How much RAM do Android and iPhone need and why is there such a difference?

RAM is one of the most important indicators that we pay attention to when choosing a smartphone. For most Android devices, it can reach 12 GB, while iPhones work quietly even at 4. What is the reason for this difference?

Why do Yabloko and Android devices have different needs?

Many people mistakenly believe that the main problem of high consumption of RAM on Android lies in the imperfection of the system itself. In fact this is not true.

And there are two main reasons for such a significant difference:

1. Android apps take up more space.
2. Apple has a better optimization system. When the RAM on the device is fully loaded, the system starts compressing some open applications to free up some space. However, this process is very different on Android and iOS. Android simply shrinks the entire application, making it about half the size, while iOS divides all information into so-called dirty and clean pages. Clean memory refers to memory that is no longer used. During optimization, the program simply throws it out of the RAM. Dirty pages are still needed for applications to work, so they are simply compressed.

Thus, manufacturers of Android devices have solved the problem of lack of memory in an elementary way, they have simply increased its volume. In the meantime, Apple has invested more in the software part, properly allocating the resources of its hardware through smart algorithms for compressing files in the RAM.

Dependence of performance on memory size

• The RAM in the phone performs the same role as in the computer, keeping all the data used in quick access. And if the application is loaded into RAM, it will instantly start from the same place where it was closed, which is very convenient. The rest of the programs are first unloaded from the drive into the RAM and only then are launched.
• Thus, the amount of RAM directly affects the multitasking of a smartphone. And the higher this indicator, the more applications will remain open at the same time. However, it is worth remembering that the performance of a phone depends not only on the amount of RAM, but also on the speed at which it processes data. So, two different models with the same RAM can work in completely different ways. Therefore, when choosing a smartphone, it is very important to pay attention to the RAM bandwidth.

So how much do you need?

It is not so easy to determine the required amount of RAM for comfortable work. It is important to consider the type of OS and the future load on the smartphone. For example, for communication in social networks on an Android device, 2 GB of RAM will be enough. Simple games run perfectly on a smartphone with 3-4 GB of RAM, and more demanding programs will need about 6 GB.

The amount of RAM is undoubtedly a very important indicator for any smartphone . However, the principle “The more the better” does not work here. Instead, in the same Apple, the developers have found an excellent solution to improve the performance of smartphones without increasing the amount of RAM. Because of this, iPhones with 2GB of RAM often perform better than Androids with 4GB.