Yup the Snapdragon 820 hasn’t appeared in a phone yet, but that isn’t stopping rumour about the Snapdragon 830 and its insane RAM support.
Take this news with a pinch of salt, but sources in China have already started to discuss the possible specs of the Snapdragon 830 processor, codename MSM8998, and its the fact it will be able to support 8GB RAM!
Snapdragon 830
This year we have seen phones launch with up to 4GB RAM, and 3GB RAM is the norm, but at the end of 2016 we could see phones released with as much as 8GB RAM. Apparently the Snapdragon 830 will be build around a 10nm manufacturing process which will improve efficiency and speed.
Gizchina News of the week
So 8GB RAM, do you really need it? In a word no, well at least not today and not for the near future. There are phones on the market today that run just fine on 2-3GB RAM, and even 4GB is seen as excessive to some users. 8GB RAM sounds great on paper and is sure to earn you bragging rights but its not necessary, yet.
Well that could be great for mobile computing…
For example with usb C 3.1 port that supports thunderbolt 3. you could use it as regular computer. http://mashable.com/2015/11/30/usb-c-thunderbolt-3-dell/#eB1L1x14M8qw
It’s better to have faster ram, instead of more ram!
However ram department is one of the areas where companies purposefully slow down market’s development: “3GB RAM is the norm”… yeah, talk to nexus 5X! Or to all of the “flagship” launched this year with 3gb of ram onboard although 4gb would be natural for them (“s5 only had 2gb of ram, so no need for a 4gb ram s6: we’ll stick with 3gb and spare the 4gb gimmick for s7’s marketing advertisement” – samsung).
So yeah, no need to worry: we won’t see so mach unuseful ram for a long time.
More RAM is more important than faster RAM. Faster RAM provides little better performance, but if you run out of RAM you will get major performance drops.
Android does not work like that, if there isn’t a serious bug!
Android exactly does work like that. When you run out of RAM it will kill the apps and run them from NAND memory which is orders of magnitude slower than RAM.
Did you ever check Anandtech article about that LPDDR4 performance gain on S6?
No i haven’t read the article, and I don’t know everything in the matter, but: isn’t android supposed to recall the app from nand when you need it back?! We are not talking about a 512mb ram phones here, we are talking about 3/4 gb ram devices! It’s almost insane to oversaturate 4gb of ram with everything android has to offer by now!
If app is killed because of low free RAM or bad memory management, you will feel lag and reloading apps and pages. You can see it in some phone speed comparisons on Youtube. Some Android skins uses more RAM like Touchwiz, those are consequently beaten by lighter Android UIs.
I bet some of the brands will find a way to implement 8GB RAM worst possible way.
I bet Doogee will announce an 8GB phone tomorrow, which will actually ship with 1GB stcks with 8GB stickers.
AHAHAHHAAHH !
hey, leave them alone!!!
I have been using a blackberry 8900 until now (my phone doesn’t work anymore) and I never had a
chance
to use a smartphone under android. I am right now hesitating between
the MI4C Advanced version and the Redmi Note 3. I am wondering if I will
get used to a 5.5 inch screen
phone. Note 3 has a 76mm width, Mi4c
almost 70mm. I could get the Advanced Mi4c at 227€ and the Redmi Note 3
at 184€ without shipping costs of course. I know that the MI5 will be
anounced soon but I can’t wait until Feb 2016. Regarding the
battery,
it will be more easy to remove the back cover of the Mi4c if I have to
replace it in the future. Don’t know how the battery survive inside
these phones. That being said, I do not have small
hands too (I would say normal). Hope to see a Redmi Note 3 review soon so I could decide which phone to buy.
Which
phone will have a better life? I think components used for the MI4C is a
lot better compared to the Note 3. What do you think? After seeing some
reviews screen and camera is a lot better on the MI4C.
Thanks.
Camera and display of the Mi 4c will be better.
Size is up to you. You can find out which is better for you at local stores with similar sized phones.
I can say handling of the Note 3 won’t be so easy. Metal build phones tends to be slippery. It’s wide and thick. It has rounded edges which helps handling, but back is flat. Arched backs fits your palm better.
Both has sealed batteries so if your battery need replacement you need to find a service center can repair it assuming at the time Xiaomi still didn’t enter your country. I don’t think first 3 years you will need a battery replacement, if you didn’t get a faulty unit. Otherwise it depends on amount of charge cycles.
If you are gonna nearly discharge it twice in a day it will wear out more quickly than average user’s. There are articles about to slowing down your battery’s degradation.
Thanks for your help, I would love to wait for the MI5 but I really don’t know when it will be available for international buyers. Some analysts says that the phone will be anounced this month and it will be released around February 2016 through resellers. I mean the wait could be longer to see the Xiaomi MI5. That being said, according the news I got reading some articles around the price for the basic version for the MI5 will be around 400$ for the 16GB version. It is above my budget, moreover resellers tend to add a premium then I have to pay shipping costs too. I mean Xiaomi will not sell the MI5 at 350$ which is already above my budget.
I don’t need the fastest phone in the market but the pretty decent phone for the price paid (performance/price paid). The Redmi Note 3 is really tempting me but like you said I will have to buy a silicone case cover for better handling which will make the phone wider. Some users recommended me the Redmi Note 2 which has similar specs to Note 3 but the later one offers more options and has a better design. Wish the Xiaomi MI4C was 5.2″ but I can live with its screen size. Wondering if MI4C has heating issue? I just saw a video on youtube to disassemble the MI4C which is not very complicated. Might be useful we never know. To remove the battery of the Note 3 it will be more difficult I think.
Helio X12 appeared on some news, writers extrapolate that it will be used in the next Redmi 3 phone which will be a 5″ inch phone. Wondering when it will be released and if it is really true regarding the specs. I mean that I don’t want to wait cos new phones are coming all the time.
What would you do if you were me?
The Mi5 most definitely will be equipped with the Snapdragon 820. Qualcomm revealed that the SD820 phones will be available on the market at Q1 2016. So February is a good guess for the first SD820 handsets. Mi5 might be among the first adopters of it, moreover Xiaomi has not released a real high-end device for a long long time. They need it soon.
But this year Xiaomi was the first announced a SD810 phone if I remember right, but it’s actual launch came many months later and other brands released their own SD810 devices before Mi Note Pro.
About the price, usual price for the Mi flagships was starting from 1999 yuan ($320) and 2499 yuan ($400) for the 64GB model. Keep in mind yuan lost its value a bit this year.
This year I’m involved some heated debates here about the prices of new Xiaomi phones. For an example Mi Note Pro 64GB announced with 3299 yuan price tag which was way above Xiaomi’s traditional flagship price range. Before its actual launch price dropped to 2999 yuan.
At first half of the year new Xiaomi phones priced unwisely IMO, but at second half I think they recognized their mistake. Mi4c, Redmi Note 2 and now Redmi Note 3 is great, cost wise.
So I’m more optimistic about upcoming Mi5’s price now. Mi5 with cheaper than 1999 yuan is unlikely, though you can never know.
They have released Redmi Note 2 and Redmi Note 3 cheaper than original Redmi Note. They can make a cheaper variant of Mi5 with Helio X20 and/or some other different components.
16GB base model without external memory won’t work for high-end devices anymore IMO. If they are smart enough they won’t come out with it.
Assuming its starting point will be 1999 yuan, until a couple of months after its initial release reseller prices will be around $400 at least I guess hence strong demand and weak supply.
Traditionally Redmi is cheaper and slower than Redmi Note counterpart. If there gonna be a Redmi 3, that rumored Helio X12 won’t be in it. Moreover I’m not sure there is a dire need for Redmi 3 right now.
Starting price of the Redmi Note 2 is the same with the original Redmi and Redmi 1s. Of course its in a smaller form factor, but I’m not sure that the size is a major selling point for Chinese Redmi purchasers.
It’s a hard question to answer what I would do if I were you. Mi5 likely gonna be expensive for your budget. You have doubts about the size of the Redmi Note 3 too as I understand. Mi 4c seems a safer bet for you to me.
I think I will follow your advice, I will go in a shop and compare 5 and 5.5 inch phones in order to get a proper idea regarding the size. I am really tempted to wait for the MI5 but I will have to wait for at least 3 months until its availability. Maybe you are right, Xiaomi will probably different variants of the MI5 with different components. I think that I will go for a mid range phone now and use it until the availability of the MI5 and its variants. Thanks Guaire!
More RAM is always better but 8GB is overkill for Android at this point.
Hi balco, what would you suggest to buy between the Prime Mi4c, Redmi Note 3 or Note 2?
If it was me I would get Note 3.
Thanks, I have been using a blackberry 8900 until now so I never had a smartphone before. Wondering if I will get used to a 5.5 inch screen phone. Note 2 & 3 have 76mm width, Mi4c almost 70mm. I could get the prime Mi4c at 227€ without shipping costs. I know that the MI5 will be anounced soon but I can’t wait until Feb 2016. If I have to change the battery, it will be more easy to remove the back cover of the Mi4c instead the Redmi Note 3. Don’t know how the battery survive inside those phones. Letv 1s is an amazing looking phone but I am scared to be lost without community support. That being said, I do not have small hands too. I will think about it, just hoping to see a Redmi Note 3 soon so I could decide quickly.
Hey Balco, which phone do you think does a better job on audio, and camera? letv le 1s v Redmi Note 3? Thanks man.
Letv le one (the first one) does better than 1s in this moment… Don’t know if some ota will solve the problem, since they have the same sensor! Redmi note 3… I don’t think someone can actually tell, i haven’t seen any review around yet! The sensor should be the same on redmi note 2, and it’s good but not the best… Same goes with audio: in this case, letv does better
I would like to have your opinion regarding a purchase, I really like the MI4C and am interested by the Redmi Note 3.
I have been using a blackberry 8900 until now (my phone doesn’t work anymore) and I never had a
chance to use a smartphone under android. I am right now hesitating between the MI4C Advanced version and the Redmi Note 3. I am wondering if I will get used to a 5.5 inch screen
phone. Note 3 has a 76mm width, Mi4c almost 70mm. I could get the Advanced Mi4c at 227€ and the Redmi Note 3 at 184€ without shipping costs of course. I know that the MI5 will be
anounced soon but I can’t wait until Feb 2016. Regarding the
battery, it will be more easy to remove the back cover of the Mi4c if I have to replace it in the future. Don’t know how the battery survive inside
these phones. That being said, I do not have small
hands too (I would say normal). Hope to see a Redmi Note 3 review soon so I could decide which phone to buy.
Which phone will have a better life? I think components used for the MI4C is a lot better compared to the Note 3. What do you think? After seeing some reviews screen and camera is a lot better on the MI4C.
Thanks.
It’s almost impossible to have a straight comparison, as you know note 3’s aren’t out yet. We don’t know for sure, chances are note 3 is mostly based on note 2, so camera, screen and audio may be similar… In that’s the case, the camera in mi4c should be better, but again: we don’t know for sure!
About durability of components: it’s xiaomi we’re talking about, not “average jim wong kung phone maker”… Build quality is hardly an issue!
The screen size is another thing: it goes for everyone’s preferences of course, but usually the ones complaining about screen size are usually the ones who’ve never tried a bigger screen… Before this 5.5″ I’m writing with, i had a 4” and i was scared by the jump, but after something like 10 minutes of use i was like “I’ll never be able to go back to a small screen again” xD and the same is for many other users… Don’t know, try and go somewhere with some smartphones exposed and try botg a 5 and 5.5 inch, maybe you’ll understand better which one fits you tge better!
All in all, both mi4c and note 3 have their pros and cons… Personally i would pic neither, and go for the note 2 instead: it’s cheap, removable battery, microsd support… It may not have mi4c’s camera, but has many other things going for it!
Thank you for your reply, I will go in a shop tomorrow and compare 5 and 5.5 inch phones in order to decide. Your comments are really helping. All the best! 😀
Glad to be somehow useful! 😀
if you build it, they will come. 🙂
Chrome right now doesn’t support extensions primarily because smartphones don’t have enough ram to support that ecosystem.
Games could clearly use it, for higher quality textures. High quality textures do a lot for gaming and dont significantly increase the gpu compute demands.
Most current chrome extensions are available in the play store as apps with the same functionality. Very few are exclusive to Chrome, most dev’s won’t bother with it, and most consumers would just download the app instead.
All of those games you mentioned aren’t being ported, they are developing specific versions for the mobile platform. And all of them are playable on a device with at least 2GB of RAM.
about chrome, I’m surprised to read this. Just back in may on the reddit AMA, google answered that they were not ready to bring chrome extensions to android at all. src: https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/35v8gi/we_are_the_chrome_for_android_team_ama/
about the games: no Im pretty sure some are ports. More would be if there was more RAM.
All the ones you listed are separate apps, there be some that are ports. Google has no reason to bring Chrome extensions to Android, they would compete with apps which Google makes a lot more money on.
To effectively have 8gb ram, an SOC would have to have a die-size of at least 147mm square..at least on 16nm like the upcoming Apple A9X chipset..In comparison, the i5 skylake intel dual core processors are only 96mm (14nm) so there’s absolutely no chance of having 8gb ram in a smartphone even on 10nm..Tablets on tbe other hand… This could seriously make it worthwhile having a windows 10 tablet
new 6GB of ram from samsung built in 20nm and smaller than the current
This could seriously make it worthwhile having a windows 10 tablet
Tablets using CherryTrail SOCs already have 8GB onboard, check Z8700 tablets like Teclast X16 POWER (8/64 GB)
BTW i think you’re right, 8GB RAM is the beginning of serious tablet computing (if SOC perfs are OK)
a bigger problem is that they would have to abandon ePOP dram and probably go with TSV-style 3d dram like on a PC, which would make the ram slower than it should be.
but but … I GAME on mobiles !
This is prof that Android is bad project. Shame of Linux family.