without the items you need when you need them.
Also, you must go online to retrieve the files. That’s not always possible. Having internet access isn’t a luxury that you can expect all the time. Coverage areas blanket most of the country, but cellular data availability is still spotty in some places. Your cellphone coverage also might not offer service when you travel abroad. If they do, an additional surcharge is likely. There, cloud services would be inconvenient and more expensive. One noteworthy exception is T-Mobile. Its T-Mobile ONE plan offers unlimited data and texting in more than 140 countries.
Better Personal Security
Hacking is a part of everyday internet usage. Security experts believe that 30,000 websites suffer breaches each day. Victims affected by these incursions are susceptible to identity theft and other horrors. That’s why cellphone designers added passcodes and fingerprint scanners. Phones won’t unlock unless a person can prove his or her identity. You have that extra layer of protection.
When you store your files online, the situation is different. Should a major cloud service experience a breach, all your data is in the hands of strangers. That’s how the infamous nude celebrity scandal occurred. The celebrities trusted a cloud service to safeguard their private data. Their personal photographs wound up online and in the public eye, where they’ll stay forever.
Nothing ever goes away on the internet. That explains why storing on your cellphone is a safer practice. A hacker can’t publish your private files online as easily as if they stole information from a cloud service.
More Privacy
Using expandable storage rather than cloud service has one more advantage. When you sign up for cloud service, you’re allowing a company to collate a lot of personal information about you. Most standard agreements for cloud services include a stipulation that you’re authorizing them to store your data. They can monitor your user behavior, place cookies on your system, and send you unsolicited messages via email or regular mail.
In the worst cases, cloud services can sell details about your personal information to third parties. Then, you’ll have to deal with spam from those businesses too. Each time you check the box on terms of service, you’re ceding privacy. When you use expandable storage instead, you avoid the privacy concerns stemming from cloud service agreements.
As you can see, using the expansion slot on your smartphone is a better strategy than employing a cloud service. Remember this when you’re shopping for your next phone.
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