8GB or 16GB - Does it really matter?

[aidanbree]

There seems to be some good deals around on the 8GB model at the moment but not for the 16GB. Obviously more memory is always better - the phone it will replace is the Samsung S2 which has been memory bound, however with an SD slot in the Moto G will it actually be an issue having less onboard?

I know that Android M has ability to use SD cards for system storage and that it hasn't been released yet. This can only be a few weeks away?

At near half the price of the 16GB, is the 8GB a much better purchase?

 

[jlmcr87]

What about the difference in RAM? 2gb better than 1.

 

[aidanbree]

What about the difference in RAM? 2gb better than 1.

Oh, I hadn't appreciated that - thanks for pointing that out....I guess it could be a bit of a dog without enough RAM?

 

[JackSparrow17]

Size does matters my friends....

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk

 

[skyblaster]

My 1GB RAM model is pretty great for the price. Battery life is fantastic, however having the low_ram flag enabled in build.prop is a bit of an issue for some apps.
https://forums.motorola.com/posts/5092b3f241

 

[u42671]

1 GB RAM vs. 2 GB RAM really does make a difference.

Initially I bought the 1 GB Moto G, as here in Germany the 2 GB version is only available with a hefty price tag via Moto Maker. Later on replaced this with a 2 GB Moto G ordered from Amazon Italy (less expensive than the 1 GB version here in Germany ).

At first glance performance is pretty much the same.
Though the 2 GB version can keep more apps in memory in the background.
With 1 GB I had sometimes the problem that Android did kill e.g. the Music player running in the background while surfing the web with Google Chrome (Chrome is a huge memory hog).
So far I didn't have such issues with the 2 GB Moto G.

Also the 2 GB version is for sure more future proof. Which is important if you are not willing to buy a new phone every 1-2 years.
My previous phone was a Samsung Galaxy S Plus. Which was perfectly ok for my everyday tasks since I think back in 2011 until a few weeks ago - thanks to good custom ROM support.
What made me exchange it for the Moto G in the end was the performance bottle neck caused by the lack of free memory (512 MB) and not the CPU or the rest of the hardware.
So I hope thanks to 2 GB RAM the Moto G will last me at least as long as my old Galaxy S Plus.

 

[SirSoviet]

It doesn't really matter if you picked up a high speed SD card and use Marshmallow. I've seen no problems with the external SD -> internal SD feature.

About the RAM difference, you should use virtualized RAM as soon as you can if you're using the 1 GB model.

 

[hp420]

I only paid the extra because of that extra 1gb of ram. Believe me...it matters!! If you want to keep app updates coming, xposed modules running, etc etc....you need that extra ram. This is a great phone out of the box, but if you're here and you're asking, you're probably not leaving it untouched

 

[rouyal]

I've got the 1gb model, and never found myself wanting more. Of course I keep my use simple. But for what I do, its more than enough.

 

[quakeaz]

My previous device had 1 GB of RAM. In my opinion, the 2 GB is definitely worth the extra cash. The multitasking difference is night and day to me, and I no longer have to worry about what is running in the background slowing the device down. I do a fair amount of gaming on Android as well, it is nice to sit back and play a game with Pandora or similar running without the OS killing it to free up memory for the game.

 

[theundead176]

The 2gb makes it much more future proof. I have the 2gb version and I have never had to close any app most of the time. With 1gb of ram, you will have to close apps much more often making multi tasking a little more difficult.

 

[christopherrrg]

It doesn't really matter if you picked up a high speed SD card and use Marshmallow. I've seen no problems with the external SD -> internal SD feature.

About the RAM difference, you should use virtualized RAM as soon as you can if you're using the 1 GB model.

What is 'virtualized ram?'

I'm in the boat with the 1 giggers and I'm curious how to do that.

I mainly use this phone for office tasks and it performs incredibly, but hey! An increase is an increase right?

Also curious about the posters response about low_ram flag.

 

[SirSoviet]

What is 'virtualized ram?'

I'm in the boat with the 1 giggers and I'm curious how to do that.

I mainly use this phone for office tasks and it performs incredibly, but hey! An increase is an increase right?

Also curious about the posters response about low_ram flag.

In Kernel Adiutor there is a Virtual Memory section and if you scroll down all the way there is a slider called Z-RAM. You can adjust the size of the memory there. Instead of using a swap file this compresses the RAM, making room for extra storage. But it has downsides, the extra processing required to compress the RAM eats the battery at a slightly faster rate.


I haven't heard about the low_ram flag, I'm afraid that I cannot tell you about it.

 

[christopherrrg]

In Kernel Adiutor there is a Virtual Memory section and if you scroll down all the way there is a slider called Z-RAM. You can adjust the size of the memory there. Instead of using a swap file this compresses the RAM, making room for extra storage. But it has downsides, the extra processing required to compress the RAM eats the battery at a slightly faster rate.


I haven't heard about the low_ram flag, I'm afraid that I cannot tell you about it.

Thanks! It passed me honestly because I haven't messed around with any kernels since my n5. Usually just flash and let it fly lol I'm gonna check it out now though, appreciate the push!