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Michael Goff

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I remember comments like this back when 1GB RAM was seen as unnecessary

True, but given the fact that 6 vs 8 on the Note seems to basically mean nothing, I have to wonder if Android is designed to even use 10gb.
 

Tsepz

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Jan 24, 2013
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Yes we need it.
Not because we actually need it but because if we settle for a limit, then we are limited.
Keep pushing the boundaries.
For the price people are paying for these devices, there should me more of everything inside them.

Precisely! :D

What is hilarious to me is how year after year we have these conversations, and the same people come here and claim "X amount of RAM should suffice for a phone, this is overkill"

There was a time where we were told 1GB RAM was overkill now even low end phones have more than that. Same characters came down to this forum and said "That is overkill, any phone that needs more than 1GB RAM is poorly optimised, blah blah blah, Bloatwiz, yada yada yada inefficiency" yet these same people are probably now posting from a phone with ~3GB RAM or more.

Guess everyone is inefficient now.


If we’re going to stray into the Land of cellphones having better specs than most laptops being sold (the majority of laptops sold are the cheap ones)...are we finally going to put to bed the silly notion of “these phones cost more than a laptop!”? We’re all walking around with supercomputers in our pockets, it’s about time we recognize that this class of device can no longer be viewed as “lesser than” computers, but instead a different kind of computer with different use cases.

This! Indeed!

And let's not forget that some Smartphones have a desktop UI built in them that can be used with a Dock or a Cable. Smartphones are extending their functionally further than any other device we have ever seen in history.

A smartphone not only has to be a Productivity and Entertainment tool, but it also has to be a Camera, a GPS, and a Communication tool, and be good at all those things at once.

Something that I have loved with my Note8's 6GB RAM is DeX, it works beautifully, I no longer worry about taking out my laptop when I get home or using my iPad, as my DeX station sits by my TV at home and if I need to get some work done I just drop my Note8 into DeX and whip out the Bluetooth keyboard and away ago, a desktop experience.
Wouldn't be possible with a measly 1GB RAM.
 

Tsepz

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True, but given the fact that 6 vs 8 on the Note seems to basically mean nothing, I have to wonder if Android is designed to even use 10gb.
Have to disagree, the extra RAM makes Samsung DeX run incredibly well.

I know not everyone here uses their phones for productivity, but I use it heavily for that and I see the benefits.

In a few years time when another popular smartphone gets a feature like this people will suddenly understand it, but I can tell you now, it has been great having the extra RAM.
 
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Michael Goff

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Have to disagree, the extra RAM makes Samsung DeX run incredibly well.

I know not everyone here uses their phones for productivity, but I use it heavily for that and I see the benefits.

In a few years time when another popular smartphone gets a feature like this people will suddenly understand it, but I can tell you now, it has been great having the extra RAM.

That might be true, but I was referring more to traditional smartphone use.
 

Tsepz

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That might be true, but I was referring more to traditional smartphone use.
Can we actually define "traditional smartphone use" these days? Some people are playing Fortnite on their smartphones, while others are building Bitcoin rigs

I think at the end of the day, if we are going to be paying +$1000 for these devices, they need to have the best hardware around. And developers will bring us the software that can take advantage of it.

Or did everyone think we were going to just sit at 6-8GB RAM forever? Funnily enough, there was a time where people laughed at Samsung for bringing Octa Core CPUs back in 2013, now all that has died down as everyone is using Octaz heck there was even Deca core.

Whether people like it or not, the hardware is going to advance, and it's going to do so at a rapid rate. Why not just enjoy it?

I just find all this negativity a round better Hardware baffling, whenever an Android OEM brings more advanced hardware, it is almost frowned upon then a few years later Apple will follow and then its suddenly accepted, it's still ongoing thing I see.

The iPhone X S Max now has 4GB RAM, not so long ago we were told 4GB RAM was overkill, now we are being told 10GB is overkill because an Android is bringing it. Hilarious.
 

Michael Goff

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Can we actually define "traditional smartphone use" these days? Some people are playing Fortnite on their smartphones, while others are building Bitcoin rigs

I think at the end of the day, if we are going to be paying +$1000 for these devices, they need to have the best hardware around. And developers will bring us the software that can take advantage of it.

Or did everyone think we were going to just sit at 6-8GB RAM forever? Funnily enough, there was a time where people laughed at Samsung for bringing Octa Core CPUs back in 2013, now all that has died down as everyone is using Octaz heck there was even Deca core.

Whether people like it or not, the hardware is going to advance, and it's going to do so at a rapid rate. Why not just enjoy it?

I just find all this negativity a round better Hardware baffling, whenever an Android OEM brings more advanced hardware, it is almost frowned upon then a few years later Apple will follow and then its suddenly accepted, it's still ongoing thing I see.

The iPhone X S Max now has 4GB RAM, not so long ago we were told 4GB RAM was overkill, now we are being told 10GB is overkill because an Android is bringing it. Hilarious.

Wow. Are you seriously trying to paint me as an iOS fanboy when I passed over the iPhone for the Note 9 in my hands right now?

Also, no, I'm not saying that we should stick at 6-8 forever. I'm asking what the additional RAM will bring to the table. Do we know if the manufacturer in question is about to copy DeX?

Also, do we know if Samsung is going to ever bring in a DeX laptop? I'd love it if I could use my Note 9 to power a laptop shell like I wanted to do with the HP Elite X3 (and did for a while).

When I said traditional Smartphone use, I meant with it in your hands and not plugged into a monitor as a desktop replacement.
 

Tsepz

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Wow. Are you seriously trying to paint me as an iOS fanboy when I passed over the iPhone for the Note 9 in my hands right now?

Also, no, I'm not saying that we should stick at 6-8 forever. I'm asking what the additional RAM will bring to the table. Do we know if the manufacturer in question is about to copy DeX?

Also, do we know if Samsung is going to ever bring in a DeX laptop? I'd love it if I could use my Note 9 to power a laptop shell like I wanted to do with the HP Elite X3 (and did for a while).

When I said traditional Smartphone use, I meant with it in your hands and not plugged into a monitor as a desktop replacement.

You know well and good I am not trying to paint you as an iOS Fanboy. Congratulations on your Note9 BTW!

These are my observations of this forum in general.

Going way back to when the iPhone could not record video and only had EDGE. People asked:
"Who needs to record video on their phone? I have my camera for that!"
"Who needs 3G, I have broadband at home anyway"
"Who needs Turn-by-turn Navigation, I have my Garmin/TomTom in my car for that!"
"Gimmicks!"

"Who needs 1GB RAM, my iPhone is fine on 512MB, these Androids are just trying to cover their inefficiency!"

IPhone then got 1GB RAM, then Android got 2GB RAM
”Who needs 2GB RAM, my iPhone is fine on 1GB, these Androids are just trying to cover their inefficiency! "

And here we are today, "Who needs 10GB RAM" and the story goes on.

One could argue why did we even need more than 64MB RAM our phones, Symbian ran great on 64MB, lol, but that is the natural progression in technology.


We do not know what they will add to use that RAM, but I do know that if I am going to pay top dollar I better get top hardware.

EDIT:

With regards to holding your phone in your hand, well, I think the benefits there will come with things like more RAM for AI and AR applications.
 
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Michael Goff

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You know well and good I am not trying to paint you as an iOS Fanboy. Congratulations on your Note9 BTW!

These are my observations of this forum in general.

Going way back to when the iPhone could not record video and only had EDGE. People asked:
"Who needs to record video on their phone? I have my camera for that!"
"Who needs 3G, I have broadband at home anyway"
"Who needs Turn-by-turn Navigation, I have my Garmin/TomTom in my car for that!"
"Gimmicks!"

"Who needs 1GB RAM, my iPhone is fine on 512MB, these Androids are just trying to cover their inefficiency!"

IPhone then got 1GB RAM, then Android got 2GB RAM
”Who needs 2GB RAM, my iPhone is fine on 1GB, these Androids are just trying to cover their inefficiency! "

And here we are today, "Who needs 10GB RAM" and the story goes on.

One could argue why did we even need more than 64MB RAM our phones, Symbian ran great on 64MB, lol, but that is the natural progression in technology.


We do not know what they will add to use that RAM, but I do know that if I am going to pay top dollar I better get top hardware.

EDIT:

With regards to holding your phone in your hand, well, I think the benefits there will come with things like more RAM for AI and AR applications.

I hadn't thought of AI applications, so you have me there. I don't think AR is really going to go anywhere, but that is another great use.

Let's hope it isn't to deal with Oppo being a bit inefficient with software.
 

Tsepz

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I hadn't thought of AI applications, so you have me there. I don't think AR is really going to go anywhere, but that is another great use.

Let's hope it isn't to deal with Oppo being a bit inefficient with software.
We'll have to wait and see what more it will be used for.

We have laptops with 32GB RAM now, phones will follow closely behind as the tech filters down.
 

I7guy

macrumors Nehalem
Nov 30, 2013
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Gotta be in it to win it
f3c1d4848d3c86954c9e7dc2c538b478.jpg
Today’s future proof is tomorrow’s low on resources.
 

Sevanw

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Sep 13, 2014
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The only people that make an issue of hardware overkill are the Apple apologists. When Android phones are offering 128GB base storage, 6GB+ of RAM, etc..., the Apple apologists love to make fun of it. It truly makes you shake your head. Since when do customers EVER complain of getting more for your money? Seriously think about it, that's exactly what they are doing. You see, if an OEM offered 8GB of RAM and 128GB base storage, then priced it ridiculously high, then yeah, definitely go ahead and complain with the, "I don't need this much xyz." But if they are giving you all this and at a price that is nowhere near the highest in the market, then why the complaining? These same people who complain of hardware overkill on Android phones, turnaround and pay $1200-$1500 for a severely underspec'd iPhone. And repeat the mantra of, "iPhones don't need all that RAM because it's sooooo OPTIMIZED." lol. Really? So, if the software is so optimized, and not requiring such overkill in hardware, shouldn't you benefit from that in $$$? So, if you are getting less hardware, rather than ask why do we need 8GB+ of RAM, shouldn't you be asking "Why the hell am I paying a price as if I'm getting 8GB of RAM and 256 of Storage?" Remember how all the Apple apologist said, a 4+ inch display was too much, how OLED was inferior, and how 2K was overkill? Well they sure are enjoying their iPhone X/S/Maxs now. All of that which would not be possible if Samsung and other Android OEMs didn't push the boundaries. Bottom line: Stop complaining for getting more for your money.
 
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1050792

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I remember Apple apologists saying 1 GB was enough for everything back in the day, if we kept that Apple "thinking" we wouldn't ever move forward in technology. 10GB seems overkill today, tomorrow it will be standard for seamless multitasking as our phones are advancing in such a high rate, they are almost replacing our home computers, in fact they do that already for the majority of people.
 

Sevanw

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I remember Apple apologists saying 1 GB was enough for everything back in the day, if we kept that Apple "thinking" we wouldn't ever move forward in technology. 10GB seems overkill today, tomorrow it will be standard for seamless multitasking as our phones are advancing in such a high rate, they are almost replacing our home computers, in fact they do that already for the majority of people.

It's because when you willingly live in a walled garden, and are actually proud of paying high prices to the owner of that walled garden, you'll never be able to see pass that wall. Think about that, people actually brag about Apple's high prices. As if it's them making all that money. Pathetic.
 
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Sevanw

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Man, some people get really offended by a thread asking a question. I'm sorry, I guess?

No offence taken. In fact, I appreciate the question, gives everyone a chance to give their opinion on the topic. That's what forums are for.
 

ApolloBoy

macrumors 6502a
Apr 16, 2015
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I don't really give a damn about RAM in a phone honestly, I mainly just use my phone on the go for basic everyday tasks and if I want more horsepower I'll go to my laptop.
 

Tsepz

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Jan 24, 2013
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Let's not forget, iPhone doesnt need more than 1 gig of ram as its soo optimised.....

How did that work out....
- Doesn't need more than 1GB RAM
- Doesn't need more than a Single Core Processor
- Doesn't need more than a 3.5inch display

good times.


Things are going to get even more interesting in the next 5-10years. I think there will even be a time were certain features may make a comeback.
 

Ralfi

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Dec 22, 2016
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Man, some people get really offended by a thread asking a question. I'm sorry, I guess?

No need to apologise. People just can't help themselves & turn to hypocritical slurs instead of staying on topic...'I'll put down an entire phone market whilst obnoxiously stating my brand of phone is the king"...

The ignore feature on here's great fyi.
 
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sunking101

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Sep 19, 2013
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My last phone, a Sony XZ, had 3GB of RAM and I was experiencing app and browser refreshes way more often than I liked so I made a point of skipping the 4GB phones and heading right on over to the Note 8 with its 6GB of RAM. I have loved owning this phone but I'm shocked and disappointed with the RAM management. I'm not sure if it's an Android issue but although better at keeping things in memory than my old XZ, this Note 8 is by no means providing what I expected. It's like this phone has 4GB of RAM rather than 6. It is only a slight improvement over my old 3GB phone so I say yes....bring on the phones with 10GB of RAM.
[doublepost=1538445521][/doublepost]
I don't really give a damn about RAM in a phone honestly, I mainly just use my phone on the go for basic everyday tasks and if I want more horsepower I'll go to my laptop.
You're a dying breed who doesn't really need a top drawer smartphone.
[doublepost=1538445622][/doublepost]
Let's not forget, iPhone doesnt need more than 1 gig of ram as its soo optimised.....

How did that work out....
Remember the iPhone 6 Plus? Yuk. What a reloading/refreshing POS.
 

IowaLynn

macrumors 68020
Feb 22, 2015
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Low power DDR5 will have a welcome impact. So assuming 2 x 4GB chips to improve bandwidth - but Apple? No. Always slow to adopt and behind.

Same with "DeX" and USB-C to HDMI and yes more memory helps noticeably. My guess it would be 2 x 8GB not 10GB.
 

Tsepz

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My last phone, a Sony XZ, had 3GB of RAM and I was experiencing app and browser refreshes way more often than I liked so I made a point of skipping the 4GB phones and heading right on over to the Note 8 with its 6GB of RAM. I have loved owning this phone but I'm shocked and disappointed with the RAM management. I'm not sure if it's an Android issue but although better at keeping things in memory than my old XZ, this Note 8 is by no means providing what I expected. It's like this phone has 4GB of RAM rather than 6. It is only a slight improvement over my old 3GB phone so I say yes....bring on the phones with 10GB of RAM.
[doublepost=1538445521][/doublepost]
You're a dying breed who doesn't really need a top drawer smartphone.
[doublepost=1538445622][/doublepost]
Remember the iPhone 6 Plus? Yuk. What a reloading/refreshing POS.
My S7 Edge was a 4GB RAM phone and can tell you now my Note8 does a far better job that at keeping apps open.

Have you checked your power saving options in Device Maintenance? Under Unmonitored apps? Select all apps you don't want to be conservative and put them in that list. Maybe also check Battery Optimised apps in the App manager, under Special Access, and unpick anyway you want to be kept in RAM no matter what.
daf067583ea5f0ac9d0dd09ddd52c2a1.jpg
b8024482fc5f93a8e7ddc731f230e228.jpg



My Note8 has been a champion at keeping as many apps as possible, more than I can actually keep up with.

I go between:
Email
WhatsApp
Google Ads
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Phone
Samsung Notes
YouTube
Netflix
Tapatalk
FNB (my bank)
Calculator
Waze
Samsung Internet
Opera Mini

Etc... throughout the day, and it keeps them in there. Some of these apps do have their own limitation as to how long they will occupy RAM and go into standby or close though due to security e.g. the FNB app seems to wait 1minute, if you go back after 1min it will require relogging in with your password / Fingerprint etc...
 
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sunking101

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My S7 Edge was a 4GB RAM phone and can tell you now my Note8 does a far better job that at keeping apps open.

Have you checked your power saving options in Device Maintenance? Under Unmonitored apps? Select all apps you don't want to be conservative and put them in that list. Maybe also check Battery Optimised apps in the App manager, under Special Access, and unpick anyway you want to be kept in RAM no matter what.
daf067583ea5f0ac9d0dd09ddd52c2a1.jpg
b8024482fc5f93a8e7ddc731f230e228.jpg



My Note8 has been a champion at keeping as many apps as possible, more than I can actually keep up with.

I go between:
Email
WhatsApp
Google Ads
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Phone
Samsung Notes
YouTube
Netflix
Tapatalk
FNB (my bank)
Calculator
Waze
Samsung Internet
Opera Mini

Etc... throughout the day, and it keeps them in there. Some of these apps do have their own limitation as to how long they will occupy RAM and go into standby or close though due to security e.g. the FNB app seems to wait 1minute, if you go back after 1min it will require relogging in with your password / Fingerprint etc...
I dare say that the N8 beats 4GB phones when it comes to RAM management just like it beats my old 3GB phone. It just isn't the RAM beast I had hoped it to be. I have most of my apps set to auto sleep.
I was hoping to see zero reloads....so maybe I need 10GB of RAM.:cool:
 
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