Some breaking news regarding the Galaxy Note 6 could have a significant influence on the iPhone 7 when it launches later this year. The Korean manufacturer has recently announced the first ever 256GB UFS storage module, and it is already expected that Samsung will include this in the Galaxy Note 6 when it releases in what is expected to be August.
Samsung-Apple partnership mooted
But analysts already believe that Apple could also benefit from this technological breakthrough. It is perhaps odd to think that a major innovation from Samsung could ultimately benefit Apple as well, but despite the rivalry between the two corporations, the market-leading consumer electronics companies have certainly collaborated before.
Samsung has provided chips for Apple in the past, and although there are rumors that Apple will look elsewhere for chips to be utilized in the iPhone 7, it does nonetheless set the precedent that the two companies can work together on the iPhone range. It is suggested that Apple could ultimately benefit from the new 256GB storage technology, with Samsung essentially licensing it for usage in the iPhone series.
The incentive for Apple is obvious. It had already been predicted that the California-based corporation would indeed upgrade the memory of the iPhone 7 to 256GB.
iPhone 7 – Screen resolution revolution
Storage is becoming an increasingly important issue for smartphones, particularly as the move towards higher screen resolutions accelerates. Thus, 256GB storage will be particularly useful for the Galaxy Note 6, which some observers expect to include 4K resolution. Whether the iPhone 7 would increase by such a large degree over previous devices is doubtful, but it would certainly benefit from an increase in storage capacity regardless of resolution.
Aside from the sheer size of storage that the UFS storage module will provide, it is also already known that the technique will deliver incredibly fast storage as well. Early records indicate that it will be twice as quick as the previous storage methods utilized in the Galaxy S range, and Apple may already be assessing this and realizing that it cannot afford to be left this far behind. Samsung said in its press release that the new chips are so fast that they exceed the speed of SATA-based SSD drives in computers, which means data transfer will be absolutely staggeringly quick.
The existing iPhone 6s lacks any form of UFS storage at all, despite the fact that Apple devised its own technology in order to significantly improve the read and write speed of internal flash. It would seem to be almost impossible for the corporation to design and implement such a form of technology that can match the Samsung invention in the relatively short amount of time until the iPhone 7 releases. And this could prompt Apple to offer an olive branch to its great Korean rival.
Samsung back in the Apple loop
This could also be excellent news for Samsung. With rumors that it was about to be cut out of the Apple loop to a certain extent, something that would certainly be financially detrimental to the Korean company, it could be that Samsung has a bargaining chip for the iPhone 7 in the shape of the UFS storage module.
Samsung states that the 256GB UFS module achieves 850MB/s read speeds and 260MB/s sequential write speeds. This would mean that the technology is approximately three times faster than existing external micro SD cards. With USB technology also developing rapidly, combining the UFS chips with USB 3.0 will mean that a 5GB full HD movie can be transferred from a computer to a mobile device in an incredible 12 seconds.
In addition, the UFC chips are notably smaller in size than external micro SD cards, ensuring that any smartphone manufacturer developing premium devices could potentially slim down the handset, or provide extra storage space.
Galaxy Note 6 tipped
Although Samsung has yet to confirm that the technology will indeed be included in the Galaxy Note 6, it would make obvious sense for the Korean corporation, and pundits are already tipping this move. The Galaxy Note range has been praised for its performance and specifications in recent years, and this would be another major string to his bow. Apple may need to respond to directly in order to maintain the actual and perceived quality of its iPhone 7 Plus in particular.
There is clearly major incentive for Apple to strike some sort of deal with Samsung, as 2016 will be arguably the most important year in the history of the iPhone. Apple is planning to release three separate iPhone units during the year for the first time, and the consumer electronics behemoth must also respond to the fact that its share price has slipped somewhat over the last few months.
It seems that consumers could be the beneficiaries of the situation, and that both the Galaxy Note 6 and iPhone 7 may feature outstanding storage technology.
