Future Galaxy phones will get a speed boost via a critical component

Samsung is usually among the first smartphone brands to adopt newer memory technologies. In 2023, it upgraded the storage chips in its high-end phones from Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 3.1 to UFS 4.0. The company plans to repeat the jump with UFS 5.0 chips in the future to offer a speed boost to the Galaxy S and Galaxy Z series phones.

JEDEC, the organization that oversees the development of the UFS standard for storage chips, has announced that UFS 5.0 is almost ready. Chips based on this new version are said to offer sequential data read speeds of up to 10.8GB/s, which is double the speed (4.6GB/s) of UFS 4.0 storage chips and offer better AI performance. It also uses ink equalisation for more reliable signal integrity.

UFS 5.0 also features a dedicated power supply rail, providing better noise isolation between the physical (PHY) layer and the memory subsystem. Additionally, through inline hashing, it enhances data security. These chips are more power efficient, resulting in faster phone booting and app loading times, as well as improved camera processing. Consequently, the overall performance will be significantly faster.

The new UFS standard could be finalised sometime next year, while storage chips based on it will be ready by the end of next year. Phones that use UFS 5.0 chips will likely be launched at the end of next year or in early 2027.

Samsung, being the world's biggest memory chip maker, is expected to make UFS 5.0 storage chips. Those chips could be used in the Galaxy S27 series and in flagship phones from other brands.