But even with the top processor of the time, and 3GB of RAM, it slowed down as the memory neared the capacity, especially after the hundreds of photos began to pile up

The Snapdragon 821, and even the 820, is fast enough for 2017, so having the Exynos 8895 future-proofs it for another 2-3 years at least, since I feel with each successive processor, we are getting to the point where the hardware requirements for software is plateauing, and you would only need the latest processors for video games which keeps getting better and better and continually needs the fastest processor