iPhone 15 Pro first to use new incredibly dense Micron memory chips – AppleInsider

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iPhone 15 Pro
Apple is using a new denser form of memory for the first time in its iPhones, with a teardown discovering the use of Micron’s new ultra-dense D1b LPDDR5 DRAM chips in the iPhone 15 Pro.

Micron’s D1b memory found in the iPhone 15 Pro [TechInsights]

As well as advances in features, the march of technology also results in smaller components over time. For the iPhone 15 Pro models, which already have a slightly smaller footprint than the previous year, it seems the memory inside the smartphones is also shrinking in size.
The teardown by TechInsights of an iPhone 15 Pro uncovered a Micron D1b LPDDR5 16GB DRAM chip, using the Y52P die. The use of the D1b DRAM technology results in a denser chip.
Denser memory chip technologies, much like processors, allows for more to be packed into a smaller space, meaning that chips can be made with the same capabilities as older generations in a shrunken-down form factor. It can also allow for more elaborate chip designs to be created within a similar footprint.
For companies like Apple, a denser chip means they can put more memory into a device like an iPhone without sacrificing mainboard space or internal capacity. It also means that space can be saved, which can be employed for other things like more battery capacity or other chips.
Micron’s D1b DRAM technology departs from the Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL) technique, used by competitors Samsung and SK Hynix and a core technology for going to sub-15-nanometer levels. Micron has successfully manufactured D1z, D1a, and D1b chips without EUVL, which the report deems “nothing short of impressive.”
When Micron announced its D1b LPDDR5X was shipping samples to smartphone manufacturers in November 2022, it claimed speeds of up to 8.5Gbps were possible. For a 16Gb-per-die capacity, the node also provided a 35% bit density improvement and a 15% power efficiency improvement over its previous node.
Based in South Wales, Malcolm Owen has written about tech since 2012, and previously wrote for Electronista and MacNN. In his downtime, he pursues photography, has an interest in magic tricks, and is bothered by his c…

Don’t need faster chips, denser memory chips, better cameras or higher def screens. What’s there now is more than good enough. What I need, and what most of us need, is better battery life.

mayfly said:

Don’t need faster chips, denser memory chips, better cameras or higher def screens. What’s there now is more than good enough. What I need, and what most of us need, is better battery life.

You don’t speak for ‘most of us’.  I’m perfectly happy with the battery life in my phone – even with heavy use it makes it through a whole day.  While I wouldn’t commit the same mistake and claim that ‘most of us’ need better cameras, I certainly know quite a few people who’d want better zoom on theirs.  I do agree that performance *seems* plenty good enough for what most people use their phones for.  But I guess it’s sort of like the range on electric cars: most people only go on a long trip where good range is important once or twice a year.  Yet range is exactly why most people haven’t switched to EVs yet – they want that 300+mi range, just in case…maybe same with performance: you never know when you might need it, so you want it.

You don’t speak for ‘most of us’.  I’m perfectly happy with the battery life in my phone – even with heavy use it makes it through a whole day.  While I wouldn’t commit the same mistake and claim that ‘most of us’ need better cameras, I certainly know quite a few people who’d want better zoom on theirs.  I do agree that performance *seems* plenty good enough for what most people use their phones for.  But I guess it’s sort of like the range on electric cars: most people only go on a long trip where good range is important once or twice a year.  Yet range is exactly why most people haven’t switched to EVs yet – they want that 300+mi range, just in case…maybe same with performance: you never know when you might need it, so you want it.

mayfly said:

Don’t need faster chips, denser memory chips, better cameras or higher def screens. What’s there now is more than good enough. What I need, and what most of us need, is better battery life.

@mayfly 

In case you meant batteries with larger charge capacity then the “15% power efficiency improvement” could be good. But if you really meant longer battery lifetimes then this is fairly unimportant.

In case you meant batteries with larger charge capacity then the “15% power efficiency improvement” could be good. But if you really meant longer battery lifetimes then this is fairly unimportant.

mayfly said:

Don’t need faster chips, denser memory chips, better cameras or higher def screens. What’s there now is more than good enough. What I need, and what most of us need, is better battery life.

These chips have a 15% power efficiency improvement, which could allow for longer battery life, however is balanced out by other processes. Better cameras are a big deal to many people. There is a demand by pros and prosumers for faster data rates for unloading the phones. This might be a reason for the difference of data rates between the regular and pro models. Not the only reason.

These chips have a 15% power efficiency improvement, which could allow for longer battery life, however is balanced out by other processes. Better cameras are a big deal to many people. There is a demand by pros and prosumers for faster data rates for unloading the phones. This might be a reason for the difference of data rates between the regular and pro models. Not the only reason.

mayfly said:

Don’t need faster chips, denser memory chips, better cameras or higher def screens. What’s there now is more than good enough. What I need, and what most of us need, is better battery life.

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