Chinese Smartphone Makers Reportedly Reuse 5- to 6-Year-Old DRAM

Some Chinese smartphone makers are reportedly reusing older memory components in newer phones as they seek to increase shipments, according to a report cited by Wccftech.

The report says manufacturers are recovering components from used phones and incorporating them into newer models, particularly DRAM. The reused DRAM is described as 5 to 6 years old.

The reported practice is focused on base smartphone variants from Chinese original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Wccftech frames the move as an effort to raise shipment volumes from levels it characterizes as near-stagnant. The source does not identify the companies involved, quantify the amount of reused memory, or provide shipment figures.

The account attributes the information to a recent report from Asia, but the excerpt does not name that report or offer further details about how the recovered components are inspected or used.