Buying a good laptop is an intimidating affair, as you need to check the TGP of the discrete GPU (if it has one), the speeds of the SSD, and the generation and performance of the memory. The memory crisis (and the associated NAND shortage) means laptop makers are making even more compromises in their builds, and this has left room for Chinese-made SSDs to finally hit the mainstream.
As reported by Notebookcheck, its review sample of the Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G9 IPL is kitted with an SSD from YMTC (Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp.), as opposed to the Samsung, Western Digital, or even Kioxia ones you might otherwise expect.
The fact that a relatively unknown brand can partner with a big one like Lenovo is a testament to what the memory crisis has done to laptop manufacturers. Like we pointed out with Chinese DRAM earlier this year, these alternatives will likely function as intended, but that doesn't mean you are getting a bargain with them as an end consumer—although big manufacturers are likely to secure good deals in bulk.
Notebookcheck got hands-on with the YMTC 512 GB SSD in its ThinkBook 14 G9 IPL review and notes the performance figures are below average for an SSD in an office laptop, with sequential read/write speeds of 3950 and 2514 MB/s, respectively.
One can assume Lenovo went with YMTC here as it was cheaper than going for more established brands, and that is how Lenovo (and likely others) has chosen to tackle the crisis. Selling similar rigs with cheaper parts, so as to make up for part of the rising cost of components.
In the grand scheme of things, YMTC is a relatively new company. It was founded in 2016 thanks in part to government funding. YMTC reports having over 8,000 employees worldwide and was valued at $22 billion just last year. Those are impressive figures, but wider adoption by non-Chinese brands could establish more of a foothold for the fledgling NAND creator.
Though that is good news for YMTC, it does mean just one more thing to check when you're buying a laptop. You might still be getting an SSD, but with reportedly reduced speeds, you will have to decide if the performance cut is worth it.
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