Samsung Cranks Mass Production Of QLC V-NAND For Consumer 4TB SSDs

Samsung is once again showing itself to be among the leaders in NAND storage technology by today announcing that it has started production of 4-bit QLC (quad-level cell) SATA SSDs. The new QLC SSDs leverage 64-layer 1Tb V-NAND that retains the performance levels afforded by current 3-bit SSD offerings.

This QLC V-NAND will initially be used in mainstream consumer applications, which means that we're looking at SSDs with a SATA interface. Sequential read and write speeds are pegged at 540MB/sec and 520MB/sec respectively, and the SSDs will be available in a 2.5-inch form-factor for desktops and laptops. The company does note, however, that M.2 NVMe enterprise SSDs using QLC V-NAND will begin mass production later this year.

Samsung 4TB QLC SSD

“Samsung’s new 4-bit SATA SSD will herald a massive move to terabyte-SSDs for consumers,” said Jaesoo Han, Executive VP of Memory Sales and Marketing for 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.”

Samsung says that its consumer SATA SSD offerings will be available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities, which will be a boon to those looking for copious amounts of fast storage. In addition, the company says that QLC V-NAND will enable it to efficiently produce affordable 128GB microSD cards for smartphones.

At this time, Samsung has not disclosed a shipping window or pricing for these new SATA SSDs.

Brandon Hill

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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