What's the Difference Between Cloud Storage and Physical Storage?

I used to work for a cellular company here in Billings, and one question I always got while working was how much storage space they had used up on their device. They would almost always have a ton of photos on their device, but it was all stored in the cloud, so their actual phone storage wasn't being used up. It caused a lot of confusion, so I'd like to help clear the air on the difference, and what you can do to increase your storage in either case.

Cloud Storage versus Physical Storage

The easiest way to think about the cloud is a hard drive that exists on the Internet and is specific to you alone. Most sites, like Google, use cloud storage as a way to store data such as photos, videos, and documents more efficiently and safely. Contrary to popular belief, cloud storage is extremely secure, and your information can't be accessed easily due to the encryption of the files.

Physical storage differs from this in that it's physically on the phone and is limited to how encrypted you keep your data yourself, and on phones, you can't really expand your physical storage unless your phone supports an SD Card. But, it usually allows you to store more things, and it's right on your phone.

What's the better option for me?

That's going to entirely depend on how much storage you already use, and what you use storage for. Generally, if you're going to take a lot of photos or videos, it's better to just use physical storage because it allows you to store more things. But, if you care about making sure your data is secure and safe, cloud storage is the way to go.

If you want to use one of them, but have many of your data on the other, you can easily transfer files between them. By doing so, you can actually use both of them to great effect. Remember, it's okay to use a combination of storage types.

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Everyone uses devices differently. But, storage is on every device, no matter what it's used for. Understanding how data is stored could help you make a final decision when it comes to getting a new phone.