Google's new Pixel 9 Pro models reserve part of their 16GB RAM exclusively for AI features. I figured out how much.
  • RobotToaster@mander.xyzEnglish
    704·
    3 months ago

    How did google manage to make a version of linux more bloated than windows? It’s almost impressive.

    • AItoothbrush@lemmy.zipEnglish
      5·
      3 months ago

      Tbf the high ram usage wouldnt be a problem if it cached processes in it and used it to save battery but its just pure bloat. I think phones should have a coprocessor that handles notifications like what smartwatches do and that basically free battery. But android is also bloated because apps take a very long time to launch because of the jvm and java (thats what i heard at least, idk if this is actually why its slow) so everything is just left active. Also i think android strayed too far from linux, its basically just a worse version with a mobile ui and the support of a country sized company.

    • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.worldEnglish
      67·
      3 months ago

      They have 16GB of RAM physically, 3GB is reserved for AI. So yeah, only 13GB is usable by regular apps, even if you don’t care about any of the AI stuff.

          • DarkThoughts@fedia.io
            81·
            3 months ago

            Yes. Lots of people here have much less than even 13GB physical ram. My Pixel 4a has 6GB. So reading a news about how apps have “only” access to 13GB sounds just weird when that’s more than twice the total ram you have available.

  • sag@lemm.eeEnglish
    281·
    3 months ago

    Only? I have just 8 GB RAM on My PC.

    And Android device which I am using to comment this have just 2GB RAM.

    • AItoothbrush@lemmy.zipEnglish
      121·
      3 months ago

      Chrome casually using 8gbs with a few tabs open. Also windows 11. I got a school laptop and windows uses 5gb out of the box💀. Linux supremacy.

      • Baguette@lemm.eeEnglish
        11·
        3 months ago

        Chrome using 8gbs ram is not necessarily a bad thing

        Usually browsers use a lot because nothing else is using the ram. If you had a separate program running, the browser would stop using as much.

        • linearchaos@lemmy.worldEnglish
          5·
          3 months ago

          Shhh if you take away their illogical reasons to b**** about stupid things they’ll find more annoying things to b**** about. Just nod and say yeah buddy too bad about that ram somebody should do something about that, and back away slowly.

      • MaggiWuerze@feddit.orgEnglish
        3·
        3 months ago

        Your OS is not necessarily using those 8gb, it just reserved them, meaning other apps can still use it

        • AItoothbrush@lemmy.zipEnglish
          11·
          3 months ago

          No thats virtual ram that works differently. Virtual ram is usually much more than 8gb.

  • auzy@lemmy.worldEnglish
    271·
    3 months ago

    Not a big deal.

    Wait until you find out how much ram gets wasted in caching and algorithms designed to run faster on computers or improve productivity. Even things like indexing to speed up search or icon caching

    It’s a mobile phone. 13gb is lots, and I’d be curious to see the extent that ai improves productivity.

    The headline is designed explicitly to bait arguments

  • henfredemars@infosec.pubEnglish
    6·
    3 months ago

    At least the OS seems to know that the additional memory is there. This means root apps or custom ROMs should be able to use all 16GB.

  • limerod@reddthat.comMEnglish
    82·
    3 months ago

    16GB of RAM sounded too good to be true. Granted 13GB is nothing for sneeze at still. Hopefully, they can provide an option to toggle it off. Sounds wasteful for people who would use it once a while.

      • Phuntis@lemm.eeEnglish
        2·
        3 months ago

        I bought it cause I wanted pink and I like larger phones smaller phones feel uncomfortable to hold I wish the AI stuff would get lost it’s all nonsense that does nothing to improve anything and only slows you down and is an excuse for more spyware

      • limerod@reddthat.comMEnglish
        21·
        3 months ago

        Just getting the 3GB of RAM used is not the issue. There are apps which can use even more. The issue is its reserved meaning its not available to your other apps.

        An option to remove the lock while still being able to utilize the RAM (should the need arise) and AI features should be provided for flexibility should one desire.

    • JackGreenEarth@lemm.eeEnglish
      11·
      3 months ago

      They only have a few MB reserved for Google’s AI, most of the 12GB is free for all apps on other models.

    • baatliwala@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      6·
      3 months ago

      On the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 9, we note just 0.26GB (275,336KiB) of locked RAM […], a very small amount most likely used for some background tasks in the OS. However, on the Pixel 9 Pro XL, this leaps to 2.91GB (3,051,936KiB) of Unevictable and Mlocked RAM. Subtract out the Unevictable RAM from the Pixel 9, and there’s an extra 2.64GB (2,776,603KiB) reserved on the Pro models.

      • IllNess@infosec.pubEnglish
        1·
        3 months ago

        Really interesting. I wonder what features the Pro XL has that the Pro version doesn’t to use over 10 times more RAM.

        • baatliwala@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
          1·
          3 months ago

          I think when they mean “extra reserved on the Pro models”, the mean both “Pro and Pro XL” and not “Pro XL only not Pro”. It’s written a bit weirdly.