Note 4 RAM Discussion

Sep 11, 2013
19
0
0
Visit site
i don't think high RAM usage is a good thing at all. it would be good if it was filled with your most used apps, not samsung bloatware. i am considering buying a note 4 but every video i saw showing multitasting, it sometimes need to reload apps, even a page in browser.
one example is that phonebuff video against iphone 6+. note 4 reloaded almost every app. every phone i used with high RAM usage just for system lagged a little, like lg g2. but phones with low RAM usage like nexus 4 and my current htc one m8 were smooth. i can open an app in the morning and in the evening it will be in the same state. unless i open a very heavy game or two.
also if the system is running out of memory, clean master will not help too. or you try to disable the bloat or live with that.
the problem is, some phones use too much ram out of the box, so user apps will have to ask OS to create a space in that RAM.
 

LaTuFu

Well-known member
Oct 30, 2014
817
0
0
Visit site
i don't think high RAM usage is a good thing at all. it would be good if it was filled with your most used apps, not samsung bloatware. i am considering buying a note 4 but every video i saw showing multitasting, it sometimes need to reload apps, even a page in browser.
one example is that phonebuff video against iphone 6+. note 4 reloaded almost every app. every phone i used with high RAM usage just for system lagged a little, like lg g2. but phones with low RAM usage like nexus 4 and my current htc one m8 were smooth. i can open an app in the morning and in the evening it will be in the same state. unless i open a very heavy game or two.
also if the system is running out of memory, clean master will not help too. or you try to disable the bloat or live with that.
the problem is, some phones use too much ram out of the box, so user apps will have to ask OS to create a space in that RAM.

Bloat apps only take up residence in RAM if you choose to use them--just like any other app. They occupy space in the device's internal storage, which can't be changed without root. More frustrating for devices without external storage, not as big of an issue for devices like the Note 4 that allow external storage.

If you don't want to use bloat apps, you can disable them in the application manager. This prevents them from being used by the device and occupying RAM.

Android utilizes RAM completely differently than Windows. It is very efficient in the way it allocates it. High RAM usage is not necessarily an indicator of lag.

The major problems with online "review" videos like phonebuff is you can't be certain what is going on with the devices or the creator. I'm not just talking about him, I'm speaking about the legions of YouTube "out of the box" reviewers out there. Did he get access to a pre-production device that still had pre-release software on it? Is he a reviewer that only has experience with Android devices when he reviews them, and after posting his videos goes back to an iPhone for his daily driver? That question is important because if he doesn't understand how the OS works, he won't know what needs to be done in order to set up the phone properly. Are they pro-android, pro-iOS, or neutral? Not all of them are neutral. I've seen reviews done with the phone right out of the box, with the reviewer trying to use the device without setting it up. Many phones won't look good doing this, because it keeps trying to run its initial setup process each step of the way. I've seen others who have loaded a custom ROM, flashed back to stock, then tried to run it. In other words, we're not always getting a "clean" review. Some people want to post a review that puts a particular phone in a bad light. Its better to look at multiple videos and read actual user experiences on forums like these, if you want to rely on other input for making a decision. Even then, you have to keep things in perspective.

The bottom line is, Android as an OS does a good job of managing RAM. The Note 4 specifically does a good job of utilizing RAM. High RAM usage by any device does not directly correlate to "lag issues."
 

twolastnames

Well-known member
Nov 25, 2011
730
70
0
Visit site
Bloat apps only take up residence in RAM if you choose to use them--just like any other app. They occupy space in the device's internal storage, which can't be changed without root. More frustrating for devices without external storage, not as big of an issue for devices like the Note 4 that allow external storage.

If you don't want to use bloat apps, you can disable them in the application manager. This prevents them from being used by the device and occupying RAM.

Android utilizes RAM completely differently than Windows. It is very efficient in the way it allocates it. High RAM usage is not necessarily an indicator of lag.

The major problems with online "review" videos like phonebuff is you can't be certain what is going on with the devices or the creator. I'm not just talking about him, I'm speaking about the legions of YouTube "out of the box" reviewers out there. Did he get access to a pre-production device that still had pre-release software on it? Is he a reviewer that only has experience with Android devices when he reviews them, and after posting his videos goes back to an iPhone for his daily driver? That question is important because if he doesn't understand how the OS works, he won't know what needs to be done in order to set up the phone properly. Are they pro-android, pro-iOS, or neutral? Not all of them are neutral. I've seen reviews done with the phone right out of the box, with the reviewer trying to use the device without setting it up. Many phones won't look good doing this, because it keeps trying to run its initial setup process each step of the way. I've seen others who have loaded a custom ROM, flashed back to stock, then tried to run it. In other words, we're not always getting a "clean" review. Some people want to post a review that puts a particular phone in a bad light. Its better to look at multiple videos and read actual user experiences on forums like these, if you want to rely on other input for making a decision. Even then, you have to keep things in perspective.

The bottom line is, Android as an OS does a good job of managing RAM. The Note 4 specifically does a good job of utilizing RAM. High RAM usage by any device does not directly correlate to "lag issues."

Preaching to these guys might be a double edged sword. Every time an old myth is dispelled, a new one comes up. I get the feeling people complaining about RAM are just looking for something to complain about. Next thing will be looking at their device under a microscope complaining about the sensors not perfectly lined up in their holes.

Posted via the Android Central App
 
Sep 11, 2013
19
0
0
Visit site
Yeah is not safe to rely in only one source of reviews, and that's why i watch ton of vídeos and read reviews before buying a device. When i Said about bloat, i was talking about bloat that you can't see, frameworks of touchwiz, etc. Stock Android uses less than 1gb out of the box, touchwiz uses almost 2gb. If this device had 2gbs of RAM it would be almost impossible to keep any App in RAM, because you will open instagram for example, and when you open browser it will close instagram because of running out of RAM, do you understand my point? I think that RAM needs to be free for user, so i can open all my apps and let them in RAM and do not worry if system will close them.
Preaching to these guys might be a double edged sword. Every time an old myth is dispelled, a new one comes up. I get the feeling people complaining about RAM are just looking for something to complain about. Next thing will be looking at their device under a microscope complaining about the sensors not perfectly lined up in their holes.

Posted via the Android Central App

complaining about RAM usage would be useless if it doesn't affect the use of device, but it does. in note 4 apps reloads when multitask because of low ram available. when i had a nexus 4 never complained about ram because there was nothing to complain about. i open an app in the morning, and a lot of time later i open it again and was in same position i left it. from what i could see this do not happen in samsung devices.
 

nugj

Well-known member
Oct 13, 2014
325
0
0
Visit site
I think there is a tendency to think about RAM from a past Windows experience or at least past computer experiences as well.

But in reality, if you have a newer computer and watch your RAM usage live, I think you will notice that both advanced mobile device design, computer design and usage has changed drastically over time and we are all very likely running closer to RAM limits than we used to run. The machines are designed to run this way and so are many of the OS, iOS and software/firmware packages designed for them. You have to be just about right at your Memory limit to get the thing to totally gag on a task now. I like to look at Memory utilization live on my computer just to see what is happening to the machine under certain operating conditions. Numbers that I would have found alarming years ago are par for the course now. I very often find the machine running at 95% or greater Memory utilization and happy as a clam.

Apple offers a good example here I think. Apple does not recommend the use of third party security or computer "cleaning" packages for its computers. So if you really want to jam up your Mac, buy a bunch of this third party stuff or authorize trials for same and you will bog down your Mac, even with 8gb of Memory! The very stuff being thrown at you claiming to help free up your Mac will slow your Mac down. Yosemite is particularly unforgiving in this regard, especially for a mid-life machine....maybe anything made from 2009 up to 2012 or so.

It pays to do a little research as well. Try to understand how your particular device has been designed....what design criteria were used for the hardware and the OS. Don't just buy it and complain about it.

The other place were I think some folks let themselves in for it is in their overall perspective on these devices. The makers think they are designing productivity and life efficiency tools, not toys. They are communications and information management tools. If your perspective on mobile devices is that these are toys for you to play with and your expectation is to run every Tom, **** and Larry thing there is all at the same time because it is "fun" then don't be surprised if you end up disappointed.
 

Nobbb

Member
Nov 29, 2014
23
0
0
Visit site
If it's not completely lagging your phone or giving you problems while running/using a certain app, why are you worrying so much that your RAM usage is high?

I literally leave a ton of apps running because it doesn't affect with how I use my Note 4.
I might close some apps before I head to sleep since I probably won't be using it for at least 7-8 hours (which is rare because I only average less than 5 hours of sleep per day :(:(:()
 

twolastnames

Well-known member
Nov 25, 2011
730
70
0
Visit site
Yeah is not safe to rely in only one source of reviews, and that's why i watch ton of vídeos and read reviews before buying a device. When i Said about bloat, i was talking about bloat that you can't see, frameworks of touchwiz, etc. Stock Android uses less than 1gb out of the box, touchwiz uses almost 2gb. If this device had 2gbs of RAM it would be almost impossible to keep any App in RAM, because you will open instagram for example, and when you open browser it will close instagram because of running out of RAM, do you understand my point? I think that RAM needs to be free for user, so i can open all my apps and let them in RAM and do not worry if system will close them.


complaining about RAM usage would be useless if it doesn't affect the use of device, but it does. in note 4 apps reloads when multitask because of low ram available. when i had a nexus 4 never complained about ram because there was nothing to complain about. i open an app in the morning, and a lot of time later i open it again and was in same position i left it. from what i could see this do not happen in samsung devices.

How do you know this any of that is RAM related? Maybe, just maybe, TouchWiz shuts down apps to save battery? That's a better conclusion seeing that Samsung devices tyically get better battery life compared to nexus devices, even when taking into account the small battery Nexi historically get. And you have to admit, of the major OS's, Android gets by far the worst battery life, and I think most OEMS skins try to help that.

And besides, how long does it take to get an app loaded? A second, maybe 2? Also, if you just let the OS do its job, your experience would be better. Doesn't android take into account individual usage when it's deciding what apps to kill? If your killing apps and worried about keeping your RAM clear, how is the OS supposed to know what apps to you use all the time? I use the AC app all the time, it always opens to where ever I left off, always. Same with the stock browser and Chrome, they are always were I left them, and I never clear my recent apps or even look at RAM usage.

Posted via the Android Central App
 

LaTuFu

Well-known member
Oct 30, 2014
817
0
0
Visit site
And you have to admit, of the major OS's, Android gets by far the worst battery life, and I think most OEMS skins try to help that.

I'd have to challenge you on that assertion.

My wife's iOS devices consistently have worse battery performance than any of the android devices I've had, and specifically my Galaxy devices run circles around her iPhones. The Note 4 doesn't even compare to her iPhone it is so much better.
 

twolastnames

Well-known member
Nov 25, 2011
730
70
0
Visit site
I'd have to challenge you on that assertion.

My wife's iOS devices consistently have worse battery performance than any of the android devices I've had, and specifically my Galaxy devices run circles around her iPhones. The Note 4 doesn't even compare to her iPhone it is so much better.

But the iPhone 6 only has a 1800mah battery. I only have a 6, not a 6+ to compare, but my wife is getting substantially better life than on her S4, and I can't compare to my Note usage, as we use our phones entirely different.

The only thing I have on Windows phone is my brother going from a 920 to a Nexus 5, and being sad about the battery life between the 2, so admittedly I only have 3rd party knowledge.
 
Sep 11, 2013
19
0
0
Visit site
How do you know this any of that is RAM related? Maybe, just maybe, TouchWiz shuts down apps to save battery? That's a better conclusion seeing that Samsung devices tyically get better battery life compared to nexus devices, even when taking into account the small battery Nexi historically get. And you have to admit, of the major OS's, Android gets by far the worst battery life, and I think most OEMS skins try to help that.

And besides, how long does it take to get an app loaded? A second, maybe 2? Also, if you just let the OS do its job, your experience would be better. Doesn't android take into account individual usage when it's deciding what apps to kill? If your killing apps and worried about keeping your RAM clear, how is the OS supposed to know what apps to you use all the time? I use the AC app all the time, it always opens to where ever I left off, always. Same with the stock browser and Chrome, they are always were I left them, and I never clear my recent apps or even look at RAM usage.

Posted via the Android Central App

agreed. maybe not ram related. in the latest phonebuff video, it compared nexus 6, iphone 6 and note 4. the nexus 6 won because in second lap it had almost all the apps ready in memory, while note 4 had to reload most of them. and in my usage i never get worried about ram, my current htc m8 hasn't been rebooted by almost a month. but from my past experience when i see too many reloading apps i think is ram related. galaxy nexus and lg g2, ram almost full, apps reloading all the time. nexus 4 and htc m8, 1gb or more free all the time, apps stay in memory.
but as you said that you have no complaints about apps reloading is a relief, was a pain in my lg g2, writing a text in chrome and after switch to another app and back to chrome the page reloads and i had to write the text from scratch. is a bit of trauma.
 

twolastnames

Well-known member
Nov 25, 2011
730
70
0
Visit site
I had that same problem with chrome on my G2, it was pretty annoying. Google actually has an app for Samsung phones that makes Chrome work better, and it is noticeable compared to other phones I have had.
 

DMarie04

Well-known member
Feb 10, 2014
341
0
0
Visit site
Yes. Clearing RAM on Android is actually a bad idea -- It does more harm than good. Android manages RAM differently than Windows. Below is a good article written by Jerry. It is still true to this day :).

RAM: What it is, how it's used, and why you shouldn't care | Android Central

I was worrying about this very issue with my RAM usage being Soo hi on my month old Note 4, until I read this exact article. To sum it up, espec. with the newer Android devices it states "unused RAM is wasted RAM" according to the above article, anyway!
P.S. Thanks Almeuit, you also helped me to find & adjust a setting on my N4 I couldn't locate! Your posts are extremely helpful, thanks again!

Posted From MY Next Big Thing!!
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_2014-12-12-09-48-54.jpg
    Screenshot_2014-12-12-09-48-54.jpg
    16.5 KB · Views: 171
Last edited:

Rod Michell

New member
Mar 25, 2013
1
0
0
Visit site
I like these phylosphphy doctor. words - used ram is a good ...

Here what i found today:

- My antique nexus 4 is with only 2gb of ram, and firefox reload pages only if I open a big game or another ram hungry software.

- My two weeks old, brand new 8core 3GB RAM Note 4 is reloading my firefox tabs (even the tab which is on focus) on almost every app switch or screen lock.


Because of this, I started this research. Even after Note restart it is almost the same.
I must disagree that 2+ years old device with less resources, is normal to handle much better than brand new flgship like Note 4, which is reloading almost every application because low quality, memory hungry and unoptimized software.

At the end, I am not sure what to do with my Note 4... I can try root it if AOSP rom is available (yes all the extras will be lost), or just another touchwiz mem optimized rom. Or I can rethink selling it..
Still not sure what to do, but I know that I want my "free" and "unused" ram to be avialable for my software, but not for OS libraries an unoptimized software like Note stock android.

Edit 1.
I really love this device.. (Note 4).. but still this mem consumption.. Just checked and my dauther crappy lenovo tablet which is with 1gb ram is using around 500mb ..

If my cell operator start celling Nexus 6 and Samsung let this the same after lolipop update, I think I'll jump back to nexus.. Yes the stupid phablet is without stylus and the display is worse but speed is all for me..
 
Last edited:

Ionut Manole1

New member
Mar 1, 2015
2
0
0
Visit site
I see no reason for installing third party applications for cleaning RAM. I just read this topic and after made a quick test to see what happens with my snapdragon note 4. I was stopping all my apps and my phone was using 2.21 Gb of RAM. After I try to open all my apps in my phone and pressing the home button after every application I've just started....surprise. ...2.36 GB of RAM used. It is a great technology that control the RAM memory in this phones.
Why to install third party apps to clear memory? If anyone have a good explanation/reason to see his phone using only 1 Gb of RAM memory and 1.7 RAM free...please post here. Thank you!
 
Last edited:

Trigati

Well-known member
Sep 26, 2011
650
0
0
Visit site
Why to install third party apps to clear memory? If anyone have a good explanation/reason to see his phone using only 1 Gb of RAM memory and 1.7 RAM free...please post here. Thank you!

There is no good reason. It's best to let Android manage the memory as it becomes more efficient and works better overall. Using memory cleaners reduces the efficiency of Android.
 

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
942,111
Messages
6,912,522
Members
3,158,234
Latest member
nayminthuyain888