The Samsung Galaxy S range stuck to 8GB and 12GB RAM for a while, most recently seeing a shift when the S22 Ultra ditched its 16GB model.

It looked like the 2024 was set for years of upgrades for Samsung with 12 and 16GB units mooted, but a trusted leaker has just poured cold water on that idea, and it now looks like the Galaxy S24 will have a more familiar RAM profile, and it looks like it will have one.

In a post on X, the leaker Ice Universe claims that the Galaxy S24 Plus will only be available in 8 and 12GB models and will benefit from an optional RAM upgrade. The S23 Plus can only be purchased with 8GB.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra will survive in 8GB or 12GB variants, while the regular S24 will remain 8GB only. He concluded, "There will be no 16GB."

That is definitely disappointing for those who were hoping for an upgrade from Samsung next year, especially with OnePlus said to be launching a 24GB device in the next few days, but who really needs more than 12GB of RAM in a smartphone today?

Asking how much RAM a smartphone needs is like asking how long a piece of string is. Because some apps simply consume more RAM than others.

However, it is worth noting that the phone buying guide on Samsung's UK site recommends "at least 16GB" for "an uninterrupted, speedy, high-quality gaming experience." Awkward, given that Samsung has not made a 16GB smartphone since the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

But frankly, the whole page is a bit of a mystery and seems to conflate high-end PC games with smartphone apps (they recommend at least 32GB for large adventure games, and I have never seen a device with more than 24GB. I'm caching it here for posterity in case it gets deleted).

Fortunately for Samsung, 16GB still feels like wasted space on a smartphone; Android Authority has long conducted tests to assess what difference the amount of RAM makes on Android. Their conclusion? 6GB at minimum, 8GB for most users, but there are some advantages to upgrading to 12GB if you can afford it. The site concludes, "At this point, 16GB RAM seems to be just bragging rights."

That puts Samsung right in the sweet spot with its S24 range. And while optically it doesn't look great to leave this key specification largely unchanged for a fourth year on the bounce, if it really is just for bragging rights, why not let the review do the talking a few months later?