Can Granite 4.2 30B run on ROG Phone 9 Pro?
YES — Runs, barely
Formula estimate
What this means
Our estimate says Granite 4.2 30B should fit, but replies are likely to arrive slowly.
Download the Q3_K_M version, which is about 14.1 GB. We expect it to use about 17.5 GB of the roughly 20 GB available to a model on this phone.
At the estimated speed, a roughly 300-word answer may take about 3 minutes to finish.
This result is calculated from the phone and model specifications. It has not been measured on this exact phone and setup.
2.5tokens/s
estimated · slower than you read
17.5GB
needed at Q3_K_M
Q3_K_M
quant checked
needs 17.5 GBusable 20 GB
Snapdragon 8 Elite24 GB RAMCPU / GPUAlso sold with 16 GB
Make it bearable
1
Drop context to 2K — saves ~1.1 GB of KV cache and a little speed.
2
Close every other app before loading — the 2.5 GB headroom is real; Android may kill the app otherwise.
3
Expect throttling after ~10 min of sustained generation on a phone chassis.
See how fast it feels
Estimated at 2.5 tokens/s — slower than you read. A ~300-word reply takes about 160 seconds on this phone.
Where the memory goes
| Component | Detail | GB |
|---|---|---|
| Model weights | Q3_K_M GGUF (14.1 GB) + mmap overhead | 14.8 |
| KV cache | 4K context window | 2.1 |
| Runtime | llama.cpp + app overhead | 0.6 |
| Total needed | at Q3_K_M, 4K context | 17.5 |
| Working budget | 24 GB RAM − Android system reserve | 20 |
| Headroom | remaining inside the working budget | 2.5 |
Pick your quant
| Quant | Download | Verdict | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q2_K | 10.9 GB | ! Runs, barely | ~3.2 tokens/s |
| Q3_K_M BEST HERE | 14.1 GB | ! Runs, barely | ~2.5 tokens/s |
| Q4_0 | 16.6 GB | ✕ Won't fit | won't fit |
| Q4_K_S | 16.7 GB | ✕ Won't fit | won't fit |
| Q4_K_M | 17.7 GB | ✕ Won't fit | won't fit |
| Q5_K_M | 20.8 GB | ✕ Won't fit | won't fit |
| Q6_K | 24 GB | ✕ Won't fit | won't fit |
| Q8_0 | 31.1 GB | ✕ Won't fit | won't fit |
Get your first offline chat working
Recommended app: PocketPal. Follow the point-and-click steps below. The speed above is an estimate, not a measurement from this exact app and phone.
1
Install or update PocketPal from Google Play. It is free and does not require an account. Use a current version so its loader supports newer model architectures.
2
Open the exact model. In PocketPal, go to Models → + → Add from Hugging Face, then paste
ibm-granite/granite-4.2-30b-GGUF.3
Choose the Q3_K_M GGUF file. The download is about 14.1 GB, so use Wi-Fi and keep the app open. Choose the main GGUF weights, not a vision projector, mmproj, or other helper file.
4
Tap Download, then Load. Start with a 4K (4096-token) context. Keep the app’s default Android backend for the first run.
5
Send a simple first prompt. Try “Explain why the sky is blue in three sentences.” This page estimates about 2.5 tokens/s, but that number is not a PocketPal measurement unless it carries a ✓ Verified label.
6
Confirm it is really offline. After the first reply, turn on airplane mode and ask a second question. If it still answers, the model is running on your phone.
If it does not work
- Model not listed: update PocketPal and paste the exact repository
ibm-granite/granite-4.2-30b-GGUF. - App closes while loading: close other apps, restart the phone, and try 2K context. If it still closes, choose a smaller model.
- No offline reply: confirm that the Q3_K_M GGUF file is loaded in the chat rather than a remote model.
Related checks
More on ROG Phone 9 Pro
Granite 4.2 30B on other phones