NAND flash chipmakers explain Apple’s decision

Nov 7, 2014 08:00 GMT  ·  By

Amid reports claiming that the 128GB iPhone 6 Plus is somehow prone to crashes and hangs because of the NAND flash memory chips inside, manufacturers have issued a response, contradicting these allegations.

A report by Business Korea picking at the Apple Support Communities forum recently highlighted a potential flaw in the high-end iPhone 6 Plus involving the phone’s storage.

However, most of the users reporting issues with their hardware had vast libraries of apps installed (some 500 strong) and had performed an upgrade from a previous-generation iDevice.

Upgrades usually carry over any issues that were present on the previous phone. Incompatibilities also arise on occasion, especially when so many apps are involved. A fresh install / factory restore usually fixes all the problems.

NAND Flash makers speak up

Some chip makers in the Far East caught wind of the news and instantly shot down the allegations. While neither theory has been proved scientifically, it does appear that Apple is using a different type of NAND flash memory in the high-capacity iPhone 6 Plus.

DigiTimes cites “unspecified NAND flash chipmakers” as saying that “the adoption of TLC NAND memory by Apple must have gone through a ‘very rigorous’ testing procedure [and that] It is unlikely that Apple's use of TLC NAND in 128GB iPhone 6 Plus is aimed at reducing costs.”

Instead, Apple went with TLC to reduce the package size: “A phone with 128GB of storage requires a package using eight NAND chips. TLC NAND makes it easier than MLC NAND to make high-density modules,” the makers said.

They warned, however, that “using TLC NAND memory in 128GB iPhone 6 Plus represented a bold decision for Apple [because] TLC NAND is usually used in applications such as flash drives and cards.”

Slow read/write, shorter lifespan

It is also known that TLC NAND flash memory has a shorter working life and is slower than single-level cell (SLC) or multi-level cell (MLC) chips when it comes to reading and writing data, according to the report.

In other words, a 128GB iPhone 6 Plus will become slower and harder to operate sooner than other iPhones. Which is certainly bad news, considering that the 128GB version of the iPhone 6 Plus is one of the most expensive smartphones out there.

While none of this has been confirmed by Apple (or anyone else for that matter), it might be worth thinking about before picking up an iPhone 6 Plus at the Apple store.