Whenever a new Android phone or tablet comes out, we tech enthusiasts gloat over the high-end processor or the GBs of RAM the device has – things which would definitely translate into speed and performance. However the type of storage present in the device also is an important aspect which has a huge bearing on the performance of the device. It has been apparent that the processor, display technologies and RAM has seen major improvements in the last couple of years, the one area which is yet to see a significant improvement is the device storage (and battery life, but that topic is for another time), especially the technology that powers the 16/32/64 GB internal flash storage. The speed of a storage platform is measured in terms of sequential and random read-write speeds. Despite sequential read speeds edging upwards, the random IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) has been in the range of a few hundreds. However Sandisk claims that the IOPS in their iNAND Extreme runs in the thousands figure – more specifically, the iNAND extreme is thrice as fast as current storage in the sequential read-write speeds, whereas it is twice as fast in the random IOPS speeds.
With the announcement of their iNAND Extreme embedded flash storage platform, Sandisk plans to remedy the situation, while simultaneously providing a dramatic boost to an Android phone’s performance. Currently the iNAND Extreme is being sampled out to select Sandisk customers worldwide which would enable OEMs to test their capability and design better devices in the upcoming future. In the words of Drew Henry, Senior Vice President and GM, Sandisk -“We’ve incorporated our latest memory technology and a truly unique new architecture to create an all new iNAND Extreme. iNAND Extreme works with the latest processing technology to reduce latency and take application performance to the next level, from playing 4K video to faster multi-shot, to more responsive gaming apps. iNAND Extreme enables mobile device manufacturers to develop a new generation of faster, more reliable smartphones and tablets that perform exceptionally well.”
Sandisk manufacturers most of the eMMC/NAND storage we find in todays’ smartphones. The iNAND Extreme has been sampled out in 16, 32 and 64 GB versions and it should be available in the market for devices sometime in the second quarter of this year. Now we are just waiting for a revolution in battery technologies. Do let us know your take in the comments below.