Virtual RAM memory on Android: what it is and how it works

Virtual RAM is a term you will hear a lot in the future as more and more manufacturers are encouraged to introduce it into their smartphones. To go ahead and know what it is, in this guide we explain what is virtual RAM, which cell phones already have it and, if you have one, how can you expand it.

The RAM memory of the mobile is something that it cannot be physically expanded, so companies like Xiaomi and vivo have chosen to virtually expand it. This tool, which aims to improve the performance of low-resource terminals, works in a similar to the paging file of current computers. If with this information you can already imagine what it is, with the following information you will find out completely.

Thanks to virtual RAM you can easily increase the RAM of your mobile.

What is virtual RAM and how it works

Your mobile's RAM memory - random access memory - is responsible the storage of data that will be needed in the short term. Unlike internal memory, it is ultra-fast memory and the behavior of the phone directly depends on it. First, those GBs of RAM are occupied by the operating system, the processes it needs to run, and other elements.

Next, the free GBs are for the application data you use. If the space is large, you can use many applications with the speed of RAM, as well as keeping them in the background to quickly return to them. However, if those GB of free RAM are minimal, they are directly occupied by the needs of the operating system, so app data must be loaded from scratch every time they are run, causing slow phone performance.

To overcome this slowdown in the behavior of cell phones with few resources comes the virtual RAM, which consists of borrow gigabytes from internal memory in so that the operating system uses them as if they were from RAM. This way you get one better device performance.

Running applications and games won't be as fast as RAM as such, but it will allow for more advanced multitasking. Obviously, to extend the RAM memory of your mobile in this way, you must have free giga in the internal memory of the smartphone.

Which mobiles have virtual virtual RAM

There are already several manufacturers who have introduced this tool in some of their phones to offer them better performance. The most recent was Xiaomi, which has updated the Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G in China so that users can take advantage of up to 2 GB of RAM more.

This way users who have the 6GB RAM version can expand it up to 8GB, while those who have the 8GB RAM model can extend it up to 10GB. The Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G is on sale in the 128GB and 256GB internal storage versions, Then it seems easy to find 2 GB free to lend them to the RAM memory.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro already has virtual RAM in China.

Another manufacturer who opted for the same alternative was OPPO, with a virtual RAM in the OPPO Reno5 with which users can extend the RAM memory up to 8GB by relying on the internal memory. On the other hand, Huawei has developed a Turbo memory, its own virtual RAM system that can expand this type of memory up to 2 GB.

Another Chinese manufacturer that has already implemented virtual RAM in different models was live. Specifically, these are the vivo X60 and the vivo V21 5G, which can use up to 3GB of internal memory as if it were RAM.

As you can see, there are already several smartphones that offer the possibility of expanding virtual RAM. Knowing that a giant like Xiaomi was one of the last to join this technology, it seems that virtual RAM will soon be very common in Android phones.

How to expand the virtual RAM memory of your Android mobile

If virtual RAM is already available on your Android mobile, you can most likely activate it from the terminal settings. For example, as we saw when it was discovered that Xiaomi was preparing this tool, there is one in the company's cell phones function called “Memory extension” a which can be accessed via the "Settings" app.

Then you can expand the virtual RAM of your Xiaomi mobile -if it is available-.

This is the case with the terminals of the rest of the manufacturers, who have added the corresponding function in the settings section. If your mobile is Huawei, look for the "Memory Boost" section, while if it is live, search for "Virtual RAM". As this virtual RAM is reaching more devices and more importantly, being available outside of China, we will update this article to explain the steps to follow in each manufacturer.

Without a doubt, this virtual RAM is a great option for improve the performance of more limited mobiles, especially those that have around 3 or 4GB of RAM. Will Samsung join this proposal? Only time will show it to us.