It has long been known that even the current iPhone 13 still has only 4 GB of RAM. For Android flagships, this mark was overcome many years ago, and now even the most budget models offer at least the same, or even more RAM. As for expensive models, today the main market for Android smartphones has up to 18 GB of RAM. And thanks to the memory expansion technology, Android smartphones can get up to 20 GB of RAM and more. This even exceeds what most desktop users have. But why?
iPhone is no better or worse than Android. It’s just different.
Why iPhone Has So Little RAM
Given that millions of people still buy iPhones, there is an obvious question that many are asking. Why is 4GB of RAM still enough for the iPhone, while the same capacity is hardly enough for Android smartphones? It’s just that in this case, the fairy tale that “the main thing is not the size, but the ability to use” is more suitable than ever.
First of all, we must understand why a smartphone needs RAM at. Its function is to temporarily store the working data of the processor. That way, users can get this information whenever they want, and it won’t take long to load from the slow internal storage.
Why do you need RAM on your phone?
That is, RAM is such a “piece of paper” where you write out the most necessary data from those with which you work, for example, preparing a report at work. If you run out of paper, you won’t be able to access the most important numbers quickly, and you’ll have to shovel through a ton of directories, documents, and other sources, and it takes a lot longer. Roughly and by example, it turns out like this.
From the example above, it’s easy to conclude that the iPhone doesn’t need as much storage. In addition, its algorithm is simpler, more efficient and does not require a large number of “drafts”. And it has an effective mechanism for deleting unnecessary data to free up space for new ones.
Android offers 18GB of RAM or more, but that doesn’t mean anything.
Why you need more RAM
But this is only a general explanation, as they say, “on the fingers”. In more detail, let iOS and Android be focused on the effective operation of smartphones with a touch screen, this is where their similarities end. For example, due to the limitation of Google services in Android, all apps must run in the background. That is, if you open a 100 MB application, the amount of RAM will decrease by 100 MB.
This means that even a simple application for making calls (this is also an application), eats up the RAM and reduces its volume. Only in this way can it be available to you during the day. This way, many apps will run in the background. It doesn’t matter if you’re currently using them or not. This Android model requires a lot of memory. They also say about him that “no matter how much you give, it will still be devoured.” But in any case, there should be a lot of it.
Does the iPhone need more RAM
iOS uses a more advanced background mechanism, and the reception of information is unified with Apple services. All APP push messages must first be sent to Apple’s push notification service and then sent to the user, so only one interface is needed. However, because of this, some users receive often unnecessary notifications a little slower.
At the same time, when the app is in the background, Android is the real working mechanism and iOS is the virtual storage. On iOS, when an app is in the background, it will be paused and won’t work. When the previous task stops, the system will record the status of the current application and move on to a new one. That is, it’s not the app itself that’s stored unfolded, it’s just the data about it, like keeping a book open or just putting a bookmark in it.
On Android, more apps will require a lot more storage, and the advantage of the iOS model is that it doesn’t require too much storage. So now we can understand why Apple is comfortable with 4GB of RAM, and Android with 18GB can demand more and more.
The same app running on Android and iOS takes up different amounts of storage. And its size is influenced by the approach of the developers themselves. iOS is a closed system that only Apple can use, so it has stricter requirements for developers and a more comprehensive verification mechanism. Developers have to optimize their systems well so that they can run on an iPhone or iPad.
iPhone will suffice and 2 GB of RAM, but the new models have 4 GB.
On the contrary, Android, as an open-source system, has a free control mechanism that relaxes developers in some way. They don’t have to think too much about adapting their products. And the control over compliance in Google Play is much lower. This leads to the fact that although it is the same application, the memory on Android is occupied significantly more.
Why the iPhone is better than Android
This explains why Apple doesn’t need to increase the amount of RAM in the iPhone. Many users may still have questions, which is better: more memory or less memory? For the iPhone itself, a small amount of memory means a reduction in cost or an improvement in the quality of the memory itself. That is, not an increase in volume, but an increase in stability or an increase in the speed of work.
In the end, the user should not care how much RAM he has – 4 GB or 18 GB. The main thing is that everything works smoothly and quickly. Now you understand that talking about the fact that the iPhone has half the memory of a phone that is 10 times cheaper, does not mean anything at all. It can be further reduced and still everything will work fine. At the same time, Android with 8 GB and more can mercilessly slow down.
The same applies to the battery, which, due to fewer background processes, is loaded significantly less. Therefore, even with half the battery capacity, the iPhone works as much, or even longer than the Android smartphone. If you have an opinion on this matter, you can express it in the comments or on our Telegram chat.