Samsung and Xiaomi to move to next-gen UFS 2.0 memory in 2015

Samsung and Xiaomi will switch to a new memory standard starting next year according to a report by Korean website ETnews. Instead of using the standard internal eMMC and microSD storage technologies, both companies are expected to switch to Universal Flash Storage 2.0 (UFS 2.0) which is the next generation NAND flash-based memory standard. Samsung is expected to start production of the USF 2.0 NAND flash memory by the end of the year so that it can be ready to be introduced in its upcoming flagship device - the Samsung Galaxy S6. Keeping the push towards 4G LTE in mind, where users are consuming high capacity data, the current storage technologies will find it difficult to keep up with the data transfer rates and keeping the power consumption under check. Also we are increasingly seeing a lot of flagship smartphones coming with 4K video recording, slow-motion video capture and other features that requires large capacity memory. Heating up of the phone is quite common while shooting 4K video for instance. These kind of features, will require high speed data transfer rates which do not slow down the phone or heat it up to very high levels. Designed by the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC), the UFS 2.0 standard is supported by Samsung, Micron, Nokia, SK Hynix and Toshiba. UFS 2.0 is expected to reach interface speeds of 1.2GB/s which is almost three times faster than eMMC 5.0 storage which tops out at 400 MB/s. Now higher data transfer rates can shoot up power consumption which can lead to heating (commonly experienced while shooting 4K video on smartphones). But with the UFS 2.0, the power consumption level has been kept similar to that of an eMMC. In fact, the power consumption is expected to be kept to almost half of eMMC 5.0 standard. Samsung will gradually make UFS 2.0 a standard feature in not just its phones but also other devices such as tablets. Xiaomi is also expected to use the UFS 2.0 memory standard in its devices. This makes sense for Xiaomi considering it has already formed a joint venture with Leadcore Technology to source 4G chips, which enables Xiaomi to come out with affordable 4G LTE handsets. With Xiaomi having climbed in the top 5 cellphone makers, affordable 4G LTE handsets will further propel its growth. Samsung, which has shown a decline in its profits , will also want to get some market share. the new memory standard will be a step in that direction. According to a Samsung representative quoted on the site, UFS will be an important element in Samsung smartphones next year and it will start off with flagship devices.