Why are the storage options for devices like phones or laptops multiples of 16GB?
In: Mathematics
They are generally always powers of two, which by nature will be multiples of 16 if above 16. This is because the powers of two are the numbers in binary of the form 100…0.
[Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6yifbw/eli5_why_do_all_phones_come_with_storage_in/). Searching helps. 😀
computers are based on a binary system so it goes up in powers of 2.
The math starts at two not sixteen but its:
2^1=2
2^2=4
2^3=8
2^4=16
2^5=32
so on and so forth right up to 1024 when we move to 1 Terrabyte.
Computer engineer here! Like others have mentioned, it’s actually because all storage capacity is a power of 2. This is actually because machine memory goes down to bits. One bit gives you 2 choices, 0 or 1. Adding another bit doubles those choices to 00, 01, 10, and 11. If you add another bit you have 8 choices instead of 4.
That’s why memory goes from 2GB to 4 to 8 to 16 to 32 to 64 to 128 to 256.
It has to do with it having to be a multiple of 8. There are 8 digits in a bit of data. (Think 1 and 0s) 8 bits in a byte. And then it is always times 2. So 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048 etc.