Universal Flash Storage (UFS) is that memory the technology that you should think about when we’re running low on space on our smartphones and it has been in existence since 2011. UFS is the quiet revolution going on behind the scenes on your Android smartphone, tablet, Chromebook, or in-car entertainment system. It has undergone several standardization upgrades
and this new version of Universal Flash Storage (UFS) brings blazing fast data transfer speeds to the table. Here’s why you should be very interested in what the latest Ultra Fast Storage, UFS 3.0 has to offer.
UFS was created to ultimately replace the existing eMMC Flash storage units found in many smartphone, tablet, cameras, Chromebooks, and automotive technology. UFS is a flash storage solution unveiled by standards body JEDEC, and it determines how the storage chip of the phone connects and exchanges information with the rest of the system. This system is responsible for speeding up the data transfer, app load time and also the app installation time on phones.
There are a couple UFS variants on offer; embedded internal storage (also called eUFS) and removable cards that resemble microSD. The former was adopted first by the Samsung Galaxy S6 and has gone on to appear in all subsequent premium Samsung devices, alongside many other Android flagships.
eMMC Vs UFS
Compared to eMMC storage, UFS is much faster. This can be attributed in a large part to the way information is exchanged with its host device.
‘The UFS standard adopts the well-known SCSI Architecture Model and command protocols supporting multiple commands with command queuing features and enabling a multi-thread programming paradigm’ states JEDEC. ‘This differs from conventional Flash-based memory cards and embedded Flash solutions which process one command at a time, limiting random read/write access performance.’
So, essentially, UFS can handle multiple requests for reading and writing at once while poor old eMMC has to sit there playing with its virtual crayons. Oh, that’s a very pretty rainbow. Good job eMMC!
eUFS storage made by Samsung will be based on the existing UFS 2.1 standard, and ‘can read data at up to 850MB/s, which is approximately 3.4 times faster than the 250MB/s read speed of today’s eMMC 5.0 solutions. It also offers about 6.3 times faster random reading than eMMC at 45,000 IOPS’.
What is UFS 3.0?
In January 2018, a new UFS 3.0 standard was born, which further enhances the technology smartphone makers like Huawei and OnePlus have been the first to deploy this in the smartphones this year with the Huawei P30 Pro and OnePlus 7 Pro respectively. This update increases bandwidth, seeing transfer speeds double.
‘UFS 3.0 is the first standard to introduce MIPI M-PHY HS-Gear4,’ states JEDEC, ‘with a data rate of up to 11.6Gb/s per lane, a 2x performance increase over prior versions of the specification.’
By utilizing this two-lane approach it means maximum speeds could be as high as 23.2Gb/s. The new update also expands the temperatures at which the technology can work, as well as reducing the power demands on a system to 2.5v (down from 2.7v in the 2.1 version).
One of the intended markets for UFS is automotive technology, so expect to see the technology at the heart of in-car systems in the near future. Well, don’t expect to actually see it, though.
As the 3.0 standard has just been announced, it will be a while before manufacturers can utilize it in new devices. But, by the end of the year your smartphone or tablet could be a lot faster than the model you retire. Even more good reason to justify that upgrade!
