S3 uses too much ram

[Nokia Boy]

my friend has a S3 with 1gb ram but even when not using the phone its on 650-700/831mb ram and usually lags', any tips?

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[B. Diddy]

Wecome to Android Central! The lag isn't necessarily due to RAM being used--it could be related more to TouchWiz or some other component. Remember that Android likes to keep RAM filled to a certain extent. Using task killer apps isn't recommended, because they can be counterproductive--apps that they kill will often restart automatically, thus adding to battery usage.

You could look at the Running Apps list, and see if there are any apps running that you never use. Then either uninstall those apps, or disable them in the App Manager. That will prevent the app from starting automatically and taking up RAM. But some other app might take its place.

Also consider installing a 3rd party launcher like Nova Launcher, which may be less laggy than TouchWiz.

See these articles for more info:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/ambassador-guides-tips-how-tos/380592-guide-ram-android.html
RAM: What it is, how it's used, and why you shouldn't care | Android Central

 

[Rukbat]

Not only does Android like "to keep RAM filled to a certain extent", unused RAM is wasted RAM, so it keeps RAM filled as much as possible. Other than that, I can't add anything to what B. Diddy said - disable or uninstall apps you'll never use (and aren't needed by the system), use a faster launcher, etc.

As far as lag goes, the faster and larger phones get (more and faster RAM, more and faster ROM, faster CPUs and GPUs), the larger the apps get. (Most programmers use class files even if a few lines of code will do the same thing in a lot less code - IOW, programming is a lazy man's game, but the easier it gets, the more powerful the computer has to be to run the same app at the same speed. "How little RAM can you write the app in" is no longer considered a goal, except among die-hard hackers [in the old sense of the word - super-expert programmers].) So after about 2 years, almost any phone running current apps will lag. If you buy the flagship phone, you can usually expect to eke out about 3 years use (more if you can put up with more lag), but since phone hardware isn't upgradeable (yet), we have to be prepared to buy a new phone every few years if we want a fast phone to run current apps.