All Samsung Galaxy S11 devices will have 12GB of RAM, apparently

Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus
The Samsung Galaxy S11 could have even more RAM than the S10 Plus (Image credit: TechRadar)

The rumored Samsung Galaxy S11 specs (or Galaxy S20, depending on which leaks you believe) sound like the shopping list of the biggest tech fan in the world.

There's the 108MP camera, 8K video recording, a chunky 4,500mAh battery, a 6.9-inch AMOLED screen on the largest model, and now a leaker suggests that all of the upcoming phones – including the budget model – will come with 12GB of RAM.

This leaker is @UniverseIce, the most prolific Galaxy S11 / S20 leaker, who seems to be leaking many different aspects of the phone each day.

They posted a simple tweet suggesting that all of Samsung's new range of flagships will have 12GB of RAM by default, presumably with 16GB or more offered in some configurations, since Samsung's flagships usually come in multiple RAM configurations.

Currently, a few smartphones have 12GB of RAM, including one storage option of the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus, and while we've heard news that the Black Shark 3 5G will have 16GB of RAM, no phone does so far.

Extra RAM can be useful for speeding up phone processes like saving photos, editing images, and playing games, but currently 12GB could be considered quite unnecessary in a phone, so 16GB would be impressive yet questionable.

This is especially true for the 'Lite' phone of the range, set to be either the Galaxy S11e or Galaxy S20 depending on what name Samsung settles on, as the Galaxy S10e only had 6GB of RAM and that was fine.

Arguably this extra RAM could be useful given the camera specs of the Galaxy S11 supposedly have some huge numbers, but that brings us on to our main 'question mark' so to speak – are all these specs too good to be true?

Too good to be true?

As mentioned, the Samsung Galaxy S11 or S20 has a list of rumored specs that any other handset would quiver at the sight of, but the list is so impressive that it feels a little fantastical. 

The new leak of 12GB of RAM in all storage variants is the icing on the cake, but the crossover between 'people who need 12GB of RAM' and 'people who want to buy the affordable version of a new flagship' is probably rather slim, and if these leaks are to be believed then it's unlikely there will be a truly affordable version of the S11 / S20.

So could Samsung have actually forgotten about an important slice of its audience (bear in mind, the Galaxy A series of phones is incredibly popular, showing there's an appetite for great specs at a mid-range price)? Or is it more likely that some leakers have gotten a little overexcited with touted specs? We'd suggest the latter.

Either way, we'll find out for sure come February 11, when Samsung is expected to launch its new series of devices – then we'll find out if Samsung truly has made the smartphone to end all smartphones, with an affordable version that doesn't lose a key spec from its bigger siblings.

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.

He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.