24GB of RAM! This smartphone sets a record… but for what purpose?
RedMagic 8 Pro, the previous model
where is the limit Android requires more RAM than iOS, this is a well-known fact inherent in their respective architectures. But how far do we get in this gigabyte race?
For example, an iPhone 14 Pro has 6GB of RAM. Only 6 GB, you could say. In contrast, a newcomer to the Android market offers a smartphone equipped witha total of an impressive 24GB of RAM. This monster of technology, that RedMagic 8S ProThe gaming-focused model is powered by an overclocked version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and cooled by an active ventilation system.
It also features a 120Hz AMOLED display and a 6,000mAh battery that can be charged at 80W. The question is: does so much RAM really make sense in a smartphone?
Android and the Race for RAM: How far will we get?
The answer to this question lies in how Android handles memory allocation to apps. To understand this, you need to know that Android is based on the Linux kernel and uses a similar strategy to manage system resources, including memory. When an application is launched on Android, it creates a new “process” that consumes resources such as RAM. When RAM is available, the application gets everything it needs without affecting the rest of the system.
But what if the available memory is not enough? Android begins swapping pages of RAM into a special area of compressed RAM called ZRAM. It is not a hardware component, just a logical part of RAM that has been isolated and contains compressed RAM pages. This data cannot be read directly, but must first be decompressed and loaded into the normal part of RAM. However, this is still faster than loading app data from the phone’s internal storage.
If ZRAM is also full, Android “kills” the oldest, unused processes to free memory. Android app developers know this can happen. Because of this, apps are designed to periodically save their state to internal storage. That means you can theoretically pick up where you left off, even if the app has been closed to free up memory. However, this comes with some performance penalties.
The more RAM an Android smartphone has, the more active apps it can keep in memory and the smoother the transition between recent apps. In addition, Android also uses RAM for other tasks that are not directly related to apps. For example, file transfers can use RAM as a cache to speed up the process. In summary, Android uses as much RAM as necessary to optimize overall system performance.
The fact that many Android apps run in the background also makes it useful to have more RAM to allow those processes to run uninterrupted, even when a RAM-intensive app (like PUBG or Diablo Immortal) is running. foreground usage.
A ridiculous technological advantage
However, even taking these considerations into account, the usefulness of 24 GB of RAM in a smartphone remains questionable. Beyond 12GB, it looks like we’re facing a technological edge, with manufacturers looking to lure consumers in with ever-larger numbers rather than focusing on real, tangible improvements in user experience. And at Frandroid, we don’t like it.
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