Android phones have gone in the last few years from 4 or 6 GB of RAM to 12 and even 16 GB, as offered by some of the top laptops on the market. This doesn’t seem to be an artificial addition, as even now Google seems to be saying that the next Android will require more memory on devices. It seems that for Android 11, the company will increase the minimum RAM limits, and devices that do not meet these criteria will have to use other versions of Android.
Phones that do not meet the RAM requirements of Android 11 will have to use Android Go
It seems that in 2021 we will receive more Android Go devices, if the document that ended up in the hands of XDA Developers proves to be real. The site reveals that Google will force companies that develop devices with 2 GB of RAM or less to equip them with Android 11 GB Edition.
This means that only phones with 3 or 4 GB of RAM will be able to run the full version of Android 11. Moreover, phones with Android 10 that will be launched towards the end of 2020 will have to comply with these new rules.
In fact, there is now a lower limit for phones that want to use Google Play Services. Whether they want to run Android 11 or Android 11 Go Edition, the new phones will have to offer more than 512 GB of RAM. Devices with 512 or less are not “compatible” with Google Mobile Services on Android 11, from Google’s point of view.
Google wants to ensure good performance on cheap devices
However, these decisions could be beneficial for users. Thus, Google can ensure that manufacturers will not deliver low-performance phones that boast the new version of its operating system, but which can barely start and run.
Also, forcing manufacturers to use Android Go on models with less RAM will ensure a faster user experience thanks to simplified Google applications.
Juana loves to cover the tech and gaming industry, she always stays on the first row of CES conference and reports live from there.
