Robert Triggs / Android Authority TL;DR The next generation UFS 5.0 standard is nearly ready and promises much faster speeds compared to UFS 4.0. It’s designed to make phones faster and more power-efficient, especially for AI-driven tasks. UFS 5.0 is expected to appear in smartphones launching in 2027 and beyond. Smartphones releasing in the next year or so are in line to get a major speed boost. No, we’re not talking about a new processor, but a major upgrade coming to smartphone storage. According to JEDEC, the group that develops the UFS standard, the next-generation Universal Flash Storage, UFS 5.0, is almost ready. UFS is the technology that manages how your phone reads, writes, and stores data. So everything from how fast your apps load to how quickly photos open up depends partly on this system. With UFS 5.0, the next version of this standard, we’re looking at speeds that could nearly double compared to UFS 4.0 tech found in today’s top Android flagships. Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a favorite source in Google Discover to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. You can also set us as a preferred source in Google Search by clicking the button below. JEDEC says UFS 5.0 will deliver up to 10.8GB per second of sequential performance. Theoretically, that means much faster app launches, smoother multitasking, and snappier camera processing, which would be especially useful as AI-powered features become more common on smartphones. UFS 5.0 is also designed to be more power-efficient. Faster storage can result in higher battery drain, but the new standard has been optimized to consume less power. Moreover, it will be backward-compatible with UFS 4.x hardware, which should technically make it easier for phone manufacturers to adopt. UFS 5.0 is still in the final stages of development, but it’s only a matter of time before we see it inside upcoming smartphones, tablets, and other devices. A Samsung Semiconductor roadmap released in 2024 revealed that the company could jump to UFS 5.0 storage in 2027. That means we might finally see it on devices like the Galaxy S27 series and its counterparts. In the immediate future, the Galaxy S26 series is expected to adopt UFS 4.1 storage. Follow