Exact storage of iPad air 3 256gb model

I own an iPhone 8 Plus with 256 GB and it did say 238 GB total storage available in iTunes, even when it was a new phone and not used. I guess it must be similar for the Air 3 with 256 GB.

The shown capacity is the total available space, not the free available space. It's hard to read, but it does say 238,40 GB. Open the picture in a new tab for the full resolution.

We need to keep in mind our old nemesis, the binary to base ten issue whenever dealing with storage space. All storage devices will always be ~7% smaller when referred to in base ten as opposed to the number quoted by manufacturers (binary).

How iOS and macOS report storage capacity - Apple Support

Demo wrote:

I just checked the capacity in iTunes on my Mac. The free storage is 238.41 GB. I thought there would be more than that, but that’s what is says in the Summary Pane of iTunes.

Storage of 256 Gigabytes (base 10 system) formats to 238.418579 Gibibytes (base 2 system used by the operating. system). Depending in the version of iOS or MacOS you’re using, storage will be reported in base 2 (older OS’s) or base 10 (all newer and current Apple OS’s).

How iOS and macOS report storage capacity - Apple Support

Why ‘THE EXACT” amount?

You already seem to know it is going to be a lot less than 256 GBs.

A complete install of iOS ( with formatting of the flash memory drive ) is going to be approx. 3-4 GBs.

In addition, for iOS to run at an acceptable, nominal performance level, an iPad needs to maintaIn a free data storage space amount of between 2-3 GBs OR betwen 10-15% of the iPad's total storage at all times.

So, actual, usable, free data storage space amount is going to be between 248-250 GBs.

Really?

A 256 GBs iPad is going to lose 18 GBs of internal storage space with formatting and a complete iOS installation and all default apps?

Me no thinks so.

It is going to be around approx. 248 GBs.

You need to look at the availabke storage on the phone, itself, and NOT using iTunes.

Most times, iTunes never reports the correct storage numbers.

I have an iPad Pro 128 GBs and it directly reports 124. 47 GB of available internal storage.

And iPadOS has a lot of missing features that iOS 13 for iPhone has and vice versa.

And I won't fill it up past 120-121 GBs.

Hmm....

I do not see the total available storage panel anywhere.

Apple did away with that panel in later iOS versions?

My iPad Pro is still running iOS 10.3.3 and in the About section lists the total available storage as 124.47.

It is going to be substantially less than 256 GBs, according to everybody else who responded.

That is just incredible to me.

18 GBs gone just from fornatting, the OS and all of the apps.

It maybe what it is now.

Approx. 238 GBs.

Demo wrote:

I am running iOS 13.3 on all of my device now so this is what I see.

Yeah,

Just can't believe a total of 18 GBs!

Jeez!

I wonder how much more storage space my iPad Pro will lose if and when I decide to upgrade to iPadOS?

I have a considerable boatload of stored artwork and images on my iPad Pro.

I have them mostly backed up in a few online, offsite storage places and on my Mac, but I like having all of these local on my iPad Pro.

I may have to remove them off of my iPad Pro. There is approx. 30 GBs of art and images on my iPad, to date!

I may have to just dump the majority of these off of my iPad Pro, now!

I may just end up keeping my iPad Pro on iOS 10.3.3. Not sure.

I have no complaints about doing that.

Keeping my iPad Pro where it is. It runs very well on and very smooth on iOS 10.3.3.

I just order my wife a new 2019, 128 GBs storage, 7th gen iPad.

Depending on what iOS/iPadOS version it is running, I will be curious to see what the available storage space is on that iPad!

18 GBs is a very significant chunk of internal data storage space just swallowed up by iPadOS.

Depending on where this iPad was purchased, some Apple authorised retailers could still have some new old stock, it could, possibly, have the last versions of iOS 12 on them.

The iPad Air 3 was introduced in the Spring of 2019.

Same goes for the 7th gen iPad.

Chances are that it may have some earlier version of iPadOS, but it is, by no means, a sure thing.

Apple Stores and some online retailers may have more up to date OS iPads in their stock, but some other online sellers may still be selling older new stock still.

Where on the device? When I check in the settings, it says 256 and we know that’s not correct. It shows 214 GB available now with all of the content that I have on it.

If you had read my first response you would have seen that the the usable capacity is 238.41 GB. That is the out of the box capacity that Tunes lists.

And there is no need to shout at me.

Should be around 238 GB.