Don’t buy a smartphone for video editing unless you read this first

If you are looking for a smartphone with the intention of using it for mobile video editing, here’s my one unsolicited piece of advice that will surely release you of possible headaches in the long run.

Aside from the needed hardware specifications that most video editing apps require, there’s one mobile feature that you should carefully look at. This is about the capacity of the phone to store large files using its internal memory. Yes, it is about the internal ROM (Read-Only Memory).

Buy the one with at least 256Gb of internal Read-Only Memory

Once again, I am pertaining to the internal memory of the phone, and not the extended or add-on memory that you can buy later. Also, this is not the RAM that your phone and apps are using all the time.

If you are on a budget, you might be tempted to go for a smartphone with lesser internal ROM such as 64Gb or 125Gb, which is of course cheaper than the ones with 256Gb, and buy an extended memory later on to complete your need for mobile video editing. This will not help as weeks pass by.

Even if you buy a 1 terabyte of extended memory, it will still give you a possible headache.

Here’s why

Most of the mobile video editing apps are made to use your internal ROM to auto-locate your files on your phone. This is for faster processing.

If your files are saved in the extended memory, the app will temporarily make a copy of your files from the extended memory to the internal ROM of your phone. Even if the app can locate your files from your extended memory, The problem will arise if your internal ROM has now less storage space due to perhaps the installation of other needed apps on your phone. Also, you are taking photos and videos, and these will pile up in your phone’s internal ROM.

Either uninstall other apps, consistently remove temporary and unnecessary files in your internal ROM, and move your photos and videos to the extended ROM so your video editing app, like Kinemaster, may continue its tasks. This is not only daunting and annoying but time-consuming as well.

It does not help at all even if your phone has a terabyte of extended memory if your internal ROM is still limited.

So buy the phone that has at least 256Gb of internal ROM if you will use it for video editing, especially if you are taking lots of 4K videos and using features such as slowmo and other camera effects.

I hope this helps. Do you have other suggestions?