Why do you need RAM in a smartphone?

What is RAM and what does it affect?

When the application starts, it uses its data for quick access. In order for the response to a request for this data to be quick, it must be placed in random access memory (RAM). The files, databases and data required for work are loaded into the RAM only while the application is running and disappear from there after the software is closed. A simple analogy: a friend dictates a phone number to you, which you need to keep in your head before you write it down on paper. Before recording, the number is stored in your RAM, and after that it will instantly disappear from there.

Briefly: RAM in a phone is an area of ​​memory in which data is stored briefly and only while an application is running.

Types of RAM for a smartphone

Modern devices use LPDDR technology – a variation of DDR (used on PCs) with reduced power consumption. Different types of RAM differ in bandwidth, an indicator that affects overall performance.

LPDDR3

LPDDR1 and LPDDR2 are considered obsolete and are practically not used anywhere, so let’s move straight to the third iteration. In terms of operating frequency of 800 MHz, it is on par with laptop counterparts from 2010-2011. LPDDR3 data transfer speed is 1600 MT/s (transactions per second), which is significantly higher than LPDDR2, where this figure is 1066 MT/s. This type of memory is still used in budget gadgets.

LPDDR4

Everything is the same, only the technical process has become smaller, and the I/O speed has increased to 3200 MT/s – twice as much as LPDDR3. It is used in both flagships and mid-price smartphones, for example, the Samsung Galaxy S6 (2015).

LPDDR5

In 2019, Samsung announced the start of sales of the fifth version of mobile RAM with an I/O speed of 5500 MT/s. However, subsequently updated versions appeared: LPDDR5x with speeds from 8533 to 9600 MT/s and LPDDR5T with speeds of 9600 MT/s.

Why does a smartphone need a lot of RAM?

After the question “Why do you need RAM in a phone?” Usually the second one arises: “How much memory does this one need?” The higher the RAM, the more applications can run simultaneously. It is worth considering that the running operating system and its shell also occupy part of the RAM. For example, in a smartphone with 8 GB of RAM, the Android 13 operating system will take 2 GB, and for other applications only 6 GB will remain.

Current smartphones require at least 6-8 GB of RAM to operate quickly. 12 GB is not bad. 16 GB is ideal, and figures higher are an excess that will definitely become the norm in the future, but for which there is no need for 2024.

What is the difference between RAM and built-in memory?

By the same analogy with a telephone number and writing it down on paper, RAM keeps the number in your head before writing it down on a piece of paper, but as soon as the need to remember the numbers disappears, the information is erased. If you repeat a phone number a hundred times in a row, you will remember it for a long time – it will remain in your internal memory (Internal Storage) , from where you can get it at any time.

It’s the same with smartphones. Application distributions, photos, documents, music and everything else are stored on the internal memory. As soon as you open something, such as a document or photo, all or part of it is temporarily sent to RAM.

Internal memory holds much more data than RAM, but it is also much slower. There are technologies that allow you to use part of the internal memory to support RAM when the latter is not enough, but such “swap” cannot be a full-fledged replacement for RAM due to the low speed of information transfer.

Differences between RAM on Android and iOS smartphones

Android

More RAM . Android devices usually have more RAM to support background tasks and multitasking.

Variety of supported gadgets . The RAM for Android is universal – if desired, it can be inserted not only into a smartphone, but even into a laptop or TV.

Multitasking and workload . Android allows applications to more freely use the resources of the smartphone, and therefore allocates more RAM for their work.

iOS

Perfect optimization . By tightly integrating hardware and software, iOS is highly optimized, allowing devices to run efficiently even with less RAM.

Strict control of background processes . Unlike Android, iOS takes a stricter approach to managing background tasks, which helps reduce RAM consumption and improve battery life.

Ecosystem control . Apple controls both the hardware and software of its devices, which allows the company to optimize the performance of applications and the system as a whole, making do with less RAM.