Samsung launches 128 GB NAND modules for mid-range devices

[Scorpus]

Samsung wants the next wave of mid-range smartphones to come with huge amounts of internal storage, reducing the need for microSD card expansion. To facilitate this, the company has launched an affordable, high-performance 128 GB NAND flash module based on eMMC 5.0 technology.

This 128 GB module is "the industry’s highest density eMMC 5.0 solution", according to Samsung. Rather than giving smartphone manufacturers the highest performance through UFS 2.0 or eMMC 5.1 interconnects, this NAND module is designed to speed up the adoption of high-capacity NAND, particularly outside the flagship space.

Samsung's 3-bit 128 GB eMMC 5.0 NAND module is capable of 260 MB/s sequential reads, which is the same as what you get from MLC NAND eMMC 5.1 memory. Sequential write speeds weren't mentioned, although random reads and writes are rated at 6,000 and 5,000 IOPS respectively.

The random performance of this module is four and ten times faster (for read and write respectively) than a typical microSD card, which this memory is intended to replace. With 128 GB of storage on board a smartphone, a microSD card slot is no longer necessary, which can simplify the design of the phone.

Samsung has already removed the microSD card slot on the Galaxy S6 in favor of internal NAND storage only, so it's possible the company will do the same for their mid-range devices. And if the included NAND is 128 GB in size and doesn't add a significant premium to the price of the handset, removing the microSD slot won't be so bad.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/60100-samsung-launches-128-gb-nand-modules-mid-range.html

 

[Kibaruk]

Awesome, there is never enough space, and "switchable" memories are not a solution, is more of a problem... although with 4G it's easier to have things on the cloud and have fast access to them with a small catch when you loose coverage and go back to older slower bands.

 

[RustyTech]

Hey Tim and Kibaruk...must be some good stuff..hook me up!

 

[Guest]

Is still dont get the whole eMMC modules.

I mean, its cheaper for manufacturers to buy bare onfi nand and get a SoC that supports ONFi interface.
That way you reduce the BOM and get to pick a wide selection of nand available on the open market.

emmc on the other hand adds additional complexity (you need a emmc controller on the emmc package and on the SoC) and its usually more expensive too.

 

[Guest]

Why do I imagine Apple closing their eyes when this kind of news come out?

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Why don't they just bolt on a massive battery with a full sized USB 3.0 port built into the device? That'll give users the option to connect their >2TB USB portable HDD to the phone for storage, or... they could enjoy a fortnight of charge free usage when they don't need to power a drive.