Short answer: with the default High Efficiency (HEVC) format, a minute of 4K at 30 fps takes about 170 MB, and 4K at 60 fps about 400 MB. That's roughly 10 GB and 24 GB per hour. The same minute in 1080p at 30 fps is about 60 MB. HDR adds a little more, and ProRes is in another league: around 6 GB a minute in 4K.
Steps
- Check your setting: Settings › Camera › Record Video. iOS shows an estimate of how much space a minute takes for each option.
- For everyday clips, pick 1080p at 30 fps. Save 4K for moments you'll watch on a big screen.
- Keep Settings › Camera › Formats on High Efficiency. Most Compatible (H.264) files are roughly twice as large, and 4K at 60 fps needs High Efficiency.
- To see what's already taking space, open Photos › Collections › Media Types › Videos (on iOS 18, scroll down to Media Types).
- For videos you want to keep but smaller, compress them to 1080p. See how to compress a video on iPhone.
iPhone video sizes
| Setting (High Efficiency) | Per minute | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 720p 30 fps | about 40 MB | about 2.4 GB |
| 1080p 30 fps | about 60 MB | about 3.6 GB |
| 1080p 60 fps | about 90 MB | about 5.4 GB |
| 4K 24 fps | about 135 MB | about 8 GB |
| 4K 30 fps | about 170 MB | about 10 GB |
| 4K 60 fps | about 400 MB | about 24 GB |
| 4K ProRes (Pro models) | about 6 GB | about 360 GB |
Per-minute figures are Apple's estimates from the Record Video settings and Apple's ProRes documentation. Real files vary with movement and detail, and HDR recording adds roughly 10%. Slo-mo and the 4K 120 fps option on recent Pro models take more still.
Is 4K worth it on iPhone?
On the iPhone screen, 1080p and 4K look almost the same. 4K pays off when you watch on a large TV, crop or zoom in while editing, or want the best archive of important moments. For quick clips of everyday life, 1080p at 30 fps uses about a third of the space of 4K at 30 fps.
Where 4K adds up
Ten minutes a week of 4K at 60 fps is about 4 GB a week, or around 200 GB a year. That's why a 256GB iPhone can fill up in a year even with few photos (how much storage you need). If you sync with iCloud Photos, the same videos count against your iCloud storage too.
Shrinking the 4K videos you already have
iOS can't re-encode existing videos. Spaceclear lists your videos biggest first and compresses them on the iPhone: High (1080p), Balanced (720p) or Small (540p), with the saving shown before you start. Date, location and HDR are kept, and you choose whether to delete the originals afterwards. A 4K 60 fps clip compressed to 1080p typically drops to a fraction of its size. See also how to find the biggest videos.
FAQ
How much storage does a 1-hour 4K video take on iPhone?
About 10 GB at 30 fps and about 24 GB at 60 fps with High Efficiency, more with HDR. In ProRes it would be several hundred gigabytes, which is why ProRes recording needs a Pro model with lots of storage or an external drive.
Should I record in 4K 30 or 4K 60?
4K at 30 fps is enough for most scenes and uses less than half the space. 60 fps makes fast motion and sports smoother and allows gentle slow motion when editing. If storage is tight, 4K at 30 fps or 1080p at 60 fps is a good compromise.
Does 4K video take up iCloud storage?
Yes, at full size, when iCloud Photos is on. Compressing or deleting large videos frees both iPhone and iCloud storage once Recently Deleted is emptied.
Updated 2026-11-13