It seems that no matter how much storage we attain, we are always left wanting more. In the early days of computing, storage capacities were measured in megabytes and kilobytes. Over time we have not only adapted to most laptops and desktops packing gigabytes and terabytes of storage, we now live in a world where smartphones with half a terabyte of storage actually exist. Each time larger capacity drives come out, early adopters pay high prices to get their hands on them. Within a year or so after release, pricing begins to drop as manufacturers discover ways to cut costs. While Samsung has had highly priced 4TB solid state drives available for over 2 years, the company’s latest advancements will make these storage capacities more affordable.
While most of us don’t need four terabytes of storage, many find themselves desiring it. This is likely due to the fact that we all want unlimited storage. We want to live in a world where we never have to worry about running out.
Many companies have tried to help alleviate this issue by offering cloud storage to free up space on devices and reduce these concerns. Google Photos is a perfect example of this. The app makes it simple to upload photos to the cloud, and once they have made it there safely, removes them from your device. Apple’s iCloud Photo Library also offers features aimed at freeing up space, but unlike Google Photos, you have to fork over some of your hard-earned cash to pay for it.
Samsung’s latest accomplishment has made it the first company to release a 4-bit 4TB solid state drive. In simple terms, 4-bit technology allows it to run more efficiently than 3-bit designs and therefore eek out high storage capacities at lower costs.
“Samsung’s new 4-bit SATA SSD will herald a massive move to terabyte-SSDs for consumers,” said Jaesoo Han, executive vice president of memory sales & marketing at Samsung Electronics. “As we expand our lineup across consumer segments and to the enterprise, 4-bit terabyte-SSD products will rapidly spread throughout the entire market.”
When hearing that Samsung’s latest SSD technology is more efficient, you may expect better performance, but that is not the case since 4-bit technology means that chip capacity per unit rises. As a result, it is more difficult for data to transfer in a more dense environment, but the company has managed to maintain speeds found in its current 3-bit models thanks to using a 3-bit SSD controller and TurboWrite technology.
Samsung has not set expectations on pricing, but with its current 4TB SSDs costing over $1,000 a piece, any drop in price is sure to be appreciated. A release date has not been provided at this time.
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