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There's a good reason why the 128GB Galaxy S23 will use slower UFS 3.1 storage

By Alan Friedman

Published: Jan 29, 2023, 7:56 PM

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Samsung Android

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There's a good reason why the 128GB Galaxy S23 will use slower UFS 3.1 storage

Samsung might be forced to equip the 128GB variant of the Samsung Galaxy S23 with slower UFS 3.1 storage. This would be the most affordable of the company's 2023 flagship phones and is expected to be priced at $799.99 in the states. According to reliable Twitter tipster Ice Universe, Samsung does not produce a 128GB version of its UFS 4.0 chip. This means that if a Galaxy S23 buyer wants a Galaxy S23 with the fastest UFS chip, he/she will have to spend the additional money to buy the unit with 256GB of storage.

Now let's be clear. We are talking only about the Galaxy S23 model since the Galaxy S23+ and Galaxy S23 Ultra will both start with 256GB of storage. Simply put, UFS, or Universal Flash Storage, reads from your phone's storage and writes to it simultaneously. Obviously, the faster that these operations can be done, the faster and smoother your phone is. UFS 4.0 is, according to Samsung, more than twice as fast as the previous UFS 3.1 standard which explains why those planning to buy the Galaxy S23 might pay up for 256GB of storage.

UFS 4.0 boasts a sequential read speed of 4200MBps and a sequential write speed of 2800MBps. That compares to a sequential read speed of 2100MBps and a sequential write speed of up to 1200MBps for UFS 3.1. In addition, UFS 4.0 is said to be 46% more energy-efficient which could result in longer battery life for a handset using UFS 4.0. And this gives consumers yet another reason to pay up for the 256GB model of the Galaxy S23.

Time is running out to reserve your Galaxy S23 series pre-order. Do it now!

Galaxy S23 Ultra (512GB) is $180 off at Amazon

The 256GB Galaxy S23 Ultra in Green is available at Amazon. The smartphone retails for $180 off its usual price, but there are limited quantities available.

$180 off (13%)

Buy at Amazon

Galaxy S23+ is available at Amazon for 11% off

The Galaxy S23+ with 512GB of built-in storage is now 11% off at Amazon. This is the model in Green, and it's available in limited quantities.

$120 off (11%)

Buy at Amazon

Ice Universe points out that while Samsung doesn't produce a 128GB UFS 4.0 chip, a company called Kioxia does. However, Mr. Universe notes that in testing, the Kioxia chip has not been able to deliver the performance expected from UFS 4.0 chip. So as the tipster writes, "Even if it is used, the performance is not up to standard and it cannot be called UFS 4.0, so it is reasonable to use UFS 3.1 for 128GB."

Samsung's Universal Flash Storage 4.0 chip with 1TB of storage

The Samsung Galaxy S23 series will be introduced on February 1st at 1 pm EST (which is 10 am PST). Pre-orders will kick off at the same time and the phones will be released on February 17th.

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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.