Samsung brings LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage on a single chip to more affordable mainstream handhelds
DDR5 is coming to desktops and possibly to laptops later this year, yet high-end smartphones have already been taking advantage of the LPDDR5 standard since last year. Granted, this might not be an apples to apples comparison, but Samsung is now ready to make the technology more affordable by releasing LPDDR5 memory chips that combine UFS 3.1 NAND storage in a multi-chip package (MCP). This approach brings industry’s highest performance, capacity and energy efficiency to mid-range and even entry level smartphones in order to accelerate the 5G adoption.
Through the use of the multi-chip packaging solution, Samsung is now able to provide the same speeds and high storage capacities we see on premium high-end handhelds to more affordable models that come with lower power requirements. This will unlock flagship functionalities including advanced photography features, graphics-intensive games and augmented reality to entry level and mid-range solutions. The uMCP chips come with 25 GB/s memory transfers and 3 GB/s storage transfer speeds.
Furthermore, the improved packaging methods maximize space efficiency within the smartphone design by integrating DRAM and NAND storage into a single chip that measures only 11.5mm x 13mm, allowing more space for other hardware solutions. DRAM capacities range from 6 GB to 12 GB, while storage capacities can go up to 512 GB. Samsung is already collaborating with several global smartphone OEMs to release the first mainstream uMCP-equipped handhelds this month.
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