Apple puts one minute of spatial video at approximately 130 MB — about double the approximately 65 MB it gives for one minute of regular 1080p 30 fps video. That is the only per-minute storage figure Apple states in the pages covered here, and it comes with conditions that are easy to lose.
There is a second thing worth knowing before you plan around it: the sentence containing those numbers is in the iOS 18 version of Apple's iPhone User Guide page on spatial capture. The current iOS 27 version of the same page does not carry it.
The numbers, at a glance
| What you are recording | Apple's figure per minute | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Spatial video, 1080p at 30 fps, SDR | approximately 130 MB | iPhone User Guide, iOS 18 version |
| Regular video, 1080p at 30 fps | approximately 65 MB | same sentence, in parentheses |
| 4K, 60 fps, or any other combination | not given on the Apple pages cited here — check the official documentation | — |
| ProRes | no per-minute figure; only a relative one — see below | About Apple ProRes on iPhone |
Both of the top two figures come from a single Note at the end of the spatial capture page. Verbatim:
"Note: Spatial videos are recorded at 1080p at 30 fps in SDR. One minute of spatial video is approximately 130 MB (one minute of regular 1080p 30 fps video is approximately 65 MB)."
Three things are packed into that one sentence, and all three matter:
- "approximately." Apple is not publishing an exact rate. Treat 130 MB as a planning figure, not a guarantee.
- The capture spec is fixed in the same breath. Spatial video is described as 1080p, 30 fps, SDR. The number is attached to that spec, not to spatial video in general.
- The comparison baseline is also 1080p 30 fps. Apple is not comparing spatial video to 4K — it is comparing it to ordinary video at the same resolution and frame rate.
That last point is what makes the number useful. Apple's general rule for video, stated in the same User Guide, is that "Faster frame rates and higher resolutions result in larger video files." Here, resolution and frame rate are held constant on both sides of the comparison, and the file is still roughly twice the size. The Note gives the two figures without saying what accounts for the gap.
At approximately 130 MB a minute, ten minutes lands in the region of 1.3 GB — multiplication we did, not a figure Apple publishes.
The figure is gone from the current page
This is the part most write-ups miss. Apple maintains version-specific copies of every User Guide page, and the spatial capture page exists in both an iOS 18 version and a current iOS 27 version:
- iOS 18: support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/iphone/iph6e3a6d4fe/18.0/ios/18.0 — contains the Note with 130 MB and 65 MB.
- Current: support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/iphone/iph6e3a6d4fe/ios — the Note is not there.
So when you see 130 MB per minute quoted, the honest citation is the archived iOS 18 page. If you need a number you can defend today, open the current page and check what Apple states now.
The capture spec itself does still appear elsewhere: Apple's Tech Specs pages for iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro both list spatial video recording "at 1080p at 30 fps" — identical on the Pro and the non-Pro. For which models can record spatial video at all, check the official documentation.
What the 130 MB figure does not cover
Plenty of things, and quoting it outside its scope is how people end up with storage plans that do not survive contact with a real shoot.
- 4K and 60 fps. The Apple pages cited here give no per-minute figure for any resolution or frame rate other than 1080p 30 fps. Do not scale 65 MB up by pixel count and call it official.
- Bitrate. No Mbps number appears on these pages for any mode or codec, so you cannot derive your own per-minute rate from one.
- ProRes. Apple gives only a relative statement: "ProRes files are up to 30 times larger than HEVC files." Note up to — that is a ceiling, not a multiplier to apply.
- The estimates on your own phone. The Record Video screen in Settings shows its own per-minute sizes. Apple's web documentation does not reproduce those values, so the screen in front of you is the place to read them.
- The file extension. The specs pages list codecs — HEVC, H.264, ProRes — not containers. Whether the file lands as
.movor.mp4is not stated on the pages cited here.
What to do when spatial clips fill the phone
Two levers are documented, and they solve different problems.
Move the originals off the device. With iCloud Photos, Apple states that when you turn on Optimize Storage, "your device keeps space-saving versions of your photos and videos, while iCloud Photos stores your photos and videos in their original, high-resolution version." That reclaims local space without touching the master. Apple does not state the resolution or bitrate of the space-saving version, so do not assume it is fine to share from.
Make a smaller copy for the thing you are actually sending. A 130 MB-per-minute file is not what you want to push into a chat thread or an email. Compress a copy and keep the original where it is:
Try it right here
Runs in your browser. Your file is not uploaded anywhere.
This runs inside your browser tab — read from disk, re-encoded locally, handed back, never uploaded, which matters when the source is a multi-gigabyte clip. For the reasoning behind the settings rather than a preset, see how to compress a video without losing quality, or pick a different job from all Clapr tools.
Gotchas when you share it
- Apple does not set the attachment ceiling. The share page carries a flat statement: "Note: The size limit of attachments is determined by your service provider." For SMS and MMS specifically, Apple adds that "your carrier may set size limits for attachments" and that "your iPhone can compress photo and video attachments when necessary." No parameters are given for that compression.
- The share sheet has a switch that blocks conversion. Apple describes it as: tap Automatic for the best file format for the destination, "tap Current to prevent a file format conversion," or tap Most Compatible and files may convert to JPEG or MOV.
- Two different settings share the name "Most Compatible." In Settings > Camera > Formats, Most Compatible governs capture — Apple says new photos and videos will use JPEG or H.264. In the share sheet, Most Compatible governs output, and Apple's wording there is JPEG or MOV. They are not the same control.
- Transferring is where formats change. Apple states that media shared via iCloud Photos "is preserved in its original format, resolution, and frame rate," while over AirDrop, Messages or email it "might automatically be shared in a more compatible format" if the receiving device does not support the newer formats. Note might, and note the condition. The same caution applies when importing over USB, where Keep Originals is the setting that prevents it.
- Mail Drop is the documented route for genuinely large files: Apple states you can send attachments up to 5 GB, that recipients have 30 days to download them, and that attachments do not count against your iCloud storage.
For the wider picture of how HEVC-era iPhone files behave once they leave the phone, see why Google Drive will not play HEVC video, or browse the rest of the platform limits archive.
FAQ
How big is one minute of spatial video on iPhone? Approximately 130 MB, per a Note in the iOS 18 version of Apple's iPhone User Guide. The same sentence puts one minute of regular 1080p 30 fps video at approximately 65 MB. Both figures are scoped to 1080p at 30 fps.
Why is spatial video twice the size of normal video? Apple's Note states the two figures side by side at the same resolution, frame rate and dynamic range, but does not explain the difference on that page. What you can rely on is the comparison itself, not a cause.
How much storage does 4K or 60 fps video use per minute on iPhone? The Apple pages cited here do not give a figure for those. The general rule Apple does state is that faster frame rates and higher resolutions produce larger files. For actual estimates, read the per-minute sizes shown on your own device under Settings, or check the official documentation.
What resolution does iPhone record spatial video at? 1080p at 30 fps in SDR, per the User Guide Note. Apple's Tech Specs pages for iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro both list spatial video at 1080p at 30 fps as well.
Can I stop iPhone from shrinking my video when I share it? In the share sheet, Apple describes tapping Current as the option that prevents a file format conversion. Over SMS or MMS, Apple says the iPhone can compress attachments when necessary, and that the size limit is set by your service provider rather than by Apple.
Figures cited from Apple's iPhone User Guide (iOS 18 and current versions), the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Tech Specs, and Apple Support articles on ProRes, HEIF/HEVC, iCloud Photos and Mail Drop, checked 16 September 2026. Apple revises these pages — the 130 MB sentence has already been dropped once.
