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Mobile internet packs are not as affordable as they used to be. As a result, several users are now considering their data needs before opting for a 1GB, 1.5GB, or 2GB recharge pack. That said, deciding how much data is enough for your needs can be quite a challenge. There used to be a time when 1GB of data was enough for a majority of tasks. Either the use case of the internet was scarce or the apps and websites didn't require that many internet resources as opposed to today. From scrolling through images on social media to watching high-definition videos and movies, internet usage is no longer the same as it used to be. Add that to the fact that people are using their phones more than ever which eventually demands more data consumption.
So the question arises, is 1GB of data really enough in this day and age of high internet usage? We try to answer just that here in this article. Below is the list of various common internet activities and their approx data consumption along with an average duration of how long 1GB data will last.
The longevity of 1GB data depends on how you use the internet. Here's a quick look at some of the most used days to day internet activities along with their data consumption and time:
Visiting and browsing through different websites is a common internet activity these days. So supposing a person spends 1 minute on a webpage, it will take around 17 hours till 1 GB of data gets fully exhausted considering a single webpage consumes 1 MB of data to fully load and render.
Spotify and YouTube Music are the two most popular music streaming apps right now. Now depending on the quality of the music that is being streamed, 1 GB of data could last for 94.8 hours to just 7.1 hours for Spotify and 23.8 hours to 8.9 for YouTube Music. This clearly shows how fast 1 GB data can be replenished by simply tweaking the quality of music.
Watching movies and shows on OTT platforms can definitely take a toll on your internet data, even more so when data quantity as small as 1 GB is concerned. When taking platforms like Amazon Prime, Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar into perspective, 1 GB of data will barely last half an hour when watching FullHD content. But if you're okay with 480p or 720p quality, 1 hour of content is more or less achievable with 1 GB of data on all the given platforms.
Watching videos on YouTube is no different as the higher the quality, the faster you'll end of exhausting 1GB data. Here too playing FullHD videos on 1 GB internet will barely provide you 30 minutes of watch time. On the contrary, lowering the resolution allows you to watch more YouTube videos on a stretch.
Another common activity on the internet is to scroll through social media apps such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. So supposing one hour of social media consumes 120 MB, you can get around 8.5 hours of continuous usage on 1 GB of internet data.
Playing popular mobile titles such as BGMI, COD: Mobile and Genshin Impact do not consume as much data as streaming movies or listening to music. With 1 GB of data, one can play BGMI for as long as 68 hours on a trot until the data is exhausted. On the other hand, while playing the story mode in Gensin Impact, 1GB data would last for 51 hours.
Data consumption during video calls is moderate. A video call with a decent audio call can consume around 300 MB of data per hour. Now taking 1 GB into consideration, continuous video calls will last for about 3.4 hours.
Activity | Data consumption | Time |
Browsing through different websites | 60 MB per hour (1 webpage = 1 MB) | 17 hours (approx.) |
Listening to music | Spotify YouTube Music | Spotify YouTube Music |
Watching movies and series on OTT platforms | Amazon Prime Netflix Disney+ Hotstar | Amazon Prime Netflix Disney+ Hotstar |
Watching videos on YouTube | 480-660 MB per hour / 80 MB per 10 min. (480p) | 2.1 hours (480p) |
Scrolling on social media (including videos) | 120 MB per hour / 20 MB per 10 min. | 8.5 hours |
Playing mobile games | Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) Call of Duty: Mobile Genshin Impact | Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) Genshin Impact |
Video calls on WhatsApp / Skype / FaceTime | 300 MB per hour / 50 MB per 10 min | 3.4 hours |
Keep in mind the mentioned data consumption values are approximate and may vary from device to device and usage patterns.
It totally depends on your usage. For casual browsing, with a little bit of social media scrolling, the 1GB of data with a daily refill should be enough. However, the same cannot be said for streaming videos and movies. As you can see by the data consumption per activity in the table above, watching Full HD videos and movies can burn through 1GB of data in a matter of minutes.
Following are the various recharge plans from Jio, Airtel, BSNL, and Vi that offer 1 GB of internet data per day in India.
1 GB data voucher from Airtel costs Rs 19. Unlike Jio, you'll be charged 50p/MB once the data is over.
BSNL doesn't offer any plans with exact 1 GB data. However, its plans that come with more than 1 GB of internet data are comparatively cheaper than other telecom providers.