I bought the phone in early 2026, it worked great the first few months, but now I've noticed that apps open slower, videos lag, and even the browser sometimes freezes. The RAM usage in apps shows that there's roughly as much free memory as there was at the beginning. Could this be a software issue or is it already hardware wear?
Most of the time it's not wear and tear, but just garbage and background processes piling up - over time the system accumulates temporary files, app cache, logs, and all that stuff eats up your memory and processor. Try the simplest thing first: go into settings, storage cleanup, delete the cache for all your apps (it's safe, they'll just reinstall themselves), and check which apps are running in the background and draining your battery - usually you'll find a couple of useless ones there.
If that doesn't help, dig into your storage settings in more detail and see if there's some app taking up a crazy amount of space or stuck in the processes list. A factory reset through settings also fixes it pretty often, though you'll lose everything, so back up your data first 😊
It's most likely software - half a year isn't enough for hardware wear 😊 Try the simplest stuff first: clear your app cache (in storage settings), delete apps you haven't used in forever, and restart your phone. If that doesn't help, check if system files have piled up - sometimes a full OS reinstall through Samsung's official software helps, though it's more complicated.
Also check your battery and processes - there might be something running in the background eating up resources: app updates, cloud sync, security scanner. If it's still lagging after cleaning and restarting, then it makes sense to take it to a service center, but I'd start with this first.
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