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text model · Llama · Android

Can I run Llama 3.1 8B on Generic Android Phone (8GB RAM)?

Compatibility verdict VRAM threshold engine
No, not enough memory would not load

No. Llama 3.1 8B needs ~6.4 GB even at Q4_K_M, but Generic Android Phone (8GB RAM) only has ~4.5 GB usable.

Needs ~6.4 GB Device usable ~4.5 GB

Needs ~6.4 GB even at Q4_K_M, but only ~4.5 GB is usable.

That figure is at a 4k context and moves about ±15% as context length changes.

The gap is about 1.9 GB: Llama 3.1 8B needs roughly 6.4 GB at Q4_K_M and Generic Android Phone (8GB RAM) leaves only about 4.5 GB usable for a model. The lightest tracked hardware that runs Llama 3.1 8B is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 (12GB) at 12 GB. See Llama 3.1 8B on Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 (12GB).

Q4_K_M needed
~6.4 GB
Usable on device
~4.5 GB
Device memory
8 GB
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Which quant fits

Quant ladder vs ~4.5 GB usable
Q2_K
~4.9 GB
Q3_K_M
~5.4 GB
Q4_K_M
~6.4 GB
Q5_K_M
~7.2 GB
Q6_K
~8.1 GB
Q8_0
~10 GB
FP16
~17.5 GB
The line marks Generic Android Phone (8GB RAM)'s ~4.5 GB budget; rungs past it are too large.

How to run it

On Android use PocketPal AI (Polished app, download GGUF and run offline.).

Model Llama
Parameters
8B
Q4_K_M size
4.92 GB
Q8_0 size
8.54 GB
Context
128k
Ollama tag
llama3.1:8b
Full Llama 3.1 8B requirements →
Device Android
Memory
8 GB ram
Usable for weights
~4.5 GB
Best runtime
llama.cpp (PocketPal or SmolChat)
Best models for Generic Android Phone (8GB RAM) →

What you can run instead

Run Llama 3.1 8B on other hardware

FAQ

Can Generic Android Phone (8GB RAM) run Llama 3.1 8B?

No. Llama 3.1 8B needs ~6.4 GB even at Q4_K_M, but Generic Android Phone (8GB RAM) only has ~4.5 GB usable.

How much memory does Llama 3.1 8B need?

Generic Android Phone (8GB RAM) does not have enough memory. At Q4_K_M the weights are ~4.92 GB; with KV cache and runtime overhead, budget ~6.4 GB at a 4k context.

What is the best tool to run Llama 3.1 8B on Android?

On Android, PocketPal AI (Polished app, download GGUF and run offline.) is the go-to option. NPU acceleration is limited and chip-specific; most apps run on CPU. Expect 1B-4B class.

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Sources

Weights are measured from GGUF files; KV cache and overhead are computed, so totals can vary ~15% with context and runtime. Any tok/s is a bandwidth estimate. See methodology.