Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra RAM usage sitting near 75 percent is most likely normal. Android is built to keep recently used apps cached in memory and to kill them when it needs the space, so a “full” RAM bar on its own is not a fault. What matters is whether the phone is slow, or apps keep reloading when they shouldn’t. This guide shows what my own Device care screens look like after two weeks, what “Clean now” actually changes, and what I can and can’t say about battery.
My experience so far: I have had my Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (12 GB RAM, 256 GB storage) for about two weeks. I have not had the battery drain other owners report after the One UI 9 update, but I’m watching it. What I do see is memory sitting high and apps reloading after I clean it. I use the phone a lot after work hours, so it rarely gets an idle day. The numbers below are from my own screens.
What my Device care screens show
Here is what Device care and the Memory screen reported on my Fold 8 Ultra:
- Before cleaning: 74 to 76 percent used, about 8.9 to 9.1 GB of 12 GB. The screen also lists 1.2 GB as reserved.
- First “Clean now”: the button offered about 1.6 GB. TikTok (169 MB), Hero (148 MB), and DuckDuckGo (110 MB) were at the top of the list.
- After cleaning twice: 66 percent used, 8 GB of 12 GB. The button then offered only about 361 MB, with Meet, Samsung account, and Chrome listed.
- Settings that were on: Performance profile is Standard and RAM Plus is Off.
Two cleans took me from about 75 percent to 66 percent. Then other apps loaded back in and usage climbed again. That is one phone and one day of screenshots, not a lab test, so treat the numbers as an example of what you might see, not a benchmark.
Is 75% RAM usage normal on the Fold 8 Ultra?
Probably yes. Android’s own memory management documentation says the system keeps apps that are not in the foreground in a cache so switching back is faster, and kills cached processes when it runs low on memory. In that design, high RAM use is expected. The memory holds apps you might open again soon.
The same page says cached processes can be terminated at any time. That helps explain the second half of what I notice. Apps that were sitting in memory can be dropped when the system needs space, and the next time you open one, it reloads.
Two limits on that answer. First, this describes how Android works in general. Samsung has not published anything I found that says 75 percent is the expected level on this phone. Second, my screens can’t tell me whether Samsung’s memory handling in One UI 9 is more aggressive than before. I haven’t measured that and won’t claim it.
What “Clean now” actually does
Samsung’s memory guide lists too many apps running in the background as a cause of low memory. It sends you to Device care, then Memory, and suggests closing unused background apps. The “Clean now” button on my phone does that: it stops the background apps in the list.
That explains why it only helps for a moment. It frees memory by stopping cached apps, and Android fills the space again as you keep using the phone. If you are not short on memory, the extra reload work may cost you more than it saves. It also means apps you cleaned will start from scratch the next time you open them.
Apps reloading after a memory clean: what you can do
- Stop cleaning by hand. If the phone is not slow, leave memory alone for a few days and see whether apps reload less. Cleaning is the thing that forces the reloads.
- Check the app’s battery setting. SamMobile reports that One UI can halt background apps and that setting an app to Unrestricted keeps it running when minimized. The path is Settings, Apps, pick the app, Battery, Unrestricted. Use it sparingly, because an unrestricted app can use more battery.
- Look at Excluded apps. The Memory screen has an Excluded apps section. I haven’t tested whether it stops a specific app from being cleaned, so check it on your own phone.
- Restart the phone. A reboot clears the cache and starts fresh. It is a basic step, but it is worth doing if usage seems stuck high.
- Install pending updates. Go to Settings, Software update. Owners on the Samsung Community report several problems after One UI 9, including YouTube freezing when they switch back to it. Samsung has not confirmed a cause, so a later patch is possible but not promised.
How memory and battery connect
I can’t prove a link between high RAM and battery from my screens. What I can say is my impression, and it is only that: memory-heavy apps, TikTok especially, seem to hit my battery harder than other apps. I have not measured it. My battery screen from the day I checked showed Instagram at 4 percent, Chrome at 2 percent, and calls at 0.7 percent, and TikTok was not in that list, so it does not back up my impression either way. Check your own battery usage screen for the numbers that apply to you.
Battery Protection set to Maximum at 95 percent
I keep the phone on the charger when I’m not using it, so I set Battery Protection to Maximum at 95 percent. Samsung’s battery protection page describes the modes this way: Basic stops charging at 100 percent and starts again at 95, while Maximum charges only up to a limit you choose (80, 85, 90, or 95 percent) and restarts charging when the level drops about 2 percent below it. The Battery screen on my phone shows “Charging stopped to protect your battery” when it holds at 95.
The tradeoff is simple: a lower limit means less battery to use in a day. It is meant to reduce wear over time. I can’t tell you yet how much it helps, because I’ve only had the phone two weeks.
What is confirmed and what is not
- Confirmed by documentation: Android caches background apps and can kill them when memory is low. Samsung lists background apps as a cause of low memory and gives the Device care route. Samsung describes Battery Protection’s Basic and Maximum modes as above.
- From my phone: the Device care numbers above, the reload after cleaning, and the Battery Protection setting.
- My impression, not measured: TikTok and other memory-heavy apps draining battery faster.
- User reports, not confirmed by Samsung: battery drain and app freezing on Fold 8 Ultra units after One UI 9. Samsung Community threads name the Samsung Health app and the modem as possible causes in some cases, and one reply says a new phone’s battery improves after about a week.
- Not verified: whether Fold 8 Ultra memory handling differs from earlier Samsung phones.
If your battery is draining faster than it should, run through our Android battery drain fixer first. For a phone that drains fast, see the Galaxy S25 Ultra battery draining fast guide. If your other trouble is file sharing, we cover that in Galaxy Z Fold 8 Quick Share not working. More fixes are in our Android tips and tricks hub.
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