8GB of RAM Is Not Enough Anymore For Smartphone

In the ever-evolving world of smartphones, RAM has become a crucial factor for performance. As we push our devices to do more, the demand for more RAM is inevitable. The author of this article is considering a phone with at least 12GB of RAM for their next upgrade, and possibly even more.

The need for more RAM is driven by advancements in mobile technology, such as multitasking and high-end mobile gaming. However, the advent of AI in our pockets is pushing that requirement even higher. Top-of-the-line Android flagships are already clear of this margin, but some recent smartphones have been caught out by their lack of memory.

The Google Pixel 8 is a well-known example of a phone that was late to receive certain features due to its lack of memory. The Pixel 9 series is expected to debut with 12-16GB RAM to ensure they can power next-gen use cases. The iPhone 15 series and Apple Intelligence also faced limitations due to their RAM capacities.

On-device AI is computationally expensive and requires gigabytes of RAM. Unlike apps and games that can stream in assets as required, AI often needs instant access to the entire model, which requires lots and lots of fast memory. Therefore, when it comes to the next purchasing decision, future-proofing is always a good idea, especially in regard to AI capabilities.

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