Cell phone question

[FANOFJESUS]

I am thinking of buying a phone with 8GB Internal Memory, 1GB RAM. All I want to do is run a few banking apps on it(one at a time) and make calls. Will this phone do?

 

[travelover]

Should be adequate. Many Android phone can have memory added inexpensively. Not so on Apple phones.

 

[rbmrtn]

Check what version of android the app you want to run requires. Some low end phones may come wither older versions and may not be able to update.

 

[stephenson]

I can provide my recent choices as a baseline.

I bought an iPhone 7 Plus with 128G of storage - have used half of it in 3 months - lots of photos and music - am now considering I should have paid another $100 for the 256G version.

I can't imagine not having the capabilities and views on the world the device provides ... ya don't have to go Apple, but if you want flexibility and utility, go for the most you can afford. You don't have to use the features, but you probably will.

I use my device, with its larger screen when I don't want to fire up the laptop - not ever going back to smaller device.

If you feel comfortable with a belt holster, get one ... putting them in pockets damages them and allows lint to get into the charging port.

Finally - I bought my device straight from Apple - then I bought a 5 GB/month prepaid plan from Boom Mobile ($39.99 taxes and fees included). Boom uses the Verizon network - my phone behaves exactly like my wife's and she is on Verizon. The network connection points are exactly the same - Boom uses the Verizon network.

 

[ERD50]

I can provide my recent choices as a baseline.

I bought an iPhone 7 Plus with 128G of storage - have used half of it in 3 months - lots of photos and music - am now considering I should have paid another $100 for the 256G version. ...

How much memory needed for photos and music is a personal thing. Some people will want a lot, others may not use a single byte. I'd suggest OP to base their decisions on their needs/wants, not other's needs/wants.

An advantage of the Android phones is that most of them will take an SD card. You can add and swap memory as needed, cheaply and flexibly.

-ERD50

 

[MichaelB]

Memory is different than storage. Memory is needed by the CPU to run programs, storage is for the user to save photos, files, videos, etc. 1GB of memory sounds like a lot, while 8GB of storage sounds like not enough. If it is field upgradable, as TL suggests, makes a difference, as long as the cost to upgrade is not excessive.

 

[mrfeh]

Memory is different than storage. Memory is needed by the CPU to run programs, storage is for the user to save photos, files, videos, etc. 1GB of memory sounds like a lot, while 8GB of storage sounds like not enough. If it is field upgradable, as TL suggests, makes a difference, as long as the cost to upgrade is not excessive.

For light use (as described in the OP), I would say 8 GB is plenty.

 

[ERD50]

Memory is different than storage. Memory is needed by the CPU to run programs, storage is for the user to save photos, files, videos, etc. 1GB of memory sounds like a lot, while 8GB of storage sounds like not enough. If it is field upgradable, as TL suggests, makes a difference, as long as the cost to upgrade is not excessive.

You are mixing terms there.

Memory used by the CPU to run programs, and storage for the user to save photos, files, videos, etc are both 'memory'.

The memory the CPU uses is RAM (Random Access Memory), and it is 'volatile', it doesn't retain the memory if the phone is shut off and/or battery removed.

The memory used for the user to save photos, files, videos, is also RAM, but it is also non-volatile, so your photos, etc are preserved when the unit is off and/or battery removed. Usually referred to as 'Flash memory' or just 'storage'.

1GB RAM for the CPU is probably enough for all but highest end users (I think 1GB RAM is pretty standard these days).

8GB storage can be plenty (or not), depending on the user. In most Android phones, an SD-Card (which is 'Flash memory') can solve that, with the added advantage of being user swap-able/upgrade-able.

Hope that helps reduce confusion on these similar terms.

-ERD50

 

[FIREmenow]

The memory used for the user to save photos, files, videos, is also RAM, but it is also non-volatile, so your photos, etc are preserved when the unit is off and/or battery removed. Usually referred to as 'Flash memory' or just 'storage'.

-ERD50

Sorry, a nit-pick - FLASH is not really RAM.

SRAM is faster, power hungry, and more expensive. Good use for a CPU running an application.

FLASH memory is cheaper, usually built from NAND logic gates, and is slower (also typically requiring large block-erase before overwriting). Good use for putting something somewhere and leaving it there.

One persons explanation (not previewed - warning ad-heavy):
Flash memory vs. RAM: What's the difference?

 

[travelover]

Q.
I'm currently walking 11 miles each way to work, at McDonald's. I'm thinking of buying a bike from Walmart to make my life easier. Will this suffice?

A.
No, I would not ride anything with out a carbon fiber frame and titanium wheels. The frames on inexpensive bicycles are simply not efficient enough for your use. Also, be sure to buy the proper clothing, as you will not get the most out of your bike without the right clothing. This will only cost a minimum of $15,000. Cheers!

 

[FANOFJESUS]

Thanks everybody I am new to cell phones. I plan to use it lightly maybe 5 apps and some surfing.

 

[ERD50]

Side-topic technical detail note, ignore if you wish (and you probably should! )...

Sorry, a nit-pick - FLASH is not really RAM. ...

I really can't agree with that. RAM means Random Access Memory, and Flash is that. True, it is not the same as SRAM or other types of RAM, but it is still RAM. It's like the all roses are flowers but not all flowers are roses logic.

Now, at the deeper nit-pick level, I guess you can say it isn't exactly byte-level random access, as I do think you need to read a block of data, but then the byte you want is selected from that block. And I think (don't know for certain, but it makes sense that it is done that way to me) that is all done at the memory controller level, so even to the CPU it acts like byte-level access RAM. I think hard drives work the same way.

Your other comments appears accurate and informative, but that still doesn't lead to saying Flash is not RAM.

-ERD50​

 

[ERD50]

Q.
I'm currently walking 11 miles each way to work, at McDonald's. I'm thinking of buying a bike from Walmart to make my life easier. Will this suffice?

A.
No, I would not ride anything with out a carbon fiber frame and titanium wheels. The frames on inexpensive bicycles are simply not efficient enough for your use. Also, be sure to buy the proper clothing, as you will not get the most out of your bike without the right clothing. This will only cost a minimum of $15,000. Cheers!

Yes, but people mostly hate the almost-always correct and relevant answer: "It depends".

-ERD50

 

[mrfeh]

Thanks everybody I am new to cell phones. I plan to use it lightly maybe 5 apps and some surfing.

Wise decision.

I have a 4 year old Moto G w/ 8 GB. Dozens of apps installed, and it is perfectly suitable for my needs.

 

[FIREmenow]

Your other comments appears accurate and informative, but that still doesn't lead to saying Flash is not RAM.

-ERD50[/INDENT]

Only trying to clarify your two paragraphs earlier, wherein, the way it was worded, one could mistakenly INFER that these are both the same type of memory (hardware).

 

[Sunset]

Thanks everybody I am new to cell phones. I plan to use it lightly maybe 5 apps and some surfing.

I have found having a phone with a user replaceable flash drive very lovely.
I can tell my phone to store the apps and photos on either the phone or the flash drive.

So I put in a 64 Gig flash drive and have lots of room for the various apps, photos, movies, etc.

I will never buy a phone without the ability for me to add storage space to the phone.

 

[stephenson]

Never is a long time ...

I never say never

 

[youbet]

I don't know for certain,

Indeed........

 

[chrisaukcam]

I have a moto 5g+ handles all the apps that I have loaded, big enough screen for these mature eyes to read, etc. I feel that it is good bang for the buck.

 

[Nightcap]

Q.
I'm currently walking 11 miles each way to work, at McDonald's. I'm thinking of buying a bike from Walmart to make my life easier. Will this suffice?

A.
No, I would not ride anything with out a carbon fiber frame and titanium wheels. The frames on inexpensive bicycles are simply not efficient enough for your use. Also, be sure to buy the proper clothing, as you will not get the most out of your bike without the right clothing. This will only cost a minimum of $15,000. Cheers!

Carbon fiber? I can't believe you're still recommending that junk. My bike is made of unobtainium blessed by the Pope. The wheels are a medical-grade titanium-gold alloy, four times stronger than mere titanium, and they're only six millimeters wide. The whole thing is lighter than a fart.

Lycra is also outmoded, replace by lighter and sleeker spray-on shorts. You don't even need a helmet, as the speeds you'll be able to attain will guarantee that an accident is non-survivable.

The price is slightly more than the gross national product of Andorra, and only a little less than my last divorce, but what does money matter? For six weeks, you'll be the fastest thing on two wheels. Then the new model will be released.

 

[CoolRich59]

Photos and downloaded music, along with lots of apps, are what use up all the space in your phone. If you don't have many apps, don't take many pictures, or have music on your phone, you can get by with the minimums.

Also, it's been a while since I worked in the cellular field, but I don't think RAM is an issue with phones. In fact, I don't ever recall it even being a spec that was reported. But, like I said, it's been a few years and maybe RAM is a factor now.

 

[ERD50]

Photos and downloaded music, along with lots of apps, are what use up all the space in your phone. If you don't have many apps, don't take many pictures, or have music on your phone, you can get by with the minimums. ...

Agreed, it is an "It Depends" situation.

Also, it's been a while since I worked in the cellular field, but I don't think RAM is an issue with phones. In fact, I don't ever recall it even being a spec that was reported. But, like I said, it's been a few years and maybe RAM is a factor now.

I recall it being routinely spec'd when we got into smartphones. For example:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DZJFSZ4/ref=twister_B01G7U1RY4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

1.5 GHz Snapdragon 617 Octa-Core CPU; 32GB Storage Capacity + 2GB RAM; Android Marshmallow 6.0.1

-ERD50

 

[Nightcap]

Agreed, it is an "It Depends" situation.







I recall it being routinely spec'd when we got into smartphones. For exampel:



https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DZJFSZ4/ref=twister_B01G7U1RY4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1







-ERD50

RAM is never referred to on Apple iPhones, only storage. (And the fact that this year’s blindingly fast model is some multiple faster than last year’s.)

 

[FIREmenow]

Agreed, it is an "It Depends" situation.

Also, it's been a while since I worked in the cellular field, but I don't think RAM is an issue with phones. In fact, I don't ever recall it even being a spec that was reported. But, like I said, it's been a few years and maybe RAM is a factor now.

I recall it being routinely spec'd when we got into smartphones. For exampel:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DZJFSZ4/ref=twister_B01G7U1RY4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

-ERD50

(S)RAM is used by the microprocessor to perform functions. RAM is much faster for the microprocessor to use than other memory types in the phone. Therefore, the RAM is loaded from the other (slower) memory types with the things that the microprocessor needs to get its work done. If it won't all fit in the available RAM, then it needs to load more things, swapping out the previous items, more often, from the other slow memory types.

So the more RAM that is available, the faster the microprocessor can get its job done without swapping out batches of data between it and the other memory types --- and your system "appears" faster.

 

[ERD50]

RAM is never referred to on Apple iPhones, only storage. (And the fact that this year’s blindingly fast model is some multiple faster than last year’s.)

Yes, I think Apple's philosophy is that we should not concern ourselves with these technical details, they will handle that for us (but you can find it from other sources). And in a way, I agree - two phones could have the same amount of RAM (talking CPU RAM here), but if one makes more efficient use of managing that memory space, it might perform as well as another phone with more RAM. It's results that matter.

And as FIREmenow just pointed out, if you fill the CPU RAM and have to move some out to swap space, performance really suffers (this is often the source of the 'spinning beach ball' on a Mac). That's why I have 12 GB of RAM on my laptop, and use the zram function (compresses what is stored in RAM), to support my browser-open-tab habit. So even though there is a slight hit in compressing/decompressing RAM to use it, it is not noticeable to me, but going out to swap space (my hard drive) is like molasses in January.

-ERD50