After using its own Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 4.0 chips for the flagship Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S24 lines, a roadmap released by Samsung Semiconductor reveals what the manufacturer has planned all the way up through 2027. UFS offers a fast and reliable storage option for smartphones that will also load apps quickly, access data faster, and deliver an overall better experience than previous storage options used a decade ago such as Embedded MultiMediaCards (eMMCs).
In May 2022, Samsung introduced UFS 4.0 noting that it offered a bandwidth of up to 23.2Gbps per lane, double that of UFS 3.1. At the time, Samsung said that UFS 4.0 is “perfect for 5G smartphones requiring huge amounts of data processing.” UFS 4.0 features sequential read speeds of up to 4.2 GB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 2.8 GB/s.
Samsung’s 2024 foldables, due out this summer, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6, will both probably use UFS 4.0 as they did in 2023. The 2022 foldables (Galaxy Z Fold 4, Galaxy Z Flip 4) employed UFS 3.1.
Samsung Semiconductor’s UFS roadmap
Samsung Semiconductor’s roadmap shows that UFS 4.04-lane is coming next year and there is a good possibility that Samsung’s Galaxy S25 flagship series could be the first smartphones to debut the UFS 4.04-lane. A graph released on the social media platform Weixin (via SamMobile) by the Samsung subsidiary shows that sequential read speeds will nearly double to 8GB/sec. The same UFS 4.04-lane chip will be used on the Galaxy S26 series.
And in 2027, the debut of UFS 5.0 will take place on the Galaxy S27 line with a sequential read speed coming close to 10GB/sec. Improving the sequential read time, says Samsung, reduces the model loading time to improve a phone line’s UX (user experience).
Mass production of the UFS 4.04-lane will begin before 2025 and will combine two UFS controllers for faster sequential read speeds. Improving UFS storage capabilities and increasing UFS speed will help Samsung offer more AI capabilities for its smartphones which is quickly becoming a major selling point in the marketplace.
