US-based memory chipmaker Micron Technology commenced sample shipments of a Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 4.0 chip expected to appear in flagship smartphones and other devices later this year.

Chris Moore, VP of marketing for Micron Technology’s mobile business unit, told Mobile World Live the UFS 4.0 chip is based on a 232-layer triple-layer cell NAND architecture which delivers 100 per cent higher write and 75 per cent greater read bandwidth than its 176-layer UFS 3.1 product.

Micron Technology claimed the mobile flash storage chip delivered the fastest performance in the industry.

Joseph Unsworth, research VP with Gartner, told MWL Micron Technology’s chip “looks compelling on paper”, but conceded difficulties in making an apples-for-apples comparison of mobile flash storage.

“It’s their own flash and it’s also their own integrated controller so they’re driving their own destiny.”

Unsworth noted Micron Technology had done a lot of work around helping customers integrate the chip.

Moore said Micron Technology provided engineering samples to large mobile application processor companies in the US and Taiwan, along with global OEMs, with positive feedback around the chip’s performance.

Moore said the chip could be available in high-end smartphones by MWC23 Las Vegas in September.

Both Moore and Unsworth noted UFS 4.0 will eventually be used across the automotive sector, embedded IoT devices and Chromebooks.