How much RAM do you need to keep Android from "slowing down"?

In 2025, smartphones have become real pocket computers — they no longer just make calls and display notifications, but also run games, work with large photo and video files, perform AI tasks, and keep dozens of applications in memory at the same time. All of this requires not only a high-performance processor but also a large amount of RAM.

ITsider writes about how much RAM a smartphone will need in 2025.

How does RAM work, and why is its volume critical?

RAM is an ultra-fast temporary storage where the system writes all the data that needs instant access. The more RAM your smartphone has, the better it handles multitasking: it opens apps without delay, switches between them quickly, and doesn't "freeze" or keep you waiting.

It is worth paying attention not only to the amount but also to the type of memory. The latest standard, LPDDR5x, is used in flagship models and provides the highest data transfer speeds. Cheaper phones are more likely to have LPDDR4x, which is slower but still suitable for basic tasks.

Even the fastest memory won't help if you don't have enough of it. If there is not enough RAM, the smartphone starts to close background programs, takes longer to open applications, and the whole interaction with the device becomes less comfortable.

The actual consumption of RAM today is considerable. Android itself, together with the manufacturer's shell, takes at least 1.5-2 GB. Social networks, instant messengers, and banking applications take hundreds of megabytes more each. If you open a video editor or a game, the consumption can increase to several gigabytes.

Phones with 4 GB of RAM have almost no reserve left — they are only enough for basic operations, without running "heavy" applications. If you open several apps at once, your smartphone will start to slow down. The best option for most users today is 6 or 8 GB. This is enough for stable operation, convenient switching between tasks, and running most mobile games.

And for those who shoot 4K video, actively edit photos, or play resource-intensive games, models with 12 GB of RAM or more are suitable. Such smartphones work without restrictions and allow users not to worry about system overload.

If your smartphone has begun to slow down, but you don't want to change it yet, pay attention to the function of expanding the RAM using the built-in storage. The system can use several gigabytes of permanent memory as additional RAM. It's not the fastest alternative, but it really helps in certain situations.

As a reminder, the microSD card slot is disappearing not only from premium and mid-range models but also from budget smartphones. The reasons why manufacturers are abandoning this convenient memory expansion feature on a massive scale are actually well known.

We also wrote that installing apps from Google Play is easy, which is why smartphones are quickly filled with dozens of apps downloaded for free. After you lose interest, they usually remain in the system along with the cache and service files that were installed in the background, taking up free memory.