diff --git a/src/gui/opengl/qopenglpaintengine.cpp b/src/gui/opengl/qopenglpaintengine.cpp
index bfc08a5332..4bc87d2be8 100644
--- a/src/gui/opengl/qopenglpaintengine.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/opengl/qopenglpaintengine.cpp
@@ -1528,10 +1528,8 @@ void QOpenGL2PaintEngineEx::drawTextItem(const QPointF &p, const QTextItem &text
 
         {
             QStaticTextItem staticTextItem;
-            staticTextItem.chars = const_cast<QChar *>(ti.chars);
             staticTextItem.setFontEngine(ti.fontEngine);
             staticTextItem.glyphs = glyphs.data();
-            staticTextItem.numChars = ti.num_chars;
             staticTextItem.numGlyphs = glyphs.size();
             staticTextItem.glyphPositions = positions.data();
 
diff --git a/src/gui/text/qstatictext.cpp b/src/gui/text/qstatictext.cpp
index 6f1916afc6..913cd08a0e 100644
--- a/src/gui/text/qstatictext.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/text/qstatictext.cpp
@@ -393,7 +393,7 @@ QSizeF QStaticText::size() const
 }
 
 QStaticTextPrivate::QStaticTextPrivate()
-        : textWidth(-1.0), items(0), itemCount(0), glyphPool(0), positionPool(0), charPool(0),
+        : textWidth(-1.0), items(0), itemCount(0), glyphPool(0), positionPool(0),
           needsRelayout(true), useBackendOptimizations(false), textFormat(Qt::AutoText),
           untransformedCoordinates(false)
 {
@@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ QStaticTextPrivate::QStaticTextPrivate()
 
 QStaticTextPrivate::QStaticTextPrivate(const QStaticTextPrivate &other)
     : text(other.text), font(other.font), textWidth(other.textWidth), matrix(other.matrix),
-      items(0), itemCount(0), glyphPool(0), positionPool(0), charPool(0), textOption(other.textOption),
+      items(0), itemCount(0), glyphPool(0), positionPool(0), textOption(other.textOption),
       needsRelayout(true), useBackendOptimizations(other.useBackendOptimizations),
       textFormat(other.textFormat), untransformedCoordinates(other.untransformedCoordinates)
 {
@@ -412,7 +412,6 @@ QStaticTextPrivate::~QStaticTextPrivate()
     delete[] items;
     delete[] glyphPool;
     delete[] positionPool;
-    delete[] charPool;
 }
 
 QStaticTextPrivate *QStaticTextPrivate::get(const QStaticText *q)
@@ -447,8 +446,6 @@ namespace {
             QStaticTextItem currentItem;
             currentItem.setFontEngine(ti.fontEngine);
             currentItem.font = ti.font();
-            currentItem.charOffset = m_chars.size();
-            currentItem.numChars = ti.num_chars;
             currentItem.glyphOffset = m_glyphs.size(); // Store offset into glyph pool
             currentItem.positionOffset = m_glyphs.size(); // Offset into position pool
             currentItem.useBackendOptimizations = m_useBackendOptimizations;
@@ -468,7 +465,6 @@ namespace {
 
             m_glyphs.resize(m_glyphs.size() + size);
             m_positions.resize(m_glyphs.size());
-            m_chars.resize(m_chars.size() + ti.num_chars);
 
             glyph_t *glyphsDestination = m_glyphs.data() + currentItem.glyphOffset;
             memcpy(glyphsDestination, glyphs.constData(), sizeof(glyph_t) * currentItem.numGlyphs);
@@ -476,9 +472,6 @@ namespace {
             QFixedPoint *positionsDestination = m_positions.data() + currentItem.positionOffset;
             memcpy(positionsDestination, positions.constData(), sizeof(QFixedPoint) * currentItem.numGlyphs);
 
-            QChar *charsDestination = m_chars.data() + currentItem.charOffset;
-            memcpy(charsDestination, ti.chars, sizeof(QChar) * currentItem.numChars);
-
             m_items.append(currentItem);
         }
 
@@ -510,16 +503,10 @@ namespace {
             return m_glyphs;
         }
 
-        QVector<QChar> chars() const
-        {
-            return m_chars;
-        }
-
     private:
         QVector<QStaticTextItem> m_items;
         QVector<QFixedPoint> m_positions;
         QVector<glyph_t> m_glyphs;
-        QVector<QChar> m_chars;
 
         bool m_dirtyPen;
         bool m_useBackendOptimizations;
@@ -595,11 +582,6 @@ namespace {
             return m_paintEngine->items();
         }
 
-        QVector<QChar> chars() const
-        {
-            return m_paintEngine->chars();
-        }
-
     private:
         DrawTextItemRecorder *m_paintEngine;
     };
@@ -677,7 +659,6 @@ void QStaticTextPrivate::init()
     delete[] items;
     delete[] glyphPool;
     delete[] positionPool;
-    delete[] charPool;
 
     position = QPointF(0, 0);
 
@@ -693,7 +674,6 @@ void QStaticTextPrivate::init()
     QVector<QStaticTextItem> deviceItems = device.items();
     QVector<QFixedPoint> positions = device.positions();
     QVector<glyph_t> glyphs = device.glyphs();
-    QVector<QChar> chars = device.chars();
 
     itemCount = deviceItems.size();
     items = new QStaticTextItem[itemCount];
@@ -704,15 +684,11 @@ void QStaticTextPrivate::init()
     positionPool = new QFixedPoint[positions.size()];
     memcpy(positionPool, positions.constData(), positions.size() * sizeof(QFixedPoint));
 
-    charPool = new QChar[chars.size()];
-    memcpy(charPool, chars.constData(), chars.size() * sizeof(QChar));
-
     for (int i=0; i<itemCount; ++i) {
         items[i] = deviceItems.at(i);
 
         items[i].glyphs = glyphPool + items[i].glyphOffset;
         items[i].glyphPositions = positionPool + items[i].positionOffset;
-        items[i].chars = charPool + items[i].charOffset;
     }
 
     needsRelayout = false;
diff --git a/src/gui/text/qstatictext_p.h b/src/gui/text/qstatictext_p.h
index 29db8836d9..694a2e4baa 100644
--- a/src/gui/text/qstatictext_p.h
+++ b/src/gui/text/qstatictext_p.h
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ public:
 class Q_GUI_EXPORT QStaticTextItem
 {
 public:
-    QStaticTextItem() : chars(0), numChars(0), useBackendOptimizations(false),
+    QStaticTextItem() : useBackendOptimizations(false),
                         userDataNeedsUpdate(0), usesRawFont(0),
                         m_fontEngine(0), m_userData(0) {}
 
@@ -83,9 +83,7 @@ public:
     {
         glyphPositions = other.glyphPositions;
         glyphs = other.glyphs;
-        chars = other.chars;
         numGlyphs = other.numGlyphs;
-        numChars = other.numChars;
         font = other.font;
         color = other.color;
         useBackendOptimizations = other.useBackendOptimizations;
@@ -124,29 +122,23 @@ public:
     union {
         glyph_t *glyphs;                         // 4 bytes per glyph
         int glyphOffset;
-    };
-    union {
-        QChar *chars;                            // 2 bytes per glyph
-        int charOffset;
     };
                                                  // =================
-                                                 // 14 bytes per glyph
+                                                 // 12 bytes per glyph
 
-                                                 // 12 bytes for pointers
+                                                 // 8 bytes for pointers
     int numGlyphs;                               // 4 bytes per item
-    int numChars;                                // 4 bytes per item
     QFont font;                                  // 8 bytes per item
     QColor color;                                // 10 bytes per item
     char useBackendOptimizations : 1;            // 1 byte per item
     char userDataNeedsUpdate : 1;                //
     char usesRawFont : 1;                        //
-                                                 // ================
-                                                 // 51 bytes per item
 
 private: // Needs special handling in setters, so private to avoid abuse
     QFontEngine *m_fontEngine;                     // 4 bytes per item
     QStaticTextUserData *m_userData;               // 8 bytes per item
-
+                                                 // ================
+                                                 // 43 bytes per item
 };
 
 class QStaticText;
@@ -179,7 +171,6 @@ public:
 
     glyph_t *glyphPool;                  // 4 bytes per text
     QFixedPoint *positionPool;           // 4 bytes per text
-    QChar *charPool;                     // 4 bytes per text
 
     QTextOption textOption;              // 28 bytes per text
 
@@ -188,7 +179,7 @@ public:
     unsigned char textFormat               : 2;
     unsigned char untransformedCoordinates : 1;
                                          // ================
-                                         // 195 bytes per text
+                                         // 191 bytes per text
 
     static QStaticTextPrivate *get(const QStaticText *q);
 };
diff --git a/src/opengl/gl2paintengineex/qpaintengineex_opengl2.cpp b/src/opengl/gl2paintengineex/qpaintengineex_opengl2.cpp
index 1fa5723d85..a12b5ee98d 100644
--- a/src/opengl/gl2paintengineex/qpaintengineex_opengl2.cpp
+++ b/src/opengl/gl2paintengineex/qpaintengineex_opengl2.cpp
@@ -1583,10 +1583,8 @@ void QGL2PaintEngineEx::drawTextItem(const QPointF &p, const QTextItem &textItem
 
         {
             QStaticTextItem staticTextItem;
-            staticTextItem.chars = const_cast<QChar *>(ti.chars);
             staticTextItem.setFontEngine(ti.fontEngine);
             staticTextItem.glyphs = glyphs.data();
-            staticTextItem.numChars = ti.num_chars;
             staticTextItem.numGlyphs = glyphs.size();
             staticTextItem.glyphPositions = positions.data();