Samsung’s new Flash Memory chips will make smartphones with 512GB of storage a reality.

The company on Tuesday began mass production of the universal flash storage chips, which will be designed for next-generation premium smartphones.

The flash memory is twice as dense as Samsung’s previous 256GB storage chips, but occupies the same amount of space as a traditional microSD card. The chips have a fast read memory speed of 860 MB/s and a write memory of 255 MB/s.

As a result, the chips can transfer over a full HD video clip to an SSD drive more than eight times faster than typical microSD cards, according to Samsung. To prevent the new flash chips from consuming too much battery power, the company added a more advanced circuit design and power management features.

Consumers will certainly welcome the huge amount of storage, which will rival or exceed what some laptops offer. With all that memory, smartphone users might never have to clear their device of junk. (In the meantime, app developers and Google have file managing apps that can help you free up memory on your phone.)

On Tuesday, Samsung said it’ll also boost production of its 256GB chips to meet the growing demand for more mobile storage. That may be a reference to vendors like Apple, whose new iPhones can be built to include 256GB of storage.

The Korean electronics maker didn’t say how much a 512GB flash chip might cost. But a 256GB microSD card from the company can go for $199 to $249.

http://www.pcmag.com/news/357775/new-samsung-chips-boost-smartphone-storage-to-512gb?source=SectionArticles