HEVC vs H.264 File Size: How Much Smaller Are Videos?

HEVC (H.265) video files are typically about 50% smaller than H.264 files at similar visual quality, because HEVC compresses each frame more efficiently. A minute of 4K/60fps footage that runs 400 MB or more in H.264 usually lands closer to 200 MB in HEVC — the trade-off is narrower compatibility with older devices and editing software.

What is HEVC (H.265) and how is it different from H.264?

HEVC, also called H.265, is a video compression standard released in 2013 as the successor to H.264 (AVC), which dates to 2003. Both are "codecs" — methods for shrinking raw video into a file small enough to store and share — but HEVC uses more advanced techniques for predicting pixel blocks across frames, which means it needs fewer bits to represent the same picture. The result: HEVC can hit the same perceived quality as H.264 while writing a smaller file, or the same file size at noticeably better quality. iPhones have defaulted to HEVC for the rear camera since iOS 11 (2017); most Android flagships from Samsung, Google, and others have supported HEVC recording since around the same period, though the setting is often buried in advanced camera menus.

How much smaller are HEVC videos than H.264?

Across typical smartphone recording settings, HEVC files run roughly half the size of the equivalent H.264 file. The gap is consistent enough to plan storage around it, though actual numbers vary with resolution, frame rate, motion, and how each phone tunes its encoder.

Clip (1 minute)	Approx. size in H.264	Approx. size in HEVC
1080p at 30fps	~130 MB	~65 MB
4K at 30fps	~350 MB	~175 MB
4K at 60fps	400+ MB	~200-225 MB

For context on why these numbers add up fast, see how much space 4K videos take — a single 10-minute 4K/60fps clip in H.264 can consume 4 GB or more, which is roughly 3% of a 128 GB phone in one file.

What do you give up for the smaller HEVC files?

The main cost of HEVC isn't quality — at matched bitrates it looks the same as or better than H.264 — it's compatibility and processing overhead. Older phones, some Windows and Android video players, and many web platforms built before 2017-2018 don't decode HEVC natively, so a file that plays fine on a recent iPhone can fail to open on an older laptop or in a browser without a plugin. Encoding to HEVC also takes more processing time and battery than H.264, which matters if you're re-encoding many clips on a trip with limited charging. H.264 remains the safer choice specifically because of its broader device support: nearly every phone, editing tool, and video site made in the last 15 years can play it without conversion. If you're sending footage to someone whose device or software you don't know, H.264 is still the lower-risk export format.

How do I switch my iPhone camera to record in HEVC?

iPhones running iOS 11 or later record in HEVC by default under the "High Efficiency" setting. To confirm or change it:

1. Open Settings > Camera > Formats.
2. Choose "High Efficiency" for HEVC (smaller files) or "Most Compatible" for H.264 (broader playback support).
3. This setting applies to both photos and videos going forward — it does not convert files you've already recorded.

How do I switch my Android camera to record in HEVC?

Android's camera settings aren't standardized across manufacturers, so the exact path varies:

1. On Samsung: open Camera > Settings (gear icon) > Rear video size, then look for "Efficient video" or "High Efficiency Video" toggle, sometimes under Advanced recording options.
2. On Pixel and other stock-Android devices: open Camera > Settings > check for a "Video resolution & bit rate" or codec setting; not all models expose this option, and HEVC recording may be automatic at higher resolutions like 4K.
3. If you don't see a codec option, your phone likely already defaults to HEVC for 4K recording and H.264 for lower resolutions — check a sample file's properties in Files by Google > Clean tab or a file manager to see the actual format.

Should I convert existing H.264 videos to HEVC to save space?

Converting old H.264 clips to HEVC can cut their size roughly in half, but it's a re-encode — some quality is always traded for the smaller file, and the process takes real time on-device. It's worth doing selectively for long, rarely-shared clips you want to keep (old travel footage, backup copies) rather than for everything, since re-encoding thousands of clips can take hours and drain a battery on the road. For a rundown of what compression can and can't promise, see compress videos without losing quality. Apps like SnapSweep can flag your largest videos and re-encode them to HEVC on-device, but the original file is only replaced after you review and confirm the swap — nothing is converted automatically in the background.

What can't a video or photo cleaner do?

Compression and cleanup tools have real limits worth knowing before you count on them for storage relief. Re-encoding a video to HEVC is always lossy — there's no setting that shrinks a file with zero quality trade-off, regardless of what any app claims. No algorithm reliably picks the "right" frame from a burst or the most useful moment from a long video every time, so a manual review step still matters before anything is deleted. Photo and video cleanup also can't touch space used by apps, system files, or cached data — for that, check Settings > General > iPhone Storage on iOS or Files by Google > Clean tab on Android. Cleaning your device is a separate problem from cleaning iCloud Photos or Google Photos: deleting a synced file from your phone can delete the cloud copy too, so check your sync settings before a big cleanup. For a broader look at freeing space without touching your photo library at all, see free up storage without deleting photos.

FAQ

Is HEVC always half the size of H.264?

Roughly, but not exactly — the ~50% reduction is a general pattern seen across typical smartphone recording settings, not a fixed rule. Actual savings depend on resolution, frame rate, motion in the scene, and how a phone's encoder is tuned, so some clips shrink more and some less.

Does HEVC lose quality compared to H.264?

At matched file sizes, HEVC generally looks the same as or better than H.264 because it compresses more efficiently. Quality loss comes from the encoding process itself (both are lossy codecs), not from choosing HEVC specifically — the codec doesn't add extra quality loss beyond what any compression involves.

Can every device play HEVC videos?

No. Devices and software made before roughly 2017-2018, along with some Android video players and older Windows systems, may not decode HEVC natively. H.264 remains the more broadly compatible format, which matters when sharing footage with an unknown device or platform.

Will switching to HEVC convert my old videos automatically?

No. Changing the camera format setting to HEVC only affects videos recorded after the change. Existing H.264 files stay in H.264 unless you manually re-encode them with a compression tool, which is itself a lossy process.

Why is my 4K video so much bigger than my 1080p video?

4K has four times the pixels of 1080p, so at similar frame rates and codecs it needs roughly four times the data. Combined with 60fps instead of 30fps, a minute of 4K/60fps H.264 footage can exceed 400 MB, versus roughly 130 MB for 1080p/30fps.

Sources

• Apple Support — "Change camera settings on your iPhone"
• Apple Support — "About High Efficiency video and photo formats"
• Samsung Support — "Change the video resolution and frame rate on your Galaxy phone"