Google has equipped the entire Pixel 9 series, including the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, with UFS 3.1 storage, although the faster UFS 4.0 storage was available before the Pixel 8 was released.

The UFS 4.0 standard was announced in mid-2022 and we’ve been seeing it on flagships since 2023, although admittedly it’s not the standard storage protocol.

However, it is one thing if a mid-range phone or even an entry-level flagship like the standard Galaxy S24 model with 128GB storage does not use UFS 4.0, but a completely different matter for high-end phones like the Pixel 9 Pro duo and 9 Pro Fold are expected to ship with UFS 3.1 in 2024. Especially if they are vying for the title of best phone of the year.

And this is not just speculation, as Google has confirmed that all of its new phones will feature the UFS 3.1 protocol.

UFS 4.0 offers twice the read speed of UFS 3.1 and 1.6x faster write speed. This means smoother multitasking and faster app loading times.

As Android Authority points out that things other than flash memory specification also affect storage speed, including a phone’s chipset and memory controller. However, the theoretical importance of a new storage technology cannot be underestimated, as evidenced by the fact that the Zenfone 11 Ultra, which features UFS 4.0, offers sequential read and write speeds that are two and three times faster than the Pixel 9 Pro XL, respectively.

While this may sound like a big difference, you probably won’t feel it when making phone calls, as sequential reading and writing isn’t that important unless you regularly transfer large files or play large Android games. For commonly used apps like Facebook, WhatsApp and Maps, even UFS 2.2 is sufficient.

The Pixels 9 is fast enough to make the most of a typical 5Gbps USB 3.0 connection (625MB/s) when copying data from the phone to a computer. Transferring data to the phone, however, is slower. To get the most out of your UFS 4.0 smartphone, you’ll need a fast USB port on your laptop, as well as a fast SSD.

UFS 4.0 is 25 to 45 percent more efficient and therefore consumes significantly less power than UFS 3.1. This will not have a noticeable impact on battery life considering that storage accounts for only a small percentage of a phone’s total power consumption.

For those who regularly transfer large files such as videos, it may be tempting to opt for a phone with UFS 4.0, but since most smartphones apply compression, UFS 3.1 can handle even 8K videos with ease.

Nevertheless, I do not believe that Google has done the right thing by not opting for UFS 4.0. Pixels 9 starts at $100 more than the previous generation and the AI ​​features aren’t enough to justify the extra cost.

Also, these are touted as AI phones, so they would have benefited from faster memory speeds as this would have allowed for quick loading of AI models into RAM. To make up for this shortcoming, the Pro models have 3GB of RAM reserved for AI tasks.

The Pixels 9 is supported for seven years, and the older storage technology could show its age after a few years. It doesn’t help that UFS 3.1 lacks many of the new features of UFS 4.0, such as wear leveling, a process that extends the lifespan of solid-state storage devices.