Multitasking a pain on your Xiaomi phone? A new solution is in the works.
Recognition: Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
- According to reports, Xiaomi is working on a RAM expansion feature in MIUI.
- This would essentially use free space as virtual RAM.
Smartphones today generally have ample RAM, and it is not uncommon to have 4GB or even 6GB of RAM in budget devices. Some users may still suffer from multitasking and performance issues, but Xiaomi is reportedly working on a solution.
Xiaomi tipster Kacper Skrzypek discovered References to a so-called memory expansion function in MIUI, which later also shows a screenshot of the function. The references and screenshot suggest that MIUI can allocate a set amount of memory to be used as a kind of virtual RAM. Check out his screenshot below.
This wouldn’t be the first time we’d see the opportunity to use memory as virtual RAM on a smartphone, as Vivo also offered an “extended RAM” feature for its X60 series earlier this year. For example, the Vivo X60 Pro Plus (top of the page) allocates 3 GB of space to be used as virtual RAM, bringing the total to 15 GB of RAM. Vivo notes that the feature allows for a “smoother user experience of the system”; B. Multitasking between multiple apps.
We’ve also seen a similar feature on Windows over the past few years called ReadyBoost. Users could plug in a flash drive, with the computer essentially using the USB drive’s storage as expanded RAM. It’s no faster than simply having more RAM, but it’s definitely an improvement over using a hard drive.
There is no word on when the memory expansion feature is coming to MIUI or what devices will receive it. Hopefully Xiaomi won’t limit the feature to new high-end devices as older budget phones with less RAM would definitely benefit from such a performance boost. For example, a phone like the Redmi 8A, which has a base model with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, would surely see an improvement in multitasking with virtual RAM.
