What is RAM Plus in Samsung Phones? A Gamers Guide

As an avid mobile gamer and Samsung phone user, I often get asked – what is RAM plus and should I be using it?

In short, RAM plus is Samsung‘s implementation of virtual RAM technology that uses your phone‘s storage to expand the total memory available. This can directly improve gaming performance on RAM constrained phones.

But how does it actually work, and when does it help versus hurt? Let‘s dive in…

How Samsung RAM Plus Works – A Technical Explanation

On a hardware level, RAM plus allocates a set portion of your phone‘s internal UFS 3.1 flash storage to serve as extra "virtual" memory, supplementing the existing RAM chips.

For example, enabling even 2GB of RAM plus on a Galaxy phone gives an extra 2GB buffer of memory capacity that apps can utilize as if it were part of the main RAM.

So with RAM plus, the phone doesn‘t just have 6GB of RAM, it could have 6GB + 2GB = 8GB total memory including virtual.

Of course, this virtual RAM built from regular flash storage isn‘t quite as fast as proper high-speed RAM chips. But thanks to the UFS 3.1 standard providing sequential read speeds comparable to some RAM types, RAM plus can still boost practical performance.

Enabling RAM plus in your Samsung phone‘s settings allocates storage as virtual RAM

Why RAM Plus Helps Mobile Gaming Performance

Now as any passionate mobile gamer knows, having enough RAM capacity can make or break your gaming experience.

Popular titles like Genshin Impact require a staggering 6GB RAM minimum just to run properly without constant reloading or crashing. And that‘s before you consider OS needs and keeping Discord, Spotify or other apps in the background.

So RAM plus can give that welcome breathing room above the minimum specs to prevent instability and lag especially when gaming while multitasking.

We can see this in action by comparing some aggregate Antutu benchmark results:

RAM plus provides a performance uplift even on flagship phones like the S21 FE (Source: Samsung Community forums)

You can see that the S22 Ultra flagship with its massive 12GB RAM dominates, but the S21 FE midranger also gets a healthy ~4% score jump from having RAM plus enabled to supplement its 6GB built-in memory.

So for gaming focused buyers on a budget or mid-range device, RAM plus can definitely make sense to eke out some extra performance. Of course on a phone like the S22 Ultra with abundant RAM available, it likely won‘t impact real world usage.

Assessing The Downsides of Virtual RAM Solutions

RAM plus certainly isn‘t magic fairy dust you want to sprinkle on every phone however. There are tradeoffs to consider:

Performance & Battery Drain: As mentioned earlier, RAM plus doesn‘t quite provide the responsiveness of high-speed DDR5 RAM chips. So while better than using internal flash storage for swap, there may be minor performance penalties or slightly higher power draw from RAM plus depending on usage.

Storage Impact: Every GB allocated to RAM plus also takes away from usable internal storage for apps, photos, media and files. For gaming focused users likely to install many large titles and packs, storage capacity is already prime real estate. Losing 4GB+ to serve as virtual RAM can hurt.

Stability Concerns: There have been scattered reports of RAM plus causing app crashes or other instability problems after long uptimes or intensive extended gaming sessions filling up the virtual capacity. So it likely needs some optimization and software maturity.

Determining Ideal RAM Plus Configuration

Given both the pros and cons discussed, when should you consider enabling RAM plus and how much virtual RAM makes sense?

Here are some best practice guidelines:

• 6GB or less base RAM: 2-4GB RAM plus provides good benefit
• 8GB+ base RAM: Likely safe to disable unless expert power user
• Mainly gaming focused: Favor performance over storage impact
• Storage intensive usage: Conservative or no RAM plus suggested

You‘ll also want to monitor your phone after making RAM plus changes for stability, temperature, battery drain and storage availability.

Based on my testing I‘d recommend the following configurations specifically for premium mobile gaming:

Keep in mind these guidelines assume flagship phones with UFS 3.1 storage and ample processing power – results can vary across different models and SoC capabilities.

Conclusion & Verdict on Samsung RAM Plus

At the end of the day, Samsung‘s RAM plus technology makes smart use of available flash storage to dynamically boost the memory ceiling. This directly benefits gaming enthusiasts looking to squeeze out every last bit of power from their Galaxy phone.

If you‘re buying a phone primarily for mobile gaming with 6GB RAM or less, having RAM plus in your back pocket can certainly help improve performance and multitasking.

Just be conscious of managing your storage pool wisely and keep an eye out for potential stability gremlins after truly pushing your phone to the limits. When applied judiciously RAM plus can level up your gaming phone game!

What are your thoughts on RAM plus? Have you used it on your Samsung phone and noticed any differences? Let‘s discuss in the comments below!