MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), a global leader in flash storage solutions, today announced the iNAND™ Standard™ embedded flash drive (EFD), an ideal storage solution for entry-level tablets and smartphones in China and other high-growth markets. The new 1Y nanometer 3-bit-per-cell (X3) NAND flash storage solution enables original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to quickly introduce new, affordable tablets and smartphones with the reliable performance of SanDisk storage.
“China is the most dynamic smartphone and tablet market today, with state-of-the-art high-end smartphones and new powerful, but affordable, ‘entry-level’ devices,” said Mr. Drew Henry, senior vice president and general manager, Mobile and Connected Solutions, SanDisk. “We leveraged our flash technology expertise to specifically design our new iNAND Standard for the high-volume China budget mobile device market. Because we work closely with mobile systems providers, it offers near plug-and-play capability that enables OEMs to rapidly introduce highly capable entry-level tablets and smartphones that are optimal for the China mass market.”
Rising consumption of data continues to drive demand for richer digital experiences and more connected devices around the world, with particularly strong growth at the entry-level price points. In 2013, the number of active smart devices, including smartphones and tablets exceeded 700,000,000 in China alone.2 SanDisk embedded storage sales in China rose by 570 percent from 2012 to 2013.
Strong Mobile Ecosystem Relationships Shorten Time to Market
SanDisk works with all leading smartphone and tablet makers, as well as top processor and operating system companies in China and around the world, including Fuzhou Rockchip Electronics Co. Because of those relationships, iNAND Standard seamlessly works with current mobile devices systems and can be easily implemented right out of the box. This enables the potential for major OEM customers, as well as small device makers, to significantly reduce the time from product development to product availability.
“The combination of the application performance of our Rockchip processor and the cost-effective and trusted flash storage delivered by iNAND Standard provides a platform for China OEMs to bring new possibilities to the entry-level tablet market,” said Mr. QiuPing Hu, chief technology officer of Fuzhou Rockchip Electronics Co., Ltd.
SanDisk Flash Technology Means Trusted Performance
iNAND Standard is the fourth e.MMC solution from SanDisk to be built on the company’s X3 NAND flash memory technology since 2010.
Leveraging SanDisk’s latest X3 flash storage and high-speed e.MMC 4.51+ HS200 industry specification, iNAND Standard offers affordable flash storage with impressive responsiveness and reliability. When used with tablets, iNAND Standard supports a smooth user experience and strong application performance, whether consumers are navigating between applications, browsing their favorite websites, or playing digital video. iNAND Standard also provides robust storage performance when used in entry-level smartphones, enabling seamless multi-tasking and bringing enjoyable user experiences in photography and other popular applications.
iNAND Standard is part of a full SanDisk portfolio of embedded solutions for the mobile market. Other iNAND products include iNAND™ Ultra™ and iNAND™ Extreme™. SanDisk's iNAND solutions, available in EFDs and multi-chip-package (MCP) forms, provide tablets, smartphones, e-Book readers, personal media players, and other connected devices with faster system responsiveness, improved multitasking and browsing performance, longer battery life and an enhanced user experience.
Features and Specifications:
- e.MMC 4.51+HS2.00 compliant
- Features SanDisk’s industry-leading 1Y nanometer (nm) process technology
- Sequential write/read speeds up to 7.5MB/100MB/s3; random write/read speeds up to 200/3000 IOPS
- Offered in a 11.5x13x1.0mm form factor
Availability
iNAND Standard is available now in 8GB1 and 16GB capacities for use in tablets. iNAND Standard for smartphones will be available in the second-half of 2014.
Analyst Perspectives:
- “Almost two out of three smartphones sold across high-volume emerging markets such as China, India are sold under sub-US $150 wholesale price band making it tough for OEMs to include high-performance quality components within their devices, thus compromising on the overall performance and user experience of the device. However, SanDisk’s new and highly innovative X3 NAND flash storage solution offers performance, speed and reliability maximizing the value proposition for OEMs. It allows them to adopt a sound low-cost strategy, faster time-to-market and at the same time offer their consumers a better quality and reliable budget smartphone experience. Win-Win for both OEMs and consumers in this highly competitive smartphone market.” – Neil Shah, Research Director, Devices & Ecosystems, Counterpoint Technology Research.
- “Much the same way rising digital consumption continues to drive smartphone demand around the world, it is also driving sales of low-cost connected devices in high-growth markets. New innovations in flash storage, such as SanDisk’s iNAND Standard, are enabling both large and small OEMs, including local brands, to offer competitively priced tablets and smartphones that support a solid digital experience.” – Ryan Reith, Program Director for IDC’s Mobile Device Trackers.
SanDisk at COMPUTEX TAIPEI
SanDisk will be displaying the new iNAND Standard in the company’s COMPUTEX TAIPEI booth located in Taipei World Trade Center, NANGANG Exhibition Hall 4F, Stand number N0804.
About SanDisk
SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company, is a global leader in flash storage solutions. For more than 25 years, SanDisk has expanded the possibilities of storage, providing trusted and innovative products that have transformed the electronics industry. Today, SanDisk’s quality, state-of-the-art solutions are at the heart of many of the world's largest data centers, and embedded in advanced smart phones, tablets and PCs. SanDisk’s consumer products are available at hundreds of thousands of retail stores worldwide. For more information, visit www.sandisk.com.
1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. Actual user capacity less.
2 Source: Umeng Analytics Platform
3 Up to stated speed. Based on internal testing; performance may vary based on host device. 1 megabyte (MB) = 1 million bytes. X=150KB/s.
© 2014 SanDisk Corporation. All rights reserved. SanDisk is a trademark of SanDisk Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. iNAND, iNAND Ultra and iNAND Extreme are trademarks of SanDisk Corporation. Other brand names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks of their respective holder(s).
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including expectations for markets, customers and product introductions, capabilities and performance, that are based on our current expectations and involve numerous risks and uncertainties that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate. Risks that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate include among others: the market demand for our products and for “entry-level” smartphones and tablets in China may grow more slowly than our expectations or our products may not be available at the time or in the capacities that we expect or perform as expected, or the other risks detailed from time-to-time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, our most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q. We do not intend to update the information contained in this news release.
