When we purchase a smartphone, we usually focus solely on the storage capacity (64GB or 128GB), which isn't an accurate indicator of storage performance. The internal storage of a smartphone plays a crucial role in various tasks. The amount of available memory and its speed are often underestimated parameters when choosing a smartphone. We want to tell you a little about these important parameters so that you have a better understanding of the importance of memory in a smartphone.
How Does Memory Speed Affect Smartphone Performance?
Directly. For example, when we power on a smartphone, it reads the operating system from the internal storage and loads it onto the RAM. The time taken to complete this task depends on the speed of the internal storage, particularly random reads. A smartphone with faster internal storage will start up more quickly.
An additional scenario where smartphones often encounter lag and stutter is when we switch between demanding applications like PUBG Mobile and playing a video stored in the internal storage. The processor struggles to read and write data from and to the internal storage at a fast enough pace. In such cases, the internal storage becomes the bottleneck.
Not only do these tasks require significant resources, but even simpler ones like opening a PowerPoint presentation, compiling a Microsoft Word document, and switching between regular applications necessitate good random reads and writes from the internal storage to maintain smooth performance on the smartphone.
While flagship smartphones nowadays come equipped with UFS 3.0 storage, which offers impressive speed, most budget or some mid-range smartphones still use eMMC 5.1 storage, which is considerably slower than any UFS storage available.
Is Memory Capacity Important?
Even budget smartphones in 2019 and 2020 come with a minimum of 64 GB of internal storage, which is more than sufficient for approximately 80% of users. Having ample storage capacity is beneficial as it allows you to store more files. When your smartphone's storage reaches 90% capacity or more, it tends to slow down noticeably.
Furthermore, smartphones with higher storage capacity often exhibit better performance compared to their counterparts with lower memory. This can be attributed to NAND Flash technology, which functions more efficiently when it can write to larger memory blocks simultaneously.
According to Linustechtips, a storage capacity of 64 GB generally meets the needs of most users. However, you should think a little ahead. Of the amount of memory indicated on the box, you will have access to 10 GB less, which is approximately how much the operating system takes up. When the storage of a smartphone starts to fill up and there is less than 5 GB left, the device starts to work slower. In fact, when free memory drops to 5 GB, the speed drops very much, but in general, as the occupied space increases, performance gradually decreases. To freely use memory and maintain the speed of your smartphone, you need to take a quarter more memory than you need.
If smartphone performance is your priority, but you are tired of cleaning your memory, you can use a phone cleaner. For example, CleanUp is a phone app that has a smart garbage search. If you use the Cleanup App - Phone Cleaner, you can find temporary files, caches, similar images (mostly bad duplicates), and various duplicates on your device. Deleting all of the above does not affect your valuable data and frees up space. This is a convenient and simple option for clearing memory.
Storage Types
In 2024, prioritizing storage performance or speed is more crucial than storage capacity. To comprehend storage performance, let's first explore the various types of internal storage in modern smartphones.
Two primary storage types exist: eMMC (embedded Multi Media Card) and UFS (Universal Flash Storage). Budget smartphones commonly feature eMMC 5.1 storage, while most mid-range smartphones also utilize eMMC 5.1. A few mid-range models employ UFS 2.0. Flagship or top-of-the-line smartphones typically employ UFS 2.0, UFS 2.1, or UFS 3.0.
Conclusion
To ensure a seamless and satisfying user experience, it is crucial to choose a smartphone with ample storage capacity. While some users may find 128 GB sufficient, power users, content creators, and those planning to keep their devices for an extended period will greatly benefit from a minimum storage of 256 GB. By carefully assessing individual needs, considering the increasing size of apps and multimedia content, and analyzing usage patterns, users can make an informed decision that reflects their requirements and preferences. A smartphone with adequate storage not only saves time and money in the long term but also allows users to fully utilize their devices' capabilities in the modern digital age.