Samsung’s RAM Plus is eating 8GB of my storage for almost no benefit

Released Nov 8, 2026, 6:30 PM EST

Vishwamoorthy’s interest in tech began early, as a school trainee, enjoying Pixel 2 XL video camera evaluation videos and being awestruck by what a phone electronic camera with outstanding software application might do. That interest stuck to him: given that 2022, he’s released over 1,500 posts covering smart devices, Android, and customer tech news at FoneArenaamong India’s leading tech publications.

Recently, he’s consumed with how AI is improving business world, the offers, the items, the peaceful function rollouts no one notifications till they’re all over. Checking out and blogging about tech is what keeps him going; doomscrolling is what keeps him sincere.

With memory costs flying through the roofing, ending up being a growing issue for smart device producers, I would not be shocked if virtual RAM ends up being the next huge marketing trick. Various OEMs call this function by various names; Samsung calls it RAM Plus, while others describe it as virtual RAM, extended RAM, and more.

We’ve currently seen a number of Chinese brand names market their entry-level mobile phones as having 12GB or 16GB of RAM, with approximately 12GB of extra virtual memory designated from internal storage. I discovered this function on my Galaxy phone, too, that made me question: Does assigning a part of your storage to virtual memory really enhance multitasking, or does it present efficiency compromises that aren’t right away apparent?

<p>Because numerous Galaxy phones have this function made it possible for by default, I wished to look beyond Samsung's claims and see whether RAM Plus deserves keeping or if turning it off makes more sense.</p>    How RAM Plus deals with your Galaxy phone

More memory on paper does not suggest faster efficiency

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When I initially found out about this RAM Plus function being made it possible for by default on my Galaxy S26 Ultra, I wondered to understand just how much internal storage it took. I headed to Settingsthen the Gadget Care menu, to discover the Memory setting.

<p>I was surprised when I went into the <strong>RAM Plus</strong> menu under <strong>Memory </strong>to discover that 8GB of my internal storage was designated to this function, on top of the 12GB of physical RAM currently offered.</p>    <p>Modern Galaxy phones utilize high-speed LPDDR5 or LPDDR5X physical RAM to deal with active apps and system procedures. Your internal storage, even if it's based upon quick UFS 3.1 or UFS 4.0 flash memory, has substantially greater latency and lower bandwidth than the physical memory pre-installed on your smart device.</p>    <p>Offered the reality that Android currently utilizes a memory-management function called zRAM, which compresses information within physical RAM to make much better usage of offered memory, RAM Plus seems like overkill.</p>    <p>RAM Plus preferably does not offer your phone extra high-speed memory for requiring video games or modifying. It's in fact being utilized as an overflow parking area for non-active information, not a real upgrade to your phone's RAM. </p><h2 id="why-ram-plus-isn-39-t-always-a-performance-upgrade">    Why RAM Plus isn't constantly an efficiency upgrade
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More virtual memory does not ensure smoother multitasking

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After finding that my Galaxy S26 Ultra had 8GB of internal storage assigned to RAM Plus, I began questioning whether I in fact required that much virtual memory, specifically on top of the existing 12GB of physical RAM, which suffices for the majority of requiring jobs on an Android phone.

<p>Samsung's RAM Plus settings page recommends that designating more virtual memory enables more apps to remain open in the background. Its assistance documents includes a crucial caution: more virtual memory does not always enhance efficiency or warranty that more apps will stay offered. Samsung likewise acknowledges that virtual memory is slower than physical RAM since it depends on internal storage.</p>    <p>Those 8GB assigned to virtual memory, which I barely utilize on top of my 12GB of physical RAM, might rather be utilized for my pictures, videos, downloads, and apps.</p>    How to disable RAM Plus in One UI

Recover your storage with a couple of taps

After finding that the default RAM Plus function on my S26 Ultra wasn’t making any substantial distinction or enhancement, I chose to turn it off. Fortunately, Samsung makes it relatively simple to do so.

<p>To do so, head to <strong>Settings</strong>scroll down, and tap <strong>Gadget care</strong>then choose <strong>Memory</strong>scroll down, and tap the <strong>RAM Plus</strong> menu. There, you'll see the virtual memory allotment and a toggle right beside the On text. Toggle it off, and the system will ask you to reboot your phone to use the modification.</p>    <p>When your phone restarts, you can utilize it generally and see whether disabling RAM Plus makes any obvious distinction to your daily experience.</p>    




        <p>Samsung presented the alternative to entirely disable RAM Plus with One UI 5.0. If you're utilizing an older variation, you may just have the ability to minimize the allowance to 2GB.


Who should in fact leave RAM Plus switched on?

Budget plan Galaxy phones with 4GB of physical RAM might still utilize the safeguard

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When disabling RAM Plus makes good sense in my case, and for numerous modern-day Samsung gadgets, it isn’t totally ineffective throughout every gadget tier. If you’re utilizing a Galaxy S-series flagship, a Z Fold or Flip, or an upper mid-range Galaxy A-series phone with 8GB or more of physical RAM, you most likely do not require to rely greatly on virtual memory for daily multitasking.

If your Galaxy phone has simply 3GB or 4GB of physical RAM, I ‘d believe two times before disabling it. Modern Android apps and background services can put these gadgets under memory pressure, and RAM Plus might assist keep more apps readily available when changing in between them.

<p>That stated, designating more virtual memory does not ensure much better efficiency. I 'd stick to the default setting instead of instantly maxing it out.</p>    

Often, less is more

If your Galaxy phone currently has 8GB or more of physical RAM, RAM Plus might do more damage than excellent by leaving you with less offered storage, which can impact just how much area you have for apps and downloads. I ‘d rather conserve my valuable internal storage for my memories and apps than designate it to a function that uses me barely any advantage.

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