RAM: 2GB vs 1GB in 2014

Iron Mew

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Before you ask: yes, I have Googled, and found several threads about this very question, but they were all dated 2012. It's been two years since then and we all know how mobile technology marches on, so I think it deserves asking again.

I'm hunting for phablets, and I've finally settled to two models that are almost the same except for the RAM. The newer one has a few improvement here and there that I don't really care about (some more resolution, some more internal storage and so on) - but it also has two gigs of RAM instead of one.

The difference in terms of money is considerable; one would cost me ?130, the other one close to ?200. The second one is the cheapest phablet I've found with two gigs of RAM, too.

I'm not a crazy multitasker who keeps a hundred apps open, and in fact I usually close those I'm not using for love of tidiness, but I'd still like to keep a few open without them getting reloaded every time. Say, the browser with a tab or two, Facebook, Whatsapp and a couple more. Is a gig enough to do that today?

I'm entirely uninterested in mobile gaming, by the way, so any RAM benefits for games are irrelevant.
 

srkmagnus

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Based on the information of not muti-tasking and no mobile gaming RAM shouldn't be a factor. Get the device offering less RAM if that's what you are leaning towards. It should serve its purpose well.

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Haalcyon

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Just based on the idea that most high-end devices offer more than 1GB of RAM and that you MAY want the device to remain competitive and able to run any future versions of the OS and software I'd not go with a low RAM device. In a year which will you wish you'd purchased? What's the better investment for you?


{iRiidium} Sent from my liberated iridium rMini LTE
 

B. Diddy

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Welcome to Android Central! If you're not a power user and you're on a budget, I'd say 1 GB should be sufficient. Incidentally, I'd also recommend trying to break the habit of closing apps manually. Android is designed to manage RAM automatically, and will open and close apps automatically depending on RAM needs and usage patterns. If you start manually closing apps, the system might restart them soon after, leading to somewhat increased battery usage. Read this article for more info: http://m.androidcentral.com/ram-what-it-how-its-used-and-why-you-shouldnt-care

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