There has been a noticeable increase in the use of laptops with RAM soldered directly to the motherboard, making it difficult to upgrade the memory in the future.
Companies like Hewlett Packard and other leading manufacturers of portable Windows PCs have noticed user dissatisfaction with this practice. From Apple MacBooks to Windows laptops, more and more PC manufacturers are applying the process of soldering memory modules directly to the motherboard instead of using standard SO-DIMM slots for RAM that make system upgrades easier.
This trend started with ultra-portable, thin laptops, but is now increasingly being applied to gaming models as well. It is often the case that laptops do not have a single SO-DIMM slot, which prevents users from expanding the memory capacity.
Haval Othman, HP's lead director of user experience engineering, said that soldered memory brings numerous benefits such as more efficient use of energy, extended battery life, more space inside the device and the ability to design thinner and lighter laptops.
Although soldered memory brings the advantages of saving space and reducing costs, the lack of upgradeability causes dissatisfaction among users. Many believe that this practice encourages more frequent device replacement and an accelerated process of technical obsolescence.
What is your view on the increasing popularity of soldered memory in laptops, which makes it practically impossible for users to upgrade the memory themselves?