Agreed, the tablet you have been eyeing has a great processor! Yet, does it guarantee top-notch performance? Well, not if you do not have the RAM allotment sorted beforehand. RAM or Random Access Memory is a primal computing feature or rather an inclusion that helps a tablet reach its true potential, relevant to multitasking, app loading, paging, and more.
And now that you know how important RAM is, it all boils down to how much RAM does a tablet need? More often than not, a user ends up miscalculating the tablet RAM allotment while making the purchase, as tablets use system memory a tad differently than laptops and mobiles.
RAM for tablets need not go over the top. Instead, in some cases, even 3GB is more than adequate for specific functions. That said, it never hurts to have a generous quantity of RAM assisting the tablet as that way, a processor gets ample support, most apps get loaded faster, and the applications aren’t killed off abruptly.
Keeping the RAM-focused features and purchase limitations in mind, I have prepared a complete guide to help you pick the right tablet. Expect this detailed guide to clear everything from RAM basics to tablet allotments to the tasks each RAM module might help you achieve.
Contents
How Much RAM Does a Tablet Need?
Before I delve right into how much ram should a tablet have as per explicit user requirements, here is a quick refresher of sorts.
RAM on a tablet works hand-in-hand with the processor, assisting the latter retrieve data and information at a rapid clip. Also, if and when your tablet runs short of RAM, the data is stored in the internal storage — a slower kind of memory that fetching data from can be a herculean task.
Therefore, you should pick a tablet with 3GB, 4GB, 6GB, or even 8GB of RAM, depending on your usage. Yet the question remains, how do your tablet applications use the built-in RAM, and how the same can get used up depending on the process you might be running?
Well, here are a few examples:
If you are running the Android OS plus a few essential apps like Facebook, Google Chrome with three to five tabs active at all times, and Google Maps, 2GB should be the bare minimum RAM allotment. Let’s consider the fact that the OS booting up and Facebook loading up quickly will take up close to 1.5GB of RAM space.
Now, if you keep introducing more apps across the system, you would need a tablet with a higher RAM allotment, or else multitasking will be a real pain. With limited RAM, you will have to kill one app completely to use the other.
Every application uses some part of your RAM to keep the data reserves active for quick retrieval. Therefore, it is safe to assume that the type of usage determines your tablet choice, especially when it comes to picking one up, depending on the RAM count.
Find a table below that talks about the RAM size and the corresponding suitability offered by the relevant tablet:
| RAM Size | Suitability |
|---|---|
| 2GB | Standard operations (2 apps at a time). Examples include YouTube, Facebook, etc. Basic usage only with Chrome capable of running two to three tabs at once. |
| 3GB | Standard operations with social media posting in some capacity, some music applications like Spotify receiving notifications at once, and even the chrome browser running five to seven browsers at once. |
| 4GB | Almost every PC-like activity stream, including document processing, stock trading, drawing using stylus pens, and gaming. |
| 6GB | High-end specification that allows you to run emulators to run cross-platform apps, edit vlogs, and podcasts and indulge in high-level sketching (provided the tablet comes with a stylus pen) |
| 8GB | Prime tablet specification that allows you to use the device like a 2-in-1 for most laptop-like activities, coding, full-length vlog editing, mirroring, and more. |
| 16GB | High-end tablets meant for gaming and ultra-HD streaming along with every other function. |
Basics of RAM
Now that you know the correlation between the RAM size and even the overall tablet suitability, it is essential to understand more about RAM as a concept, the types determining the tablet choice, and their exact usability.
1. What is RAM on a Tablet?
Every computing device has two kinds of memory — RAM or ROM (Read Only Memory), i.e., internal storage. RAM, as mentioned, is an integral computing essential that stores temporary info about the app or the OS, facilitating faster boot-ups and app loading. RAM is typically known as flash memory, and it switches off every time you turn the device off.
2. Types of RAM
Shouldn’t you only be concerned about the size of your tablet RAM? Not exactly, as the RAM type is also important when it comes to speeds at which the memory returns data and loads the app or the OS. Firstly, it is the DDR and DDR2 variants with bus clock speed limitation of up to 400MHz.
The current crop of tablets features DDR3 and DDR4 RAM types, with the latter being more common, allowing you to reach max bus clock speeds of up to 1600MHz. In addition to segregating RAM type by number, you can even check for SRAM (Static RAM) and DRAM (Dynamic RAM) modules, with the latter being faster and more efficient.
3. What does RAM do on a Tablet?
Every app process and function is recorded digitally in the RAM module of the concerned tablet. Therefore, whenever you ditch one app to work on the next, the first app keeps running in the background, all thanks to the RAM where the data is stored initially.
Also, it is the RAM that ensures quick app loading the moment you choose to restart the app that was originally disbanded for the second. Also, if the processes running across exceed the RAM size, the data gets sent over to the internal memory, slowing down every processor app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Android tablets require anything between 3GB to 6GB to be able to operate smoothly. However, if you prefer using multiple apps simultaneously while using the same as a drawing or streaming tablet, I would recommend anything between 6GB to 8GB.
Yes, 3GB RAM is enough for a tablet, provided you aren’t overusing the apps or running more than 4 to 5 tabs on the browser. For reading docs on the go, watching movies in HD and even 1080p, or reading emails, 3GB RAM is more than adequate.
Now every tablet comes with a RAM expansion slot, making RAM management all the more important. As a management ritual, you must keep every unnecessary tab closed in the browser, keep cleaning junk files to free up the RAM, and even keep uninstalling the applications that are rarely used.
Most premium tablets come equipped with a RAM expansion feature. And it does make a difference as it allows you to scale the RAM allotment depending on your professional and personal requirements.
Conclusion
Picking up a good tablet isn’t only about the processor. Your first priority should be to get the RAM size correct by evaluating the overall requirements and the apps you might want to run. And once you get the RAM size right, zeroing in on every other tablet specification becomes easier.
Simply put, RAM for tablets happens to be the bigger consumer headache, and hopefully, how much RAM should a tablet have has been answered by this article.
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