Virtual RAM, also known as RAM Plus – is a memory expansion feature that is increasingly used in cell phones from major manufacturers. brands like Samsung e xiaomi to make the feature available on some smartphones, such as Galaxy devices in the case of the South Korean one, and some models of the POCO, Redmi and Mi series, on the Chinese side. The function uses the free part of the cell’s memory to expand the RAM and thus improve the performance of the device. OUR Apple also recently announced such a feature for ipad.
The iPhone manufacturer revealed the functionality during the presentation of new items iPadOS 16 at the beginning of June. The operating system update will bring for those devices that are equipped with M1 or M2 processors, the replacement of virtual memory. According to Apple, the update will use ipad offer up to 16GB of storage to help run the heaviest apps like phones do android.
RAM (meaning “RAM” in English) is a type of component that stores data used by the system, allowing you to quickly access that information when needed. In order to make its virtual expansion, the smartphone will be able to virtually allocate the amount of internal memory of the mobile phone, determined by the manufacturer, in RAM and thus help in the performance of the device when using heavier applications.
Virtual RAM is not native to devices and became available after a software update. That is, everything will depend on how up-to-date the user’s operating system is, and even so, this is a feature that is far from being released to everyone. The available size depends on the smartphone. when Samsungfor example, Galaxy A52S can be used additionally up to 4 GB, but Galaxy A53 you can use up to 8GB more via RAM Plus.
when Applewhich provides additional memory for iPad models only ipad 11″ Pro (3rd generation), ipad 12.9″ Pro (5th gen) and ipad Air 5th generation, equipped with the giant’s own processors, will be able to use this feature. OUR xiaomi more democratic, with more than 30 compatible devices, including Xiaomi Mi 11, Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G, Poco F3 and others.
Page 3 of 5 Apple’s iPadOS 16 displays multiple overlapping windows in one view – Photo: Handout/Apple
Apple’s iPadOS 16 combines multiple overlapping windows into a single view – Photo: Handout/Apple
Benefits of using virtual RAM
Among the benefits of enabling virtual RAM is the ability to run multiple applications at the same time without crashing, as the system allocates storage according to the needs of the device – but, of course, within the limit set by the manufacturer. Heavier applications that require more from smartphones can be downloaded and used without delay.
in devices android, the choice of the amount of memory plus is made by the user in the memory settings, but cannot be disabled. On a Galaxy A53 5G phone from Samsungfor example, you can choose to use 2 GB, 4 GB, 6 GB, or 8 GB, which will prevent the system from using more internal memory than the user actually wants to free.
4 out of 5 RAM Plus can be accessed in Samsung’s Android Memory Settings – Photo: Reproduction/Catarina Bandeira
RAM Plus can be accessed in the Samsung Android memory settings – Photo: Reproduction/Katarina Bandeira
Disadvantages of using virtual RAM
Despite the performance benefits, there are some limitations that the user must be aware of before enabling a significant amount of virtual RAM. First, even with the addition of RAM, the performance is not the same as the physical version. It is also not possible to disable this feature on devices that support this feature.
That is, if your phone has 128 GB of internal storage, at least 2 GB will be dedicated to the device’s virtual RAM, which will reduce the space to 126 GB. Also, using this feature to use a heavier application may result in performance degradation of other applications running in the background.
It is important to note that in order to use this function, the mobile phone must have free internal memory, that is, it cannot be occupied by files of any nature or systems. Otherwise, the function cannot be activated. on the site Samsung, the manufacturer itself warns of the limitation “RAM Plus is a technology that uses part of the smartphone’s internal memory as RAM. You must have free space on the internal memory, ”is written in small print on the manufacturer’s website.
5 out of 5 Xiaomi launches, Mi 11 has sold over 1 million units. — Photo: Publicity/Xiaomi
Launch of Xiaomi, Mi 11 has sold over 1 million units. — Photo: Publicity/Xiaomi
How to find out the amount of virtual memory on your mobile
To check if virtual RAM is enabled on devices from Samsung, just go to Settings > Device & Battery Support > Memory > RAM Plus. There you can view and even select the amount of internal memory that will be available depending on the device model.
for instruments xiaomi, the path is almost the same: Settings > Advanced settings > Memory expansion and enable the function. On devices from both manufacturers, you must restart the cell phone after activating or selecting the amount of virtual RAM to use. When iPadOSYes Appledespite what has been announced, this feature will only be available when the new operating system becomes available for new devices, which should happen in the second half of the year.
