Is 6GB of RAM necessary for Android phones?

Is 6GB of RAM necessary for Android phones?
In recent years, the hardware configuration of mobile phones has developed rapidly, such as the number of processor cores, memory capacity ROM, and RAM capacity. This year, 4GB RAM has become popular on Android flagship phones, and some mobile phones have adopted an unprecedented 6GB RAM. Is such a large memory really necessary? This article will analyze whether 6G RAM is practical or a marketing gimmick through actual tests. History is surprisingly similar. At present, mobile phones are experiencing the hardware arms race of computers in the past, and the running memory has also been greatly improved. The 512M a few years ago is not enough today. Mobile phones with 2GB RAM are called small RAM. 3GB is the entry-level of many domestic Android flagship phones. 4GB has become the standard, and there are even 6GB phones. The author found the Xiaomi 5 Premium Edition with 4GB RAM and the OnePlus 3 with 6GB RAM. By comparing the remaining RAM of the two mobile phones running software, it can be intuitively shown whether 6GB RAM is necessary. The software I tested includes most of the software used in daily life, such as WeChat, QQ, Weibo, Tieba, news clients, music software, novel reading software, live broadcast software, movie video software, large-scale games, etc., to simulate various scenarios of daily use. Let's get started without further ado. First, in order to eliminate irrelevant variables, the author tested the memory speed of Xiaomi 5 and OnePlus 3.
▲Xiaomi 5 on the left and OnePlus 3 on the right, both have RAM speeds of 15000 MB/s, and the difference is so small that it can be ignored OnePlus 3 and Xiaomi 5 both use the current top-level LPDDR4 memory, and the speed is almost the same. The following test shows the memory usage of daily applications in the background: Note: The percentage shown in the following picture is the percentage of the used memory to the total capacity. The left is Xiaomi 5 (4GB) and the right is OnePlus 3 (6GB) ●Comparison of memory just after startup The memory occupied when the machine is just turned on is the system usage. This part of memory usage varies due to different system UIs. ●Open 5 applications Open 5 applications in the background. At this time, the memory usage of Xiaomi 5 reaches 53%, and that of OnePlus 3 reaches 30%. Both systems run very smoothly, and there is no reload phenomenon when switching between background applications. ●Open 9 applications Open 9 applications, the memory usage of Xiaomi 5 reaches 66%, and that of OnePlus 3 reaches 37%. Both still have no reload phenomenon. You can switch smoothly between applications, and the system runs smoothly. ●Open 12 apps Open 12 apps, and the live broadcast software is added. Although the live broadcast software is not reloaded when switching in the background, the video screen needs to be buffered, which is a normal phenomenon. ●Open 20 apps At this time, the memory usage of Xiaomi 5 reaches 87%, and reload begins to occur when switching background applications. Generally speaking, as long as the memory is sufficient, the news client will not be reloaded. For games, as long as the background is switched, most of them will be reloaded. For movies and video live broadcasts, although they are not reloaded, the live broadcast screen still needs to be loaded before it can be watched. At this time, the memory usage of OnePlus 3 reaches 50%, and there is still no pressure and no reload phenomenon. Xiaomi 5 reloads after opening the news client. The Bubble Network APP is reopened, but OnePlus 3 still has no reload and is still the interface when it is opened for the first time. The advantage of large memory begins to emerge. ●Open 30 apps At this time, Xiaomi 5 opens more apps and the memory usage reaches about 90% at most, and the memory recovery mechanism is activated. The memory usage no longer increases, but decreases from 90% to 81%. This is also the internal reason for application reload. OnePlus 3 memory usage is 58%, which is still more than enough, but some apps are starting to overload. ● OnePlus 3 opens 40 apps When opening 40 apps, Xiaomi 5 is not tested because it starts the RAM recovery mechanism. OnePlus 3 opens 40 apps and memory usage is 63%. At this point, my fingers are numb from tapping the screen, so I don’t want to continue testing. In daily life, ordinary people generally don’t use 40 apps at the same time, so there is little point in testing further. Summary: 4GB RAM is enough for daily use, 6GB RAM is basically not used in daily life, but when it is really used, the background application load is too abnormal... Through the above tests, it can be seen that Xiaomi phones with 4GB RAM can open more than 20 applications in the background without overloading. In daily use, heavy users will basically only use a dozen software, so 4GB is completely enough, and OnePlus 3's 6GB can open more than 20 applications in the background without any pressure. When opening 30 applications, some software begins to overload. When opening 40 applications, it is similar to 30 applications in the background. Only a few applications are overloaded. At this time, the memory usage is still only 63%, which is very powerful, but it is almost impossible to use so many software at the same time in daily life. So 6GB RAM has its meaning, but there is no good scenario to effectively use it. The Android system RAM management mechanism is constantly improving. When the RAM is too much, it will automatically release some unnecessary programs to ensure smooth operation. The RAM overflow problem has been solved as early as the Android 5.1.1 era. Xiaomi 5's 4GB RAM starts to recycle RAM after 20 apps are opened. It starts to clear the background after the highest RAM usage reaches 90%, which is very smart. Currently, no software can fully utilize the advantages of 6GB RAM. Even if multiple apps are running at the same time, it is more than enough. Vivo's xplay 5s also uses 6GB RAM. Vivo's method is to keep the camera and other commonly used apps in the background. When users open them, they can directly call them out from the background. The speed is improved, but it is not very useful. The current 6GB RAM is more of a display of technical strength and a good marketing point. 6GB RAM is more of a psychological comfort and is not very useful in practice. 4GB RAM is enough. There are rumors in the market that Snapdragon 830 will support 8GB RAM next year. Some manufacturers have already started planning mobile phones with 8GB RAM next year. In this regard, the author's view is: mobile phone manufacturers should first find application scenarios for 6GB and 8GB RAM, and truly give play to the advantages of large RAM, rather than simply pursuing parameters. Instead of increasing capacity, it is better to find ways to increase speed.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.

<<:  Observation on Brazil's new energy vehicle industry: small scale but fast growth, Chinese manufacturers have an absolute advantage

>>:  Why are the scores of domestic browsers so different? I was shocked after the test

Recommend

What functions does a hotel management mini program need?

As we all know, mini programs are divided into fr...

8000 words to deconstruct the 618 brand marketing gameplay

618 marketing is becoming more and more intense a...

How much does it cost to do Baidu bidding promotion?

How much does Baidu bidding promotion cost? How m...

Lao Duan said: The Internetization of TV Brands

By chance, I invited my neighbor to dinner. Their...

How to advertise correctly on self-media?

One of the ways to monetize self-media is to post...

Google's Pilex phone blocks users from calling 911

At the end of November, Reddit user KitchenPictur...

When Apple Watch is pre-sold, let's talk about Xiaomi bracelet

At a time when Apple Watch is being pre-ordered a...