KIOXIA starts sampling UFS 3.1 storage chips up to 1TB in capacity for mobile devices

Universal Flash Storage (or UFS) is the flash storage standard that is used in most flagship and upper mid-range smartphones these days. Most flagship devices launched in 2019 featured UFS 2.1 NAND storage, while some phones like the OnePlus 7 series, the Samsung Galaxy Fold, the Galaxy Note 10 series, and the Realme X2 Pro opted for the more recent UFS 3.0 standard. Following the announcement of the UFS 3.1 standard earlier this year, we expected to see more manufacturers make use of the latest standard in their flagship devices. However, neither Samsung nor Realme included UFS 3.1 storage on their 2020 flagships. Surprisingly, Vivo’s sub-brand iQOO was the first to adopt the new standard and its recently launched iQOO 3 is the first smartphone to feature UFS 3.1 storage. While other manufacturers have been slow on the uptake, a recent announcement from KIOXIA might finally make UFS 3.1 more mainstream.

As reported by Business Wire, KIOXIA America (formerly Toshiba Memory America) has announced that it has started sampling UFS 3.1 storage chips for mobile devices. For the unaware, KIOXIA America is the US-based subsidiary of KIOXIA Corporation (formerly known as Toshiba Memory Corporation) which is a leading supplier of storage for mobile devices. As per the report, the new lineup of storage from KIOXIA will make use of its cutting-edge BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory and will be available in four capacities — 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. This means that not only should we see more manufacturers adopting the new standard later this year, but we’ll also see some high-end devices featuring a massive 1TB of internal storage.

In a statement regarding the announcement, Scott Beekman, director of managed flash memory products for KIOXIA America, said, “KIOXIA was the first company to introduce UFS in 2013 and the first to offer UFS Ver 3.0 last year, and we continue to be at the forefront of UFS memory with this Ver. 3.1 announcement today…Our newest offerings enable next-gen mobile devices to take full advantage of the connectivity benefits of 5G, leading to faster downloads and reduced lag time — and an improved user experience.” The report further reveals that all four devices offered in the new lineup will include the following features:

• WriteBooster for significantly faster write speeds (more than 2-3x UFS 3.0)
• Improved sequential read performance (30% over UFS 3.0)
• Host Performance Booster (HPB) for improved random read performance by utilizing the host side memory.
• UFS-DeepSleep Power mode to reduce power consumption in sleep mode.
• Performance throttling event notification to prevent overheating and damage to device circuits if the internal temperature reaches its upper limit.

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Source: Business Wire

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