How much RAM do I need in my phone?
Mobile phones are not what they used to be. We used to primarily use them for voice calls and text messages, but now we use them for much more. Using smartphones has become more demanding, prompting manufacturers to opt for more powerful RAM. Is this really necessary? How many gigabytes of RAM would be ideal?
The smartphone market is full of models with 4, 6, 8, 12, and 16 gigabytes of RAM… Generally, the higher the RAM, the more expensive and the better the performance. But can we really benefit from all this RAM? Can we choose the most affordable smartphones based on how we intend to use the device?
Four gigabytes of RAM is likely not enough for most people these days. Of course, 6 or 8 gigabytes will often be sufficient, especially if you primarily use it for web browsing, checking social media, and chatting on messaging apps. However, things change if you have photo and video editing apps installed or if you play games, where 12 or 16 gigabytes can make a difference.
There are a growing number of mobile phones that come with a limited amount of RAM (6 or 8 GB), but you can expand it. These are smartphones with default RAM. In these cases, users can remove internal storage to slightly increase their RAM. We can see this in phones from Xiaomi, Oppo, Samsung, Huawei, Vivo, Realme, and OnePlus.
The processor is also important.
It's also important to maintain a good balance between the processor (CPU) and the random access memory (RAM), which are key aspects of a mobile phone's overall performance. It's not about having a more powerful chip and less RAM, or vice versa; it's about having both in harmony.
The processor is the "brain" of the device. It's responsible for performing various tasks, such as opening applications, managing graphics, processing data, and so on. The more powerful it is, the faster and smoother the interface. This is evident in loading speeds, multitasking capabilities, gaming and multimedia editing performance, and battery life.
But a good processor is useless if your smartphone has limited RAM. RAM is the smartphone's temporary working memory. The more RAM you have, the more apps and tasks you can keep running simultaneously without the system crashing or slowing down.
Before choosing a smartphone with a powerful chip, make sure it has sufficient RAM. Otherwise, you won't be able to use it for tasks like playing or editing mobile games, as the system will slow down. Fortunately, manufacturers usually take this into account and don't typically sell powerful devices with inadequate RAM, or vice versa.
Even if you're willing to spend a lot of money on a smartphone, consider what you typically use it for or whether you want more from it before choosing a model with more RAM. Sometimes, it might be better to pay more attention to other details that you consider more important.
For example, if you're interested in using your phone as a camera, focus on the camera system built into the device rather than the amount of RAM (1GB). However, if you're constantly complaining about your phone being slow, it might be time to upgrade to a model with more RAM and a more powerful processor.