In 2025, itโs quite rare to settle for a phone with only 16GB of storage. And yes, weโre not talking about RAM. For example, even the most affordable phone from Samsung, the Galaxy A15 5G comes with 64GB storage. Android 15 introduces some significant changes to make budget phones perform better. Mishaal Rahman (via Android Authority) explains everything clearly about how this is going to work.
Android 15 doubles the storage requirement to 32GB, and it makes a lot sense
One of the biggest updates is that phones now need at least 32GB of storage to run Android 15. This doubles the previous requirement of 16GB, which often wasnโt sufficient once the system and apps were installed. With the new rule, most of the 32GB must be available for users to install their own apps and store files, which should make things much smoother for people using budget phones.
This storage requirement rule applies to any new phones launching with Android 15. As well as to older phones trying to update to it. While phone manufacturers can still use the free version of Android (called AOSP) without adhering to this rule, they wonโt be allowed to include Google apps like the Play Store unless they meet the requirement. Since these apps are essential to most users, nearly every phone maker will likely adhere to the new standard.
Android 15 is also adding a new safety feature. Phones that support emergency calls will now offer users the option to share their emergency contact information with emergency services. This could help first responders reach family or friends in a crisis, and users will have full control over whether they want to share that information.
Google is also raising the bar for graphics and app support. Phones must now support the Vulkan 1.3 graphics system and include something called ANGLE, which helps older apps perform better on newer devices. Additionally, phones with 2GB or 3GB of memory (RAM) will now need to enable special settings to help Android run more efficiently on low-memory devices. Previously, this was only required for phones with 2GB or less.
Meanwhile, you should also check out which Galaxy devices are eligible for the Android 15-based One UI 7 update.
