The next batch of premium smartphones to hit the market are likely to have 16GB of extremely fast RAM inside thanks to Samsung.
Today, Samsung announced that it's now mass producing 10nm 16GB modules of LPDDR5 mobile DRAM chips, which not only means smartphones will be able to do more, they'll do so faster and more efficiently. Samsung says the these 16GB DDR5 modules are 30 percent faster than the previous generation DDR4 modules, running at 5,500Mb/s. They also use 20 percent less energy, meaning more battery life for any phone using them.
Inside each DRAM module you'll find eight 12Gb chips and four 8Gb chips, with Samsung keen to point out once these modules start being used a smartphone will have twice the RAM of a typical laptop. In terms of what that enables on a phone, Samsung believes artificial intelligence, 5G, and smart photography will all benefit.
Having more RAM available allows a phone to do more at once, be that handling 5G content, using AI to carry out real-time language translation, or storing more detailed textures for better looking games. Smart photography will also be improved simply because the phone can store more detail and images before compiling the best shot every time you take a photo.
The speed at which Samsung is advancing its mobile DRAM manufacturing process can only be classed as "breakneck." We got 6GB DDR5 modules in June 2019, 12GB modules in July, and the first 16GB modules in December. We're now expecting a third-generation 10nm-class 16GB module in the second half of this year. The main advantage of that module will be a speed increase from 5,500Mb/s to 6,400Mb/s.
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