Next-gen Galaxy phones will have faster storage for on-device AI

It's been a couple of years since Samsung Semiconductor announced the UFS 4.0 non-volatile memory for mobile devices. Samsung has since used UFS 4.0 for the Galaxy S23 series, the 2023 foldable phones, and the latest Galaxy S24 lineup. Now, the company is getting ready to advance to the next step.

Samsung Semiconductor revealed a roadmap on the social media platform Weixin, confirming its plans for the next generation of UFS (Universal Flash Storage) solutions.

The roadmap states that Samsung intends to release UFS 4.0 4-lane CS next year before jumping to UFS 5.0 in 2027. According to Samsung Semiconductor, UFS 4.0 4-lane will improve speed from around 4GB/s to 8GB/s.

Meanwhile, the big UFS 5.0 update to Samsung non-volatile memory, set to be introduced in 2027, could increase speeds above 10GB/s.

Next-gen UFS to enter production this year

Samsung Semiconductor says it plans to start the mass production of UFS 4.0 4-lane solutions before 2025. The company underlined that UFS 4.0 4-lane memory combines two UFS controllers for increased sequential read speed.

The company says these advancements in UFS technology will improve loading times and on-device AI applications. Although Samsung hasn't revealed anything about which Galaxy devices might use UFS 4.0 4-lane first, it could be the Galaxy S25 series. UFS 5.0 could debut alongside the future Galaxy S27 lineup a few years later.

Samsung already plans more AI-based features for next-gen devices, with some AI tools possibly being offered through a paid model. Whether that will pan out remains to be determined, but either way, these AI advancements work hand-in-hand with faster mobile memory technologies

Editor's Note: Given this UFS roadmap, we're guessing the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 will use the same UFS 4.0 solution as the Galaxy S24 lineup, as UFS 4.0 4-lane likely won't be ready for mass production by the time the Z6 foldable series goes official this summer.