UFS 5.0 delivers read and write speeds that are twice as fast as those of UFS 4.0.
Universal Flash Storage (UFS) is the technology behind nearly all Android smartphones. Over the last decade, both its speed and storage capacity have seen significant improvements, with UFS 4.1 being the most recent version available. Now, JEDEC—the standards body behind UFS—has unveiled UFS 5.0, which promises remarkable enhancements in read and write performance. Here’s a detailed look at what UFS 5.0 brings to the table.
What’s New in UFS 5.0?
UFS 5.0 brings a significant boost in read/write performance, reaching speeds up to 10.8 GB per second, thanks to the introduction of MIPI M-PHY v6.0 technology. For context, MIPI M-PHY functions like a multi-lane expressway for data transfer — essentially, the pathway through which data travels.
The latest version, M-PHY 6.0, introduces a faster mode known as High-Speed Gear 6, allowing a single lane to handle up to 46.6 Gigabits per second. When translated into Gigabytes per second, this enables UFS 5.0 to achieve nearly 10.8 GB/s by utilizing two lanes simultaneously.
This extra bandwidth has practical benefits: it can make 8K video recording and intensive gaming smoother and more responsive. Additionally, JEDEC notes that UFS 5.0 is designed to be both more power-efficient and scalable.
The scalability aspect gives manufacturers flexibility to optimize for cost, energy consumption, and performance. Similar to earlier UFS versions, devices with the same UFS storage can still show varying performance depending on their individual configurations.
According to JEDEC, this raw performance forms the foundation for enhanced AI capabilities and also improves everyday tasks, such as opening applications, saving large video files, and shortening game loading times.
The organization also notes that these higher speeds are designed to meet growing AI requirements, benefiting large language models (LLMs). UFS 5.0 is expected to lower latency and significantly enhance the performance of generative AI, computational photography, and real-time on-device AI operations.
Additionally, UFS 5.0 introduces Inline Hashing, a hardware-level feature that strengthens data security and integrity, making the storage highly resistant to tampering.
It also features integrated link equalization, which maintains a stable and error-free data signal between the storage and processor even at high speeds. This helps prevent errors or slowdowns when transferring large files.
UFS 5.0 vs UFS 4.0: What’s New?
The biggest upgrade UFS 5.0 brings over UFS 4.0 is in sequential read and write speeds. While UFS 4.0 tops out at 4.2 GB/s, UFS 5.0 can reach up to 10.8 GB/s, delivering roughly 2.5 times faster baseline performance.
UFS 5.0 is also better suited for handling on-device AI tasks and resource-intensive applications. It employs HS-G6 via an enhanced MIPI M-PHY layer, compared to HS-G5 in UFS 4.0. Additionally, features like Inline Hashing and Link Equalisation in UFS 5.0 improve both data security and reliability.
Looking back, UFS 4.0 was already a significant step up from UFS 3.1, doubling performance, and UFS 4.1 further enhanced efficiency with host-initiated defragmentation to maintain optimal read speeds. Overall, UFS 5.0 roughly doubles the speed of UFS 4.0/4.1, making it the fastest storage option for smartphones to date.
With the standard now finalized, companies like Kioxia, Western Digital, Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix are expected to start mass-producing UFS 5.0 storage by 2026. Flagship devices featuring this new standard could launch as early as Q2 2026.
In the short term, upcoming phones like the Vivo X300, OnePlus 15, and Galaxy S26 are anticipated to continue using UFS 4.0/4.1. It’s still unclear whether UFS 5.0 will significantly increase storage costs, which may lead manufacturers to stick with the already fast UFS 4.0 for now.
