The shortage of chips has forced Apple to compromise on certain components of the iPhone 13 series this year. It is estimated that the iPhone 14 launched in 2022 will suffer the same fate. According to a new report, Apple is working with QLC NAND flash memory suppliers to use QLC in next year’s models. The biggest problem with QLC technology is that the life span is relatively short.
Compared with TLC (three-layer cell), MLC (multi-layer cell) NAND, QLC (four-layer cell) can store four bits per cell and can allocate more capacity in the same area. A major disadvantage of using this technology is that the amount of data that can be written is much less, but because Apple needs to integrate more storage in the same area, it must stick to QLC NAND.
Apple has introduced a 1TB storage model in the iPhone 13 series. As storage requirements continue to increase, different storage technologies will have to be used. After all, the iPhone 14 model will have the same space as its immediate predecessors, so the use of QLC NAND flash memory can not only reduce Apple’s component costs, but future iPhones can also have higher capacity than before while maintaining the same size.
However, it can also be said that due to continuing chip shortages, Apple is resorting to cheaper flash memory, which is expected to continue until 2022. This is one of the main reasons why TSMC can delay its 3nm chip for Apple. In such a shortage, purchasing TLC NAND flash memory may be costly for the California-based giant, and since it has paid a premium for TSMC’s chips to develop the next-generation chipset for the iPhone, it Will seek to cut costs elsewhere, such as internal memory.
