Why New Unexpandable Memory Phones with 8GB & 16GB like Nexus 4 Droid DNA

[consultant]

What's with the brand new top-of-the-line phones coming with such little memory and unexpandable? Everyone is gaga over Nexus 4 and now HTC is releasing Droid DNA. Can't get over 16GB on either. Typically the trend should be MORE memory as new devices are released and memory costs go down. I have a 15GB MP3 library alone. And with higher megapixel cameras and HD video, file sizes are just getting larger! So where are you going to store everything, "The Cloud" - That must be what Google is thinking at least.

If they are assuming you are going to stream your big music collection (via Google Play), doesn't that mean more data usage? And last time I checked, I had unlimited data on AT&T a couple years ago, but now it's not even an option - and if it is, it ain't cheap. Maybe if you have 4G LTE and Unlimited Data, heck you could get along fine with 8GB as it would be so darn fast to load photos and video! But the Nexus doesn't even have LTE!

So do these really high-powered full featured phones with mediocre RAM sizes mean carriers will make data cheaper - or are the phone designers in cahoots with the manufacturers trying to create more revenue for them in data usage via forcing more people to store more stuff in the Cloud?

 

[chanchan05]

1. RAM is not storage. The Nexus devices have 2GB RAM, more than some netbooks. The storage is 16GB.

2. Not sure about the DNA, but look at the price tag of the Nexus 4 and think about the level of hardware inside, and you'll see your answer why storage was gimped. Google already said that Nexus devices won't have expandable storage EVER. Just wait and they'll eventually release a Nexus with bigger memory, more expensive though.

3. LTE isn't needed to load photos and internet at decent speeds. A decent 3G connection is enough. Plus LTE isn't standard.

 

[Gmash]

So they can charge $50-$100 more for 8 more GB of memory. They're taking lessons from Apple.

 

[ExtremeNerd]

See one of the other hundreds of threads on this topic.

 

[AntimonyER]

We have been discussing this in the DNA forum, and I have a sneaking suspicion the Carriers do have something to do with this. Google likes their cloud services, and the carriers are happy to go along now that the era of unlimited data is all but over.

 

[consultant]

RAM/Storage - you get the point. Sheesh. The Storage is just a slower/cheaper RAM.

But what good is all the fancy latest specs (S4 processor, bla bla bla) when you go to take that HD movie and you don't have enough free storage left to save it?

Seems the manufacturers know something about the psychology of the "new" demographic they are selling to that I don't get. I'm operating on logic. Do 20-somethings and 30-something no longer use logic in their purchase decisions and just want the newest device with the fastest processor? Or am I the only one that has an MP3 collection of decent bitrate quality that wants to play songs in my car without having burning up my 3G/4G connection? Feeling OLD!

Google - Come out with a Nexus 4+ with LTE and 32GB, and I'll be happy to shell out $449 or even $499.

If there's a much more active thread on this very subject, can someone please throw me a bone and point me to it? Thanks.

 

[Gmash]

RAM/Storage - you get the point. Sheesh. The Storage is just a slower/cheaper RAM.

But what good is all the fancy latest specs (S4 processor, bla bla bla) when you go to take that HD movie and you don't have enough free storage left to save it?

Seems the manufacturers know something about the psychology of the "new" demographic they are selling to that I don't get. I'm operating on logic. Do 20-somethings and 30-something no longer use logic in their purchase decisions and just want the newest device with the fastest processor? Or am I the only one that has an MP3 collection of decent bitrate quality that wants to play songs in my car without having burning up my 3G/4G connection? Feeling OLD!

Google - Come out with a Nexus 4+ with LTE and 32GB, and I'll be happy to shell out $449 or even $499.

If there's a much more active thread on this very subject, can someone please throw me a bone and point me to it? Thanks.

Here's one:

http://androidforums.com/android-lounge/646694-nexus-4-together-we-can-start-revolution.html

Don't expect any good answers, just the same talking in circles.

 

[Hadron]

RAM/Storage - you get the point. Sheesh. The Storage is just a slower/cheaper RAM.

The RAM is volatile, the flash storage is not (I owned old Palm devices which used volatile RAM for storage, right pain if you didn't keep them charged ) .

Sorry, nothing to do with your argument. I agree about storage, but practically the only thing to do is refuse to buy phones that are inadequate. The DNA is very surprising, given that HTC just doubled storage on the One X+ so clearly realise that there is a market.

 

[Motorhead1991]

Here's one:

http://androidforums.com/android-lounge/646694-nexus-4-together-we-can-start-revolution.html

Don't expect any good answers, just the same talking in circles.

Hey now, not all of us <30 year olds are empty headed . I bought my Rugby Smart over an SII (right before the SIII came out), because I knew the Rugby could tolerate the abuse of a mechanic. I researched, weighed comparisons and even looked at the hardware before deciding.

Now, for the sake of arguement, the Nexus devices as I know them were meant to be a developers playground, not a daily device. If Google wanted to make a daily device, things like storage space would be expandable.

(Note, this excludes the capped HTC devices, stupid HTC...)

 

[Hadron]

Now, for the sake of arguement, the Nexus devices as I know them were meant to be a developers playground, not a daily device. If Google wanted to make a daily device, things like storage space would be expandable.

I think the focus of the Nexus range has shifted. With good pricing and wide availability it looks to me more like the idea is to get pure android into wider circulation now.

Now if you look at stats for average smartphone storage use you'll find that 16GB does work for most. People here are not typical. The problem is making the options 8 and 16 rather than 16 and 32 (32 is tight for me, but I know I'm in the tail ). That's repeating the mistake they made with the N7, where they reportedly assumed that the cheaper 8GB model would be the big seller and were caught out when 16 was more popular.

 

[consultant]

I completely agree with you. Very good point about the N7. While it may be a strategy to keep the price low to promote wider circulation, maybe staging the release of higher capacity devices, like the N7, is simply a strategy to re-kindle interest/buzz in the device to garner more sales. A "double dose" if you will. Two release events producing more total sales over the lifecycle of the products than one. HTC One. HTC One X +. The One X (AT&T) with 16GB WAS in the same boat. The N7 with only 16GB, same thing. Now you have 32GB and 64GB. Seems to be a definite pattern here. Not like memory costs have changed significantly between releases!

I wanted the HTC One X pretty bad, but just couldn't stand the thought of putting only 1/5th of my music on the phone and the rest on the Cloud and then constantly shuffling things. Glad I waited. Patience though is a rare thing to be found in the U.S. hyper-consumer psyche these days though, IMOO. Who the hell is going to show up at Target at 8PM on Thanksgiving? A lot of people. Pretty sad.

I think the focus of the Nexus range has shifted. With good pricing and wide availability it looks to me more like the idea is to get pure android into wider circulation now.

Now if you look at stats for average smartphone storage use you'll find that 16GB does work for most. People here are not typical. The problem is making the options 8 and 16 rather than 16 and 32 (32 is tight for me, but I know I'm in the tail ). That's repeating the mistake they made with the N7, where they reportedly assumed that the cheaper 8GB model would be the big seller and were caught out when 16 was more popular.