Samsung did it again! Crappie Note 7 memory (RAM) management!

[viniciusrsouza]

I almost posted this to the discussion thread, but I truly think this deserves an exclusive topic!

Yes, guys, Samsung did it again. Just like Note 5, we now have a crappie RAM management that simply reloads every app and websites again after alternating recent apps/games. Just take a look at this first speed test side by side comparison to the iPhone 6S, made by this YouTube channel. Extremely disappointing! This is absolutely unacceptable for a so expensive device like this! Even worse, but being able to correct manage 4 GB of RAM is ridiculous!

I already ordered a Spigen Wallet S cover and I'm just waiting for Brazilian pre-order to start, but now I need to confess that I'm a bit desperate due to this performance, mainly because this simply doesn't occur when using my Galaxy Note 3!

Anyway, here it goes:

Edit: Another video added! Now against OP3.

 

[greyhulk]

I almost posted this to the discussion thread, but I truly think this deserves an exclusive topic!

Yes, guys, Samsung did it again. Just like Note 5, we now have a crappie RAM management that simply reloads every app and websites again after alternating recent apps/games. Just take a look at this first speed test side by side comparison to the iPhone 6S, made by this YouTube channel. Extremely disappointing! This is absolutely unacceptable for a so expensive device like this! Even worse, but being able to correct manage 4 GB of RAM is ridiculous!

I already ordered a Spigen Wallet S cover and I'm just waiting for Brazilian pre-order to start, but now I need to confess that I'm a bit desperate due to this performance, mainly because this simply doesn't occur when using my Galaxy Note 3!

Anyway, here it goes:

Yeah, as soon as I saw this video, I considered canceling my order. I'm holding out hope that the Snapdragon model doesn't have this issue, but if it does, I'll simply return it. I don't care how much of a fanboy you are, there is simply NO EXCUSE for this on a $900 flagship device with 4gb of RAM.

 

[PsiPhiDan]

I understand some frustration, but so people really treat their phones this way in real life? How much app switching do you do? 1 second versus 0.8 seconds really isn't a big deal for most people. Canceling an order over this seems a bit... Hasty.

Sent from my SM-N920V using XDA-Developers mobile app

 

[notefreak]

That is pretty crappy. I hope they fix it.

 

[jah]

I understand some frustration, but so people really treat their phones this way in real life? How much app switching do you do? 1 second versus 0.8 seconds really isn't a big deal for most people. Canceling an order over this seems a bit... Hasty.

Sent from my SM-N920V using XDA-Developers mobile app

Shows Samsung have not engineered the device properly. Even OnePlus got this right.

Sent from my LG-H850 using XDA-Developers mobile app

 

[viniciusrsouza]

I understand some frustration, but so people really treat their phones this way in real life? How much app switching do you do? 1 second versus 0.8 seconds really isn't a big deal for most people. Canceling an order over this seems a bit... Hasty.

Sent from my SM-N920V using XDA-Developers mobile app

I truly don't bother about milliseconds delay when opening apps or even seconds more to open games (nowadays it's even pretty rare to me playing games, to be honest), as we saw in the video. The real deal is this frustrating, disappointing and, mainly, irritating "reload everything issue" that was so much discussed when Note 5 was released and recently was so criticized also about the latest 1+ device.

We expect low end devices to throw a cold water bucket on our heads while reloading everything we pick under recent apps, but this is unacceptable for the most expensive phone in the world! This is so basic.

And this is not something about not being real life. This is something about the same issue that Note 5 (don't know if S7 also) faced. You don't need to open multiple games. Just alternate between some light apps and this will be sufficient to TouchWiz kill them at background.

Also, this is ridiculous for a phone that claims itself to be a multitasking monster and it's even able to open multiple apps at once at the same time, splitting screen and/or through those bubbles S Pen feature.

For example, I'm writing all of this using my Note 3 and already alterned between weather app, Google app, Inbox and even Google Translator to help me writing this. Just imagine now if I was using Note 7 and this f* Samsung TouchWiz killing background apps thing just reloaded all my 4 Chrome tabs when I returned to it! I would have lost EVERYTHING I typed!

This is not something we can deal of we can handle/accept. No way!

Shows Samsung have not engineered the device properly. Even OnePlus got this right.

Sent from my LG-H850 using XDA-Developers mobile app

Yeah, but it got an update to correct this issue. Originally it wasn't right. I remember watching some videos on YouTube about it. So I really have hope Samsung will fix this pretty soon also!

 

[mankvl]

There should be an update for sure Even S7E have a better RAM management. I understand killing games but Youtube and browser or other light apps? Cmon Samsung that's plain stupid.

 

[jah]

I truly don't bother about milliseconds delay when opening apps or even seconds more to open games (nowadays it's even pretty rare to me playing games, to be honest), as we saw in the video. The real deal is this frustrating, disappointing and, mainly, irritating "reload everything issue" that was so much discussed when Note 5 was released and recently was so criticized also about the latest 1+ device.

We expect low end devices to throw a cold water bucket on our heads while reloading everything we pick under recent apps, but this is unacceptable for the most expensive phone in the world! This is so basic.

And this is not something about not being real life. This is something about the same issue that Note 5 (don't know if S7 also) faced. You don't need to open multiple games. Just alternate between some light apps and this will be sufficient to TouchWiz kill them at background.

Also, this is ridiculous for a phone that claims itself to be a multitasking monster and it's even able to open multiple apps at once at the same time, splitting screen and/or through those bubbles S Pen feature.

For example, I'm writing all of this using my Note 3 and already alterned between weather app, Google app, Inbox and even Google Translator to help me writing this. Just imagine now if I was using Note 7 and this f* Samsung TouchWiz killing background apps thing just reloaded all my 4 Chrome tabs when I returned to it! I would have lost EVERYTHING I typed!

This is not something we can deal of we can handle/accept. No way!



Yeah, but it got an update to correct this issue. Originally it wasn't right. I remember watching some videos on YouTube about it. So I really have hope Samsung will fix this pretty soon also!

My point is that Oneplus is a tiny company compared to Samsung. Samsung should get it right when their product is double the price of the Oneplus 3.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using XDA-Developers mobile app

 

[greyhulk]

I understand some frustration, but so people really treat their phones this way in real life? How much app switching do you do? 1 second versus 0.8 seconds really isn't a big deal for most people. Canceling an order over this seems a bit... Hasty.

Sent from my SM-N920V using XDA-Developers mobile app

So, you're telling me you're okay with paying $900 for a device that has 4gb of RAM yet can't even keep two apps running in the background with said RAM? Because that's sad. I feel like people who downplay this have no idea how a smartphone is supposed to work. If you need an example, see the Galaxy S7 an S7 Edge, both made by Samsung, both of which handle RAM management very well. There is literally no excuse for Samsung to set the app cache settings so low on this phone.

People try to defend them by saying "battery life", but that just speaks to a severe ignorance in how RAM is utilized. Sure, if you have a badly coded app running in the background, it will take some extra battery, but for the most part, it takes MORE battery to reload the apps over and over because that's taxing the processor. It's also inexcusable on a device that is supposed to be a multitasking powerhouse for power users.

Hasty? Practical. I fell for Samsung's crap last year with the Note 5 and didn't return it in time. It took them months and an entire new version of Android to rectify the bad RAM management in that device and mine sat in a drawer because I couldn't stand to use it in its crippled state. I'm not going through that again. Not when there are devices for half the price that actually perform like they should.

 

[durandetto]

I have the note 5 and my background apps rarely reload when I switch back and forth.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

 

[BarryH_GEG]

I have the note 5 and my background apps rarely reload when I switch back and forth.

I can't believe this video has been posted in three different threads in this and the T-Mobile Note7 forum. Comparing any Android phone to an iPhone is like comparing a diesel car to a gasoline powered one. The two OS's are totally different in their approach to performance. The iPhone 6 with 1GB of RAM out benchmarked Android and the 6s only has 2MB of RAM. There are threads here where people are up in arms the Note7 only has 4GB.

As for memory management there's a balance between keeping multiple apps alive in the background for convenience and keeping too many open which impacts battery life. This is what caused all the recent drama with the OnePlus 3 and its 6GB of RAM keeping fewer apps open than the S7-series. Here's a quote from the OnePlus founder.

After a comparison video earlier this week showed us that the OnePlus 3’s 6GB of RAM might not give it the insane multitasking capabilities we all hoped, OnePlus CEO Carl Pei has responded with a few clarifications surrounding RAM management on the OnePlus 3. On paper, 6GB of RAM would lead most users to believe that they could easily have several apps open at a time without anything reloading, however upon getting devices, many users have found that the phone can only hold 3 or 4 apps in memory before removing them. Why is that the case? Pei [the OnePlus founder] quite simply responded by saying that OnePlus has a “different strategy for RAM management that benefits battery”. While battery is definitely a valid concern with the OnePlus 3 considering the smaller 3,000 mAh capacity, it’s definitely a bit disappointing to see performance given up in exchange. That said however, there is a way to get around this. Carl Pei explained in another tweet that the RAM management can be adjusted in third-party ROMs. So with other ROMs that should be released pretty soon, developers could easily change the RAM management to a far less aggressive setting. A potential fix using the first party ROM is currently floating around on XDA, but Pei reminds us that RAM management is handled by more than just the build.prop, so don’t put too much faith in that “fix”.

http://9to5google.com/2016/06/17/on...-surrounding-ram-management-on-the-oneplus-3/​

Samsung took huge flack on the S6 because it only kept 3-4 background apps alive. It improved on the Note5 to 5-7 which is what I've experienced over the past year. I'd expect similar performance in the Note7. With all the unique strengths and features the Note7 has if the number of background apps open is a top priority maybe folks should reconsider their purchase decision.

 

[gekkehenkie11]

Comparing any Android phone to an iPhone is like comparing a diesel car to a gasoline powered one.

What's wrong with doing that ? If you see that the gasoline powered one is much faster, that might then be a reason to buy that one. Even more so if it's cheaper (like the iphone is nowadays).

As for memory management there's a balance between keeping multiple apps alive in the background for convenience and keeping too many open which impacts battery life. This is what caused all the recent drama with the OnePlus 3 and its 6GB of RAM keeping fewer apps open than the S7-series. Here's a quote from the OnePlus founder.

After a comparison video earlier this week showed us that the OnePlus 3’s 6GB of RAM might not give it the insane multitasking capabilities we all hoped, OnePlus CEO Carl Pei has responded with a few clarifications surrounding RAM management on the OnePlus 3. On paper, 6GB of RAM would lead most users to believe that they could easily have several apps open at a time without anything reloading, however upon getting devices, many users have found that the phone can only hold 3 or 4 apps in memory before removing them. Why is that the case? Pei [the OnePlus founder] quite simply responded by saying that OnePlus has a “different strategy for RAM management that benefits battery”. While battery is definitely a valid concern with the OnePlus 3 considering the smaller 3,000 mAh capacity, it’s definitely a bit disappointing to see performance given up in exchange. That said however, there is a way to get around this. Carl Pei explained in another tweet that the RAM management can be adjusted in third-party ROMs. So with other ROMs that should be released pretty soon, developers could easily change the RAM management to a far less aggressive setting. A potential fix using the first party ROM is currently floating around on XDA, but Pei reminds us that RAM management is handled by more than just the build.prop, so don’t put too much faith in that “fix”.

​

Ram usage itself has absolutely nothing to do with battery usage. Unused ram cells don't consume less battery. What this guy is saying though is that background processes can use CPU cycles: when accumulated CPU cycles cause the CPU to boost its speed, then it will have an impact on battery life. But that's more due to badly written apps, why would a game that the user is not playing want to stress the CPU ? It's like facebook, that's a perfect example of a horrible written app. Regardless off how many apps you are running, that app will drain battery due to doing tons of stuff in the background and keeping your phone awake. So it's not a matter of how many apps you are running simultaneously, it's a matter of which apps you are running.​

 

[GeoFX]

Entitlement runs amok. Nobody has a gun to your head and is forcing you to buy it. The other 99% of people who would buy this phone won't care.

 

[gekkehenkie11]

Entitlement runs amok. Nobody has a gun to your head and is forcing you to buy it. The other 99% of people who would buy this phone won't care.

Man it's just frustration. We all want to buy this phone because it looks so sleak, has this nice catchy iris scanner etc. But then again, it means you'll have to deal with Touchwiz and all of its problems and Samsung's horrible update policy again. The alternative is buying the HTC Nexus next month but that device doesn't nearly look as cool, let alone have new features like an iris scanner. If Samsung would make the Nexus, now that would be a device to look forward to

 

[GeoFX]

Man it's just frustration. We all want to buy this phone because it looks so sleak, has this nice catchy iris scanner etc. But then again, it means you'll have to deal with Touchwiz and all of its problems and Samsung's horrible update policy again. The alternative is buying the HTC Nexus next month but that device doesn't nearly look as cool, let alone have new features like an iris scanner. If Samsung would make the Nexus, now that would be a device to look forward to

You can't have it both ways nor can you expect Samsung to listen to bunch of people on xda to devote time and resources to fix things. The limitations of Touchwiz can be 80% mitigated by spending $2 on Nova Prime if you truly hate it.

People need to seriously prioritize what they expect in the phone. Again, nobody is forcing you to buy the phone and if RAM managment or an unlocked bootloader is really that necessary, get a HTC, OnePlus, or the upcoming Nexus. I expect people who can afford a $850 phone to have other more important priorities in their purchasing decisions.

 

[-BoneZ-]

Comparing any Android phone to an iPhone is like comparing

It was also compared to the Note 5 which had the same issue until it was eventually fixed. This information was available in the OP had you read instead of skimmed.

And it doesn't matter what OS is running: Android, IOS, Mac, Windows, Linux, etc., no app should completely reload after it has already been started.

I have the note 5 and my background apps rarely reload when I switch back and forth.

If you had read the post above yours, you would have noticed that the issue had been subsequently fixed in a later patch on the Note 5.


Come on, people: read, don't skim.

 

[gekkehenkie11]

The limitations of Touchwiz can be 80% mitigated by spending $2 on Nova Prime if you truly hate it.

That's nonsense. A launcher itself wont change anything regarding the deeper/core android processes like the ram management.

I expect people who can afford a $850 phone to have other more important priorities in their purchasing decisions.

I dont know. What I do know is that a lot of Iphone users buy the phone, partly, because they love the smoothness of the interface. In fact I recently spoke to a friend of mine who is a really smart university grad in IT, I found out he was on Iphone which surprised me a bit. When I asked him why he said he couldnt stand Android's interface. I said "You mean Touchwiz". He said "what" ? Lol. What I'm saying is, most people dont even know what Touchwiz is, but they do see that a Samsung phone is just not running as smooth as an iphone and I'm 100% confident that that DOES cause people to buy an iphone over a Galaxy.

 

[-BoneZ-]

I expect people who can afford a $850 phone to have other more important priorities in their purchasing decisions.

If you're paying for the most expensive device available, you will want to do with it whatever you want (unlocked bootloader, ROM it, etc.). It should operate near-flawlessly. Or quickly be patched to. You should demand the absolute best.

Telling people to just accept whatever they get when spending that much money for a device is just unacceptable. Like the old adage goes:

"You get what you pay for."


There's a reason why there are cheaper vehicles, boats, homes, etc. The cheaper they are, the less you're going to get out of them.

Multi-tasking is non-existent when apps reload after they've already been loaded. This is a deal-breaker. I won't be purchasing this device now until it's been fixed. There's zero excuses for a the most expensive flagship device available to have such a glaring and easily-fixable flaw.

 

[GeoFX]

That's nonsense. A launcher itself wont change anything regarding the deeper android processes like the ram management.



I dont know. What I do know is that a lot of Iphone users buy the phone, partly, because they love the smoothness of the interface. In fact I recently spoke to a friend of mine who is a really smart university grad in IT, I found out he was on Iphone which surprised me a bit. When I asked him why he said he couldnt stand Android's interface. I said "You mean Touchwiz". He said "what" ? Lol. What I'm saying is, most people dont even know what Touchwiz is, but they do see that a Samsung phone is just not running as smooth as an iphone and I'm 100% confident that that DOES cause people to buy an iphone over a Galaxy.

I was responding directly to the Touchwiz comment and it's limitations. The RAM management issues go beyond Touchwiz and is probably kernel related.

So who cares about why people by an Iphone vs. a Samsung? It's not like Samsung is losing sleep over the perceived crappy RAM management of their phones affecting sales. I still state that people who can afford a flagship Samsung phone vs. other android phones have other priorities than worrying about this stuff when making their purchase. Things like design, a S-pen, smaller form factors for a given screen size, wireless charging, etc. would be better justifications. Again, if you need the other stuff for dev work or "full" control, get another phone. Samsung won't change anything for people here on XDA so it's pointless having angst over this stuff.

---------- Post added at 10:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:50 AM ----------

If you're paying for the most expensive device available, you will want to do with it whatever you want (unlocked bootloader, ROM it, etc.). It should operate near-flawlessly. Or quickly be patched to. You should demand the absolute best.

Telling people to just accept whatever they get when spending that much money for a device is just unacceptable. Like the old adage goes:

"You get what you pay for."


There's a reason why there are cheaper vehicles, boats, homes, etc. The cheaper they are, the less you're going to get out of them.

Multi-tasking is non-existent when apps reload after they've already been loaded. This is a deal-breaker. I won't be purchasing this device now until it's been fixed. There's zero excuses for a the most expensive flagship device available to have such a glaring and easily-fixable flaw.

Maybe for you but for the 99% of the people purchasing this phone who cares? People don't refuse to buy BMWs anymore because they took away the dipstick to check oil (which they have for close to the past 10 years). Don't think for a minute that you're important enough for Samsung to care that you won't buy the phone because of perceived flaws. I find it hilarious when people ***** about not having root or an unlocked bootloader on a phone and when they finally do get that they cry about not being able to use Samsung Pay. Duh...that's the reason why these phones are locked to begin with.

 

[gekkehenkie11]

I was responding directly to the Touchwiz comment and it's limitations. The RAM management issues go beyond Touchwiz and is probably kernel related.

So who cares about why people by an Iphone vs. a Samsung? It's not like Samsung is losing sleep over the perceived crappy RAM management of their phones affecting sales. I still state that people who can afford a flagship Samsung phone vs. other android phones have other priorities than worrying about this stuff when making their purchase. Things like design, a S-pen, smaller form factors for a given screen size, wireless charging, etc. would be better justifications. Again, if you need the other stuff for dev work or "full" control, get another phone. Samsung won't change anything for people here on XDA so it's pointless having angst over this stuff.

I think Samsung could have pushed Iphone out of the market by now if they had delivered phones that would beat the iphone in every aspect. Samsung's hardware is usually better but their software department is horrible and extremely slow in pushing out updates. The whole reason Iphone still exists is that Samsung is just not delivering what a lot of users want. In fact, if I didnt hate Itunes that much I'd probably kiss Android goodbye and buy an iphone (it works the other way around too, apple could have killed Samsung too, at least in the flagship department, if they listened a bit better to what people want, or did you actually meet someone who likes Itunes ?)