Back in the day, phones were humble. The iPhone 3GS rocked 256MB of RAM and the Galaxy S4 had 2GB. They checked emails, played games, and let you prank-call your friends without a hitch.
Fast forward to 2025, and we’ve got phones with 16GB, 18GB, even 24GB of RAM—enough to start a small server farm. But do you really need all that juice just to scroll X or post a fire Instagram story?
The push for insane RAM numbers is less about performance and more about spec sheet wars.
Brands like OnePlus, Xiaomi, and Red Magic slap on massive RAM to make their phones sound cutting-edge, especially in markets like Africa and Asia where bigger numbers often equal “better value.”
So, why is 8GB enough? Let’s break it down and figure out why the RAM race is just marketing hype—with a side of AI buzz, because, you know, it’s 2025.
Most Apps Don’t Need the Extra RAM
Your phone’s apps—WhatsApp, Instagram, Spotify, even mobile games like PUBG—aren’t memory hogs like desktop software. Android and iOS are designed to manage memory aggressively, suspending background apps to save power. Even with 12GB of RAM, your phone clears space before it hits a bottleneck. Most apps sip RAM like a light chai, not a triple-shot espresso.
For example, Apple’s iPhones, with just 6-8GB of RAM, run smoother than many Androids with double that because of optimization. iOS is tightly tuned to work with less, proving it’s not about raw numbers but how the software plays with the hardware.
Unless you’re rendering 4K videos on your phone (and let’s be real, you’re not), 8GB handles everything from streaming to multitasking like a champ.
Check your phone’s RAM usage in the settings. You’ll probably see it’s barely hitting half of what’s available, even during heavy use.
Chipsets and Optimization > RAM Overkill
Your phone’s speed isn’t just about RAM. The chipset, storage speed, software optimization, and thermal management are the real players. A well-optimized phone with 8GB of RAM will smoke a poorly tuned one with 24GB.
Think of it like a matatu. A sleek, well-maintained one gets you to Nairobi faster than a clunky, overpowered beast that overheats halfway.
For instance, Google’s Pixel phones, known for their AI smarts, run perfectly with 8-12GB of RAM. Their secret is an efficient software and chipsets that handle tasks without leaning on extra memory.
Even high-end Androids with 24GB often throttle performance due to heat, making all that RAM about as useful as a solar-powered torch at night.
Multitasking and Gaming? Still Fine with 8GB
Maybe you’re a power user. You’re splitting your screen between YouTube and Chrome, running WhatsApp in a floating window, and gaming like it’s the eSports finals.
8-12GB of RAM handles that without breaking a sweat. Features like split-screen or floating windows bump up RAM usage, but not enough to justify 24GB. Most mobile games lean on the GPU and CPU, not memory, for smooth performance.
And if you’re thinking about video editing or 4K rendering? Those tasks are better suited for laptops or PCs with proper cooling and software. Even if you have to do it on your phone, video editing apps like CapCut will handle such tasks well-enough with 8GB RAM.
The AI Buzz: Does It Really Need More RAM?
Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. AI. It’s the hottest thing in tech, from Nairobi to Silicon Valley. Phone makers love to hype AI features like photo enhancement, voice assistants, or real-time transcription, claiming they need tons of RAM. But most AI features don’t need more than 8GB.
Why AI Doesn’t Need 24GB of RAM
- Cloud Power: Heavy AI tasks, like ChatGPT or Google Bard, run in the cloud, not on your phone’s RAM. Your device just sends and receives data, which barely sips memory.
- Lightweight Models: On-device AI, like auto-categorizing photos or text correction, uses tiny, optimized models. These fit comfortably within 8-12GB of RAM. Even Google’s AI-heavy Pixel phones get by with 12GB max.
- Chipset Matters More: AI tasks lean on dedicated neural processing units (NPUs) in modern chipsets, not RAM. For example, Apple’s A-series chips and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon NPUs handle AI efficiently without needing extra memory.
- Thermal Limits: Even if AI needed more RAM, current phones overheat before maxing it out. Poor thermal design, not low RAM, is the real bottleneck.
The “AI needs more RAM” argument is like saying you need a V8 engine to drive to the kiosk. Sure, future AI models might get hungrier, but companies like Apple and Google are already optimizing models to run efficiently on less.
Throwing 24GB of RAM at the problem without better software or cooling is like building a rocket in your backyard—it sounds cool, but it’s not launching anytime soon.
The Downsides of Too Much RAM
More RAM isn’t free—it comes with trade-offs. Here’s why piling on the memory can backfire:
- Battery Drain: Extra RAM consumes power, shortening your phone’s battery life. That 24GB beast might die before lunch.
- Overheating: More RAM generates heat, and phones, with their tiny chassis, can’t cool like laptops. This leads to throttling, where performance drops during gaming or recording.
- Wasted Space: RAM takes up physical space, leaving less room for batteries or other useful components.
- Higher Costs: Phones with excessive RAM cost more, and you’re paying for specs you’ll never use.
If your idea of multitasking is switching between X and Safaricom’s M-Pesa app, anything over 8GB is just burning through your wallet and battery for no reason.
Who Actually Needs More Than 8GB?
99% of users don’t need 24GB of RAM. Here’s a quick checklist of who might benefit from extra memory (and even then, 12GB is usually enough):
- Niche Power Users: Folks running heavy emulators or experimental AI apps locally (rare in Kenya).
- Professional Photographers/Videographers: Those shooting and editing high-res content on their phones (but again, laptops are better for this).
- Tech Benchmarkers: YouTubers or reviewers obsessed with synthetic scores, not real-world use.
Everyone else? Your mom playing Candy Crush, your friend posting TikTok dances, or you doom scrolling—8GB is more than enough.
The Real Fix: Optimization, Not Specs
Here’s the problem, tech companies want you to feel like your perfectly fine phone is trash. They slap on 24GB of RAM, call it “future-proof,” and hope you’ll upgrade while the gettin’ is good.
But what phones really need isn’t more memory—it’s better optimization. Apple gets away with 6-8GB because iOS is a well-oiled machine. Android brands could learn a thing or two instead of flexing specs.
What should companies focus on? Stuff that actually matters like:
- Software Longevity: Regular updates and bug fixes for years, not just a flashy launch.
- Battery Life: Bigger batteries or efficient chips to last all day.
- Thermal Control: Better cooling for consistent performance.
- Storage Speed: Faster UFS storage for snappy app loading.
Keep It Simple
In 2025, 8GB of RAM is more than enough for your smartphone, whether you’re in Nairobi, Mumbai, London, or New York. The push for 24GB is marketing noise, not a real need.
Your apps don’t care, your battery will thank you, and even AI (the buzziest buzzword in tech) runs just fine with less. Instead of chasing specs, demand optimization, stability, and efficiency.
So, next time you’re eyeing that phone with “24 gigs, bro,” ask yourself: do I need this, or am I just falling for the hype?
