Skip to main content

6GB of RAM in your phone? Samsung is making it possible

samsungs latest ram could bring 6gb of memory to your tablet or smartphone samsunglpddr4
Image used with permission by copyright holder
It wasn’t that long ago that we were all running less than a single gigabyte of RAM in our desktop PCs, so it seems crazy that today that we have smartphones packing 4GB a piece. That’s all thanks to Samsung’s 20nm manufacturing process, which lets phone makers cram four 8 Gigabit chips into their devices. But we’re already looking to move beyond that technology.

Samsung is now producing faster, more energy efficient LPDDR4, which it says can come in 12 Gigabit capacities, or 1.5 Gigabytes. That means that with four of these, the next generation of smartphones and tablets should be able to come with as much as 6GB of on-board RAM.

Recommended Videos

Not only that, though, but Samsung claims these new mobile RAM chips operate as much as 30 percent faster than their previous iteration and twice as fast as desktop DDR4. It’s also more energy efficient, so despite having more of RAM, which does consume power, mobile devices shouldn’t see any loss in battery life with the upgrade.

Thanks to improvements in its manufacturing facilities, Samsung is able to pump out these new RAM chips at a rate 50 percent higher than the last version, so it should be able to sell to more companies in larger quantities, which brings the price down for end-users looking to buy those phones.

This not only means that flagship devices will come with even more impressive performance than previous generations, but that lower end phones will be able to benefit from larger memory banks, thereby making them better multi-taskers too.

Perhaps more exciting though, is that while there are not currently any applications that make use of this much memory, there could be. The capacity is there, so perhaps we will see some new and exciting applications that may not have been possible on previous generations of hardware. Programming an app to use more memory is quite a bit easier than making use of multiple cores, and allows the use of more detailed assets in mobile games.

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
A new FCC rule could make your phone carrier way less annoying
Someone holding an iPhone 15 Pro Max outside on a patio, showing the back of the Natural Titanium color.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed a new rule that could eliminate one of the most frustrating aspects of smartphone ownership: carrier locking. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wants to require mobile providers to unlock customers’ mobile phones within 60 days of activation, making it easier for consumers to switch providers.

The proposal, which will be discussed at the commission’s July 18 meeting, aims to help consumers by establishing universal unlocking requirements for mobile service providers. Carrier locking serves two purposes: deterring theft and encouraging customer retention, as a locked phone cannot be connected to another carrier.

Read more
Is the messages app on your Samsung phone crashing? Here’s how to fix it
Google messages versus samsung messages app icons side by side on Galaxy Z Fold 5.

App crashes are annoying, but they’re extra annoying when it's your text messaging app that crashes while you’re trying to reach someone or — worse — when you're trying to get a two-factor authentication code.

According to users on Reddit and the Samsung Community forum, the Samsung Messages app keeps closing when they try to open any conversation. This is happening across Samsung Galaxy models, including the S21 and S4 Ultra, and across different carriers, meaning it’s not a device or carrier issue. Many users have reported that restarting their phone, restarting in safe mode, and clearing the app cache hasn’t helped.

Read more
This new Android feature isn’t coming to your Samsung phone after all
Someone holding the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus.

A screenshot of the Instant Hotspot feature Google

Google has announced seven new features rolling out to Android phones soon, including message editing in Google messages, improved cross-device services, and perhaps most notably Instant Hotspot. This feature streamlines hotspot creation and tethering between your Android phone and tablet or Chromebook, letting you create hotspots without having to deal with passwords and QR codes.

Read more