Is 256MB RAM too little?

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dclegg

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#90342 20-Sep-2011 08:27

I'm looking at buying a low-mid end Android phone for my 13 y/o daughter. She will primarily use it for SMS, a little light gaming, play the occasional song, and possibly a bit of Facebook access. I want to spend < $300 if possible, and currently have it narrowed down to the Huawei X3 and the LG Optimus One P500.

The X3 ticks most of the boxes, but the main area where the P500 has it beat is in the RAM stakes. The X3 only has 256MB whereas the P500 has 512MB. There are many other aspects about the X3 that I really like, and this memory difference is the only reason I've not purchased it yet. But considering my daughter's probable usage patterns, would 256MB end up being problematic, or is it pretty much a non-issue?

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#523365 20-Sep-2011 08:36

dclegg: I'm looking at buying a low-mid end Android phone for my 13 y/o daughter. She will primarily use it for SMS, a little light gaming, play the occasional song, and possibly a bit of Facebook access. I want to spend < $300 if possible, and currently have it narrowed down to the Huawei X3 and the LG Optimus One P500.

The X3 ticks most of the boxes, but the main area where the P500 has it beat is in the RAM stakes. The X3 only has 256MB whereas the P500 has 512MB. There are many other aspects about the X3 that I really like, and this memory difference is the only reason I've not purchased it yet. But considering my daughter's probable usage patterns, would 256MB end up being problematic, or is it pretty much a non-issue?

More RAM is always better.

256MB has been adequate to date....just.

512MB might future-proof the phone a bit (new firmware....and/or better re-sale value). If the price difference isn't huge, always go for more RAM. :-)

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richms

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#523377 20-Sep-2011 08:45

Depends on the apps that will be used.

Things like tweetdeck, facebook, the inbuilt gallery absolutely binge on ram.

Also check the amount of memory the phone has since the claims that you can expand android phones with a microSD are prettymuch lies. IMO all the cheap android phones are too slow and lacking in ram and memory to really be much use.

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dclegg

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#523378 20-Sep-2011 08:46

Linuxluver:
More RAM is always better.

Oh, I know that, and if the phone was for me, it would be a no brainer! But like I said, there are many things about the X3 that keep it in contention, including better looking hardware and a slightly slimmer profile. These are huge selling points for my daughter. I also like the notification light on the front (note to self: check if the P500 has that), and I'm sure my daughter would love the front facing camera for her numerous FB profile picture updates.

Also bear in mind that her primary "smartphone" device will be an iPod Touch. So any memory intensive handheld mobile computing needs will be well served by that (with the exception of cellular comms, of course). The Android is meant to give her a much better phone than her currently unreliable resistive touch Samsung with its proprietary and incredibly frustrating firmware.

If the price difference isn't huge, always go for more RAM. :-)

Heh. The P500 is actually $20 cheaper, which once again SHOULD make this decision a no-brainer. And yet it doesn't :-)

dclegg

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#523380 20-Sep-2011 08:49

richms:
Also check the amount of memory the phone has since the claims that you can expand android phones with a microSD are prettymuch lies. IMO all the cheap android phones are too slow and lacking in ram and memory to really be much use.

Thats one of the areas where the X3 appears to have the P500 beat. The P3 has 170MB internal memory, whereas the X3 has 512MB... although how much of that is user accessible is unclear.

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#523383 20-Sep-2011 08:54

I've got a HTC ChaCha here, with 512 MB. I have a few apps installed, and can only sync a week of emails before it complains of having only 15 MB free. I then followed the wizard to clear up some memory and reached the point where it will try and find apps to move to the SD card - and it said of all apps I have installed none were eligible.

More is better.

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dclegg

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#523386 20-Sep-2011 08:56

freitasm: I've got a HTC ChaCha here, with 512 MB. I have a few apps installed, and can only sync a week of emails before it complains of having only 15 MB free. I then followed the wizard to clear up some memory and reached the point where it will try and find apps to move to the SD card - and it said of all apps I have installed none were eligible.

More is better.

Just to be clear here, I'm talking about 256MB RAM. The phone with the lower RAM apparently has (much) greater internal memory for storage. Is that what you're talking about (sounds that way to me, but I'd best confirm :-))?

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#523421 20-Sep-2011 10:28

It is hard to confirm but looking at the specs they both have 512MB ROM so storage I would expect to be about the same. RAM is double on the P500 which should mean snappier opening of apps (as they will not be shoved out of RAM as more apps are opened). But maybe it will not make that much of a difference. Only just looking into Android so may be that it does not make much of a difference.
Trying to find out more about what apps can and cannot be moved onto the SD storage. Read the documentation and it sounds like lots can be moved. Read forums and it seems to be far more limited.

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dclegg

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#523427 20-Sep-2011 10:41

Nety: It is hard to confirm but looking at the specs they both have 512MB ROM so storage I would expect to be about the same

If they both have 512MB ROM (which I also recall reading on a spec sheet somewhere), what is the 170MB "Internal Memory" in the P500 referred to here? For comparison purposes, here is the specs for the X3 from the same site.

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#523428 20-Sep-2011 10:43

Even if they can be moved, it means no widgets, much slower and from what I have experienced, more crashes.

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#523432 20-Sep-2011 10:47

I would say it is not sufficient. It will make the phone so slow that your daughter will stop using it... which could be a blessing in disguise? :)

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#523470 20-Sep-2011 12:06

A few things to consider also for the X3;
Android 2.3 (LG has not released 2.3 in NZ for the P500 yet)
The P500 does not support flash X3 apparently does (have not seen this in action)

While these are features that may not appeal to a teenage girl it does weigh in the X3's favour as 2.3 is meant to be less ram hungry, plus between her ipod and flash enabled phone she be able to access the entire web anywhere with her wifi hotspot...

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#523481 20-Sep-2011 12:33

I am currently on a Motorola Milestone (256MB RAM, Android 2.1). I have had extensive time with a P500, none with a X3 though. I realise it's not quite the same thing but it may help.

By the sound of it, I use my device for loads more than your daughter would and I find the performance to be sufficient. Yes, there are times where it can go a little slow or lag, but on the whole it is quite good, and if it was a choice between this or the P500 I would choose this because I like the physical keyboard (although if it were running Android 2.2 it would be even better with the benefits that brings!). For me, the form factor is worth the little wait every now and then. In my experience, the community here are very likely to be worried about a bit of lag here and there, but I doubt your daughter will. So for yourself, the P500 would probably be better but for her it sounds like she has her heart set on the X3, and it certainly has a number of significant upsides in your eyes compared to one big downside.

Just my 2 cents.

PS: My device is one of these if you aren't familiar with it:
http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_milestone-3001.php

dclegg

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#523482 20-Sep-2011 12:34

loganjames: A few things to consider also for the X3;
Android 2.3 (LG has not released 2.3 in NZ for the P500 yet)
The P500 does not support flash X3 apparently does (have not seen this in action)

While these are features that may not appeal to a teenage girl it does weigh in the X3's favour as 2.3 is meant to be less ram hungry, plus between her ipod and flash enabled phone she be able to access the entire web anywhere with her wifi hotspot...

Yep, that is one of the larger pluses at the moment, and why I'm keen to find out whether 256MB would be good enough for the job. I also know that I can root the P500 and install a custom ROM, but thats not something I want to do to my daughter's phone. If I brick my own phone, thats fine. If I do it to hers.... not so much :-)

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#523485 20-Sep-2011 12:39

dclegg:
If they both have 512MB ROM (which I also recall reading on a spec sheet somewhere), what is the 170MB "Internal Memory" in the P500 referred to here? For comparison purposes, here is the specs for the X3 from the same site.

Rest is used by the the Android install any UI additions etc.

dclegg

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#523494 20-Sep-2011 13:05

Paulthager: ...it sounds like she has her heart set on the X3, and it certainly has a number of significant upsides in your eyes compared to one big downside.

Hehe, I hope she doesn't! This is a birthday present, and she knows nothing about it. My wife, OTOH, is leaning towards the X3 purely because of the aesthetics of the device. She knows nothing of the technical side of things, and is leaving that up to me to decide.

Thanks for your feedback. It confirms my suspicion that 256MB should probably be sufficient for her needs. And no matter which one we chose, I can guarantee it will be a marked improvement over the hideous Samsung GT-B3410 she currently owns... although I'm hoping she doesn't miss the physical keyboard too much. I would investigate the Milestone, but I'm trying to narrow down choices here, not introduce more :-)

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