DRAM shipments in smartphones, as measured in 1Gb-equivalent units, are expected to rise to 1.7 billion in 2011, up 157.2% from 672.0 million in 2010, according. By 2015, shipments will increase to 13.9 billion units, up 700% from 2011.
"DRAM usage in smartphones is rising at a rapid clip, as a result of high memory densities in these devices, along with ever-rising sales to consumers," said Clifford Leimbach, analyst for memory demand forecasting . "Compared to this year's stunning DRAM growth in smartphones, a shipment expansion amounting to a much less spectacular 50% is expected for the total DRAM market, which is dominated by sales to the PC business. The major growth disparity between the two sectors explains why DRAM manufacturers are aggressively vying for a bigger piece of the cellphone DRAM market. While DRAM also is used in devices like tablets and PCs, smartphones will continue to command an increasing portion of the DRAM market."
Smartphones' share of total DRAM consumption will grow to 7.6% in 2011, up from 4.4% in 2010. This will expand to 10.6% in 2012 and then climb to 13.4% in 2013, 14.9% in 2014 and 16% in 2015.
In addition, observed that recently-released smartphones are equipped with larger quantities of DRAM.
The Xperia PLAY from Sony Ericsson, for instance, has 512MB of DRAM, while the Galaxy Indulge from Samsung Electronics features 576MB. The latest iPhone has DRAM amounting to 544MB, while the Thunderbolt from HTC has the highest level at 768MB.
In comparison, a device released in 2010, such as the SGH T939 - an Android-operated, touch-screen smartphone from Samsung - had DRAM content of only 128MB.
Average DRAM density in smartphones is set to increase in the years to come. Projections call for the average smartphone DRAM density to reach 715MB IN 2012, up 55% from 461MB in 2011.