iPhone 11 Pro iPhone 11 Pro is not a beast without 6GB of ram!

[T-Bob]

Look the 1TB has drastically faster storage already probably due to having parallelism (2) 512gb nand chips soldered on vs just a single 64/256/512

I’ve compared a 11” 512gb to a 11” 1TB model side by side loading internal storage to full on each model on the same backup. Then testing ram usage on each one.

You can deplete a 4GB ram iPad Pro and it starts draining memory from system services, and idle applications as it sucks every drop of the 3.7gb to your specific demanding application.

It is a old wives tale.

Whether the iPad Pro 1TB is slammed damn full with 956gb it doesn’t utilize any more memory than if it were fresh and formatted with no storage used at all.

Both devices are missing a certain amount of ram that may be allocated for SSD caching. That 4GB is really only 3.7GB. And that 6GB is really only 5.68GB. So the 1TB still has extra ram set aside for something while still having 1.9gb extra memory.

Unless you tested the 1tb with 4gb ram, you don’t know anything about its performance with less ram. The dram cache is there for speed, if it is depleted on a very large transfer (say more than a smaller ssd like 256GB could sustain) then the performance can drop dramatically. I don’t really want to go hunting for technical papers on ssds for you, but yes large high performance ssds need significantly more memory or they risk being degraded in performance.

So apple had a choice, either give all devices 6gb or just give the 1tb 6gb so it performed as well as the others. Is there ram left over that isnt used by the ssd? Of course. That isn't the argument here. Likely they had to increment by 2gb so couldn't just give it 5. The ssd might only need an extra 300Mb of ram to stay performant, but that is still 300mb more than the 4gb would have given it.

Is this really harder to believe than Apple mysteriously giving one sku out of 10+ more memory just in case a dev felt like developing for it? How many apps are even made exclusively for ipad pro let alone just one device amongst them. If there is a side benefit that apps stay resident longer in ram, thats good, but it still isnt going to be actively exploited by applications until the rest of the ipads get ram boosts too.

 

[tps3443]

Unless you tested the 1tb with 4gb ram, you don’t know anything about its performance with less ram. The dram cache is there for speed, if it is depleted on a very large transfer (say more than a smaller ssd like 256GB could sustain) then the performance can drop dramatically. I don’t really want to go hunting for technical papers on ssds for you, but yes large high performance ssds need significantly more memory or they risk being degraded in performance.

So apple had a choice, either give all devices 6gb or just give the 1tb 6gb so it performed as well as the others. Is there ram left over that isnt used by the ssd? Of course. That isn't the argument here. Likely they had to increment by 2gb so couldn't just give it 5. The ssd might only need an extra 300Mb of ram to stay performant, but that is still 300mb more than the 4gb would have given it.

Is this really harder to believe than Apple mysteriously giving one sku out of 10+ more memory just in case a dev felt like developing for it? How many apps are even made exclusively for ipad pro let alone just one device amongst them. If there is a side benefit that apps stay resident longer in ram, thats good, but it still isnt going to be actively exploited by applications until the rest of the ipads get ram boosts too.

Top of the line 1TB M.2 SSD drive has a 1GB DRAM cache. The same Samsung lower storage drives have 512MB of DRAM cache.

So, if the standard iPads with 4GB of ram are using a 512MB dram cache, and the 1TB is using a 1GB dram cache. Then the 1TB iPad Pro still has 1.5GB of extra ram.

Regardless you can push well over 5GB while using it. This is what I’m trying to explain to you. It is there! You can use it! Some applications allow you to go outside the boundaries. That a standard pro iPad cannot do. Meaning a application sees the extra ram, and lets you use it!

I’ve used 5.3GB before in active applications with around 300MB remaining.
[doublepost=1568483072][/doublepost]I have spent probably 30 hours testing the differences of ram utilization on iPad pros looking in to this 4GB vs 6GB . I’ve seen it, I know it. Also that DRAM cache is always variable. So 99% of the time you always have 2gb extra ram.

Your not gonna sell me on this. You can research my past discussions even.

I put to much time in it already.

 

[T-Bob]

Top of the line 1TB M.2 SSD drive has a 1GB DRAM cache. The same Samsung lower storage drives have 512MB of DRAM cache.

So, if the standard iPads with 4GB of ram are using a 512MB dram cache, and the 1TB is using a 1GB dram cache. Then the 1TB iPad Pro still has 1.5GB of extra ram.

Regardless you can push well over 5GB while using it. This is what I’m trying to explain to you. It is there! You can use it! Some applications allow you to go outside the boundaries. That a standard pro iPad cannot do.

I’ve used 5.3GB before in active applications with around 300MB remaining.

I think we’ve inadvertently crossed wires here. Never stated that the 1tb definitely did not have advantages with more ram free, albeit more of an unintended benefit rather than a design purpose if so. All I am arguing is that the larger ssd is why the 1tb has 6gb of ram, and not 4gb like the other models. Personally was amazed they didn’t upgrade the series after 3 years, guess that is the plan for next year now.

 

[The Game 161]

I sure hope it has 6GB to prevent app reloads.

Agreed on this, it does it on my max and my iPad Pro....it’s annoying but not deal breaker as i don’t keep apps open that often but for YouTube and then texting e.tc then going back is annoying when it refreshes...hopefully this would fix that.

 

[Coffee_Time]

Not sure why that old wives tale keeps getting repeated. There is zero technical reason for a 1 TB SSD to require 6 GB RAM.


Bragging? Huh?

anyway, it’s common for the carriers to list incorrect info pre-release.

And risk lawsuits? What lawsuit is risking a geekbench leak?

 

[tps3443]

It is still possible that the iPhone Pro will have 6GB of on board ram and this was a last minute change on Apples part. And or maybe these Geekbench runs are on old testing devices.

Either way they will be nice phones. And I’m gonna find out on the 20th with my Pro Max when I boot it up.

 

[007p]

It is still possible that the iPhone Pro will have 6GB of on board ram and this was a last minute change on Apples part. And or maybe these Geekbench runs are on old testing devices.

Either way they will be nice phones. And I’m gonna find out on the 20th with my Pro Max when I boot it up.

I actually think it might be the other way round. They were initially going to put 6gb in and last minute, potentially like a lot of things from the event, decided to take it out. Someone just forgot to update the spec sheet that they sent carriers.

 

[First Post G]

I actually think it might be the other way round. They were initially going to put 6gb in and last minute, potentially like a lot of things from the event, decided to take it out. Someone just forgot to update the spec sheet that they sent carriers.

The phones have been finalized from a hardware standpoint for months. It is not something that could have been pulled out “last minute”. Makes no sense.

 

[EugW]

I actually think it might be the other way round. They were initially going to put 6gb in and last minute, potentially like a lot of things from the event, decided to take it out. Someone just forgot to update the spec sheet that they sent carriers.

As mentioned before, Apple doesn't include RAM specs in their iPhone specs.

And RAM is not something that can be taken out at the last minute.

And risk lawsuits? What lawsuit is risking a geekbench leak?

Uh, OK, sure.

Honestly, I have no response to that bizarre response.

 

[tps3443]

As mentioned before, Apple doesn't include RAM specs in their iPhone specs.

And RAM is not something that can be taken out at the last minute.


Uh, OK, sure.

Honestly, I have no response to that bizarre response.

So, I’m curious. You buying the new iPhone this year?

I’ve never pre-ordered anything from Apple before the 13th.

 

[EugW]

So, I’m curious. You buying the new iPhone this year?

I’ve never pre-ordered anything from Apple before the 13th.

No. I’m using my 7 Plus for one more year.

However, RAM is not the reason. I generally keep my iPhones a long time, so I’m not going to upgrade to the last LTE flagship iPhone. I’ll buy in 2020 when they go 5G.

BTW, I might buy even if it they were 4 GB in 2020. I don’t think 6 GB will be critically necessary for my usage in a phone any time soon. OTOH, I want my iPad Pro to have 6 GB.

 

[tps3443]

No. I’m using my 7 Plus for one more year.

However, RAM is not the reason. I generally keep my iPhones a long time, so I’m not going to upgrade to the last LTE flagship iPhone. I’ll buy in 2020 when they go 5G.

BTW, I might buy even if it they were 4 GB in 2020. I don’t think 6 GB will be critically necessary for my usage in a phone any time soon. OTOH, I want my iPad Pro to have 6 GB.

Great response. I’m using a 7 non plus right now. Your right about the ram. It is silly how we can get caught up in these specs. I’m 100% happy with 4GB. Everyone else should get over it too.

 

[VertPin]

Looks like Apple reps don’t even know...

Apple reps aren’t allowed to share information unless it’s on Apple.com. The rep you spoke to has no idea.

 

[EugW]

Great response. I’m using a 7 non plus right now. Your right about the ram. It is silly how we can get caught up in these specs. I’m 100% happy with 4GB. Everyone else should get over it too.

The 7 has 2 GB RAM. The 7 Plus has 3 GB RAM.

I don't know about 2 GB on a phone, but on my 2 GB iPad Air 2, I find it is refreshing Safari tabs too much. This is not a significant problem on my 4 GB iPad Pro 10.5. I don't notice the same thing on my 3 GB 7 Plus either. It's probably a combination of the fact that I need fewer tabs on an iPhone and that the iPhone has more RAM than the iPad Air 2 why it seems fine to me on the 7 Plus. A 4 GB iPhone in 2020 will already be a 33% RAM upgrade for me, so it should last me a while, since currently 3 GB is fine for an iPhone. For a tablet though at this point I want 4 GB minimum, but since a new one is coming soon I may as well wait for 6 GB, esp. if I'm going to keep it 4 years.

 

[Donoban]

Why not 16? Phones should come with more ram than macbook pro really, I mean it is called pro after all!

Damn straight! Why is 4 enough and not 16? At some point the number loses meaning but 16 works for me.

 

[kis]

Get what you can afford. They are all plenty powerful enough at this point that the upgrades are becoming marginal.

Also 5G is not what people are hyping it up to be. Most carriers still aren’t even 4G capable and AT&T is unthrottling 4G and labeling 5Ge on iPhone X’s. The main problem with 5G is you have to be within so many feet of the hotspot to get the bandwidth benefit from it. It will never be available in rural or suburb areas unless everyone is willing to put the repeaters on the roof of their house. Aside from that what benefit is the extra bandwidth on a phone? It makes more sense for a tablet that you might be doing work on with large file sizes, but for a phone, nah 5G is to limited for what is being hyped about it.

That's true. I routinely only get 150mbit/s on 5G with my Note 10 work phone. And that's outside. Inside it's more like 20-30. Which is the same as on LTE. Outside 5G seems to be slightly faster than LTE though.

 

[hellopupy]

Doubt all the carriers are wrong in exactly the same way.

They dont just copy each others specs.

Apple is a trillion dollar company, they send out information at the same time when its ready, to prepare all their partners for sales and marketing.

 

[Coffee_Time]

Doubt all the carriers are wrong in exactly the same way.

They dont just copy each others specs.

Apple is a trillion dollar company, they send out information at the same time when its ready, to prepare all their partners for sales and marketing.

They cannot play with childish mistakes like that. For sure it's 6gb in the pros. Especially when they have tens of billions.
What would have been awesome was if the pros had 5GB instead of 6!

 

[tonybarnaby]

They cannot play with childish mistakes like that. For sure it's 6gb in the pros. Especially when they have tens of billions.
What would have been awesome was if the pros had 5GB instead of 6!

The people on here who know their stuff when it comes to benchmarks pretty much unanimously think it’s 4gb. The fact you think a company like T-Mobile or some other network could never make a mistake is hilarious to me.

 

[The Game 161]

The people on here who know their stuff when it comes to benchmarks pretty much unanimously think it’s 4gb. The fact you think a company like T-Mobile or some other network could never make a mistake is hilarious to me.

The best leaker has said it seems like 6GB

More are saying 6GB than 4 but guess we will see soon

 

[ke-iron]

We just got 4 GB on the iPhone Xs (Max). xD

4 GB is actually plenty enough, believe it or not. If apps do reload more often then you think they should, it's probably either bad optimization in iOS and/or badly developed third-party app(s).

Obviously, more RAM is always welcome. I'd be a fool if I would deny that. But it's not like a total disaster if it is still at 4 GB.

I have an iPhone XS Max right now and my apps and web pages reload all the time. 4 gigs has never been enough when dealing with app reloads. Yes everything else runs fine and fast and smooth. But I cannot defend the 4 gigs being sufficient.

 

[EugW]

According to Geekbench 5:
iPad Pro 3rd gen 1 TB iOS 13: 5660 MB available
iPad Pro 3rd gen <1 TB iOS 13: 3745 MB available
iPad Pro 3rd gen 1 TB iOS 12: 5650 MB available
iPad Pro 3rd gen <1 TB iOS 21: 3735 MB available

These numbers were consistent over numerous different entries.

The difference in available RAM between the 6 GB models and the 4 GB models in both iOS 12 and iOS 13 is 1915 MB. Assuming the extra 2 GB RAM is 2048 MB, it means the 1 TB model uses 133 MB more overhead RAM than the 4 GB model.

If one were to make a hypothetical 4 GB 1 TB device, that means it would likely have 3612 MB (vs 3745 MB) available in iOS 13, and 3602 MB (vs 3735 MB) available in iOS 12.

IOW, the extra system overhead for a 1 TB device appears to be all of 133 MB, which is almost negligible. It would be only 3% out a 4096 MB system, if such a device existed.

 

[tps3443]

According to Geekbench 5:
iPad Pro 3rd gen 1 TB iOS 13: 5660 MB available
iPad Pro 3rd gen <1 TB iOS 13: 3745 MB available
iPad Pro 3rd gen 1 TB iOS 12: 5650 MB available
iPad Pro 3rd gen <1 TB iOS 21: 3735 MB available

These numbers were consistent over numerous different entries.

The difference in available RAM between the 6 GB models and the 4 GB models in both iOS 12 and iOS 13 is 1915 MB. Assuming the extra 2 GB RAM is 2048 MB, it means the 1 TB model uses 133 MB more overhead RAM than the 4 GB model.

If one were to make a hypothetical 4 GB 1 TB device, that means it would likely have 3612 MB (vs 3745 MB) available in iOS 13, and 3602 MB (vs 3735 MB) available in iOS 12.

IOW, the extra system overhead for a 1 TB device appears to be all of 133 MB, which is almost negligible. It would be only 3% out a 4096 MB system, if such a device existed.

I tried explaining this to people. But everyone insisted that the measly 133mb of extra ram utilized would increase as the devices internal storage would increase, or if the load would increase.

But yes. There is exactly 1,915MB of extra ram.

 

[EugW]

And risk lawsuits? What lawsuit is risking a geekbench leak?

So you gonna sue?

j/k

 

[Rafterman]

Oh good grief, enough with the RAM., NO ONE would notice the difference between 4 and 6. Stop pretending like you would.