14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung has just announced a NAND Flash storage device that can essentially be described as the most advanced JEDEC-compliant flash memory storage in the world, both in terms of speed and capacity.
The Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 2.0 standard is the latest and best type of embedded memory interface in the world. Not surprising that Samsung would already be all over it.
The new chip comes in a new ePoP (embedded package on package) form, so that it may be stacked right on top of a logic chip.
That means that smartphones can have the eMMC storage chip mounted right on top of whatever ARM-based processor they use to carry out their task (Exynos line in Samsung's case).
The Samsung UFS 2.0 memory device
The new UFS embedded memory has a capacity of 128 GB, which is considerable seeing as how many SSDs have less than that. SSDs that are often larger than smartphones themselves.
But capacity is not the only asset that gives the new storage chip bragging rights. Performance is another thing,
Thanks to "Command Queue," a technology that speeds up command execution through a serial interface, the data processing speed is considerable next to that of the 8-bit parallel-interface-based eMMC standard.
In layman’s terms, the random reading performance is of 19,000 IOPS (input/output operations per second), 2.7 times faster than common embedded smartphone memory.
As for random writing, that goes at 14,000 IOPS, 28 times better than conventional external memory cards. This means that yes, it allows for Ultra HD video playback and multitasking.
The practical plans
Samsung intends to use the 128 GB UFS 2.0 standard in its future high-end smartphones, leaving normal eMMC to the mid range.
We expect at least one new smartphone or smartphone revision to be introduced at the Mobile World Congress in March (MWC 2015). Small and thin phones, since the UFS embedded memory package can save 50% on space by being installed on top of the processor.
"With our mass production of ultra-fast UFS memory of the industry's highest capacity, we are making a significant contribution to enable a more advanced mobile experience for consumers," said Jee-ho Baek, Senior Vice President of Memory Marketing, Samsung Electronics. "In the future, we will increase the proportion of high-capacity memory solutions, in leading the continued growth of the premium memory market."