Today, Samsung announced that it is mass-producing 256 GB Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 2.0 memory chips for mobile devices. The tech behind this new flash memory is based on Samsung’s V-NAND flash memory chips and features a high-performance controller.

This new memory chips have read speeds that are nearly twice that of typical SATA-based SSDs at 850MB/s, though the write speeds are lower at 260MB/s, which is approximately three times faster than high-performance external micro SD cards. It also supports up to 45,000 and 40,000 input/output operations per second (IOPS) for random reading and writing respectively, which is more than double the speed of last-gen UFS memory. Having such high-speed means, we can transfer a 5GB Full-HD video clip to your PC in 12 seconds using USB 3.0 cable.

By providing high-density UFS memory that is nearly twice as fast as a SATA SSD for PCs, we will contribute to a paradigm shift within the mobile data storage market. We are determined to push the competitive edge in premium storage line-ups – OEM NVMe SSDs, external SSDs, and UFS – by moving aggressively to enhance performance and capacity in all three markets.

This new UFS memory chips are extremely compact and they are even smaller than an external micro SD card, giving greater flexibility to smartphone designers. Samsung believes that this new memory chips with 256GB capacity would make it possible to store more 4K contents and the high transfer rate provided by UFS 2.0 means seamless Ultra HD video playback and multitasking functionality on large-screen mobile devices, such as watching 4K Ultra HD movies on a split screen, while searching image files or downloading video clips.

Samsung has not revealed any details on when we can expect this new memory chips or which devices will be using it. Our best guess is that Samsung will reveal new mobile devices featuring the new 256GB UFS 2.0 by this year-end. In addition, rumors suggest that Galaxy Note 6 may feature this new memory chip.

Source: Samsung