Tech

Get ready for smartphones with more storage than ever

Key Points
  • Samsung says it's now mass producing 512GB storage chips for smartphones.
  • This doubles the amount of space cellphone consumers can have for storing apps, music, movies and more.
  • Samsung could use these chips in its next flagship smartphones, including the still-unannounced Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9.
Justin Denison, senior vice president of product strategy at Samsung, speaks about the during new Samsung Galaxy Note8 smartphone during a launch event for the product, August 23, 2017 in New York City.
Getty Images

Soon you won't need to worry about running out of space on your new smartphone so quickly.

Samsung said Tuesday it's now mass-producing 512GB flash storage chips that will enable cellphone makers to launch new smartphones that provide users with extra space for movies, music and apps. By comparison, most smartphones today — including the iPhone X — are capped at 256GB of storage.

Some tablets, including the iPad Pro and Microsoft's Surface tablets, already offer 512GB of space for media content. Samsung says its new solution slims down the chips so that the increased storage capacity takes up the same amount of space as a 256GB chip would.

The new solution is also really fast, allowing users to "store approximately 130 [10 minute] 4K Ultra HD video clips," a feat that might make the experience sluggish on current storage solutions. That sort of content is becoming more popular as sharper displays and enhanced cameras are included in smartphones.

Samsung could include these new chips in its next generation smartphones, including the still-unannounced Galaxy S9 or Galaxy Note 9, both expected to launch sometime next year.