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Does Xiaomi’s memory extension feature really improve performance?
Xiaomi’s Extra RAM (also known as Memory Extension) does work, but only in specific situations. It’s not as powerful as real physical RAM, yet it provides noticeable benefits for users with lower-end devices. The feature temporarily borrows a piece of your phone’s internal storage (UFS) — let’s say 3GB, 5GB, or 8GB — and converts it into virtual memory.
How Virtual RAM Works
Physical RAM is extremely fast and holds the data of running applications. Virtual RAM, however, borrows a slower section from the device’s storage. When your phone runs out of physical RAM, Xiaomi’s system moves less active apps to this extended memory instead of closing them.
For instance, when you transition from Chrome, Instagram, and a game, Memory Extension helps park unused apps into this slower memory. When you return, the app takes less time to open than opening it from scratch — but not as fast as if it were to stay in physical RAM.
When It’s Actually Useful
The feature shines on phones with 4GB or 6GB of RAM. It blocks background apps from closing and improves multitasking performance. It’s especially useful for low-end phones like the Redmi Note and POCO mid-range series that still employ modest memory configurations.
However, for 8GB or 12GB RAM phones, its benefit is very restricted. Such devices never use their full physical RAM, and therefore the extra virtual space provides little or no improvement in regular usage.
What It Doesn’t Do
- Does not improve gaming performance: Games always employ the fast, physical RAM and GPU computation.
- Does not increase FPS: It does not affect frame rates.
- Wears out storage life slightly: It keeps reading and writing to storage, which in theory affects it ever so slightly over extended use.
Summary Table
| Situation | Effective | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 4–6 GB RAM phones | Very useful | Keeps more apps open and multitasking better |
| 8 GB+ RAM phones | Minimal benefit | You likely won’t even notice a difference |
| Gaming performance | No effect | Control of game speed by type of RAM and GPU |
Final Thoughts
In summary, Xiaomi’s Extra RAM feature is a smart optimization that helps lower and mid-range devices handle multitasking more efficiently. But on high-end models like the Xiaomi 17 or POCO F8 Pro, it’s largely redundant — more of a convenience feature than a true performance booster.
