Google Pixel 10 Pro UFS 4.0 storage explained

When a new flagship launches, attention goes to the big numbers. We focus on camera megapixels, refresh rates, and peak brightness. After all, they look great on spec sheets and in demo displays.

However, one thing makes the Google Pixel 10 special that people may overlook: the move to UFS 4.0 storage. It underpins the phone’s performance and long-term speed and longevity.

Here’s everything you need to know about the new Pixel upgrade.

The move from eMMC to UFS changed smartphones forever

Before diving into the numbers, we must understand what we’re discussing. Your phone uses Universal Flash Storage (UFS) for internal storage. Think of it as the internal road system on which all your data — apps, photos, the operating system itself — travels.

For years, phones relied on eMMC, a standard with a key limitation. To understand this, let’s use another analogy. Imagine eMMC is a single-lane country road.

Traffic (your data) can only move in one direction at a time. The phone can either read data (traffic coming toward you) or write data (traffic going away), but it can’t do both simultaneously.

This is called a half-duplex interface. UFS, on the other hand, is a multi-lane superhighway. It uses a full-duplex interface with dedicated lanes for reading and writing, so data flows simultaneously with less congestion.

In addition, UFS employs a system called Command Queuing, which acts like a traffic control system. Where eMMC handles one command at a time, UFS manages a queue, prioritizes requests, and routes them efficiently.

This architectural shift from a sequential, one-task-at-a-time system to a parallel, multitasking one is fundamental to modern smartphones. It lets them constantly handle background processes while you’re busy in the foreground.

Why UFS 4.0 matters even if UFS 3.1 feels fast

The Google Pixel 9 Pro used UFS 3.1, which is generally considered a high-speed standard.

However, UFS 4.0 is built on newer, faster standards, which effectively doubles the bandwidth available to the storage. In addition, it’s about 46% more power efficient. Here are some benchmarks:

Source: YouTube / Sai Tech Guru

UFS 4.0 helps the Pixel 10 lineup age gracefully

As we saw with the Pixel 9, UFS 3.1 phones can handle large files, burst photos, and 4K video without issue for most people.

UFS 4.0 takes that to the next level with higher bandwidth and better efficiency, but the difference is often small for casual use.

Longevity is the real story. Google promises seven years of OS and security updates, and extra storage headroom helps a device feel responsive further into its life.

As apps grow in size, media become heavier, and system demands rise, UFS 4.0 offers more peak bandwidth and better responsiveness for future workloads.

Power efficiency gains are also incremental. Storage performs thousands of tiny reads and writes daily, and UFS 4.0 can shave a little power off each one. The savings per action are tiny but add up over a full day.

Expect a small bump in battery life rather than a dramatic change. AI features benefit, too, though this is mostly behind the scenes.

On-device models like the Gemini Nano need to load from storage into memory. Higher read speeds reduce brief waits when features spin up.

Why Google waited to bring UFS 4.0 to its flagships

Google is hardly the first to this party. Competitors like Samsung began using UFS 4.0 in their flagship phones in early 2023. So why did Google stick with the older UFS 3.1 for so long?

The simple answer is that UFS 3.1 was, and still is, very fast and perfectly capable of meeting most users’ daily needs. However, a more strategic reason is that Google may have been waiting for a more advanced technology version to mature.

Zoned UFS, or ZUFS, is a more intelligent way to manage data. Instead of writing data randomly across the entire storage chip, ZUFS divides the storage into distinct zones.

The operating system then groups data with similar access patterns and lifespans in one zone. This organization addresses the garbage collection problem, a major issue in all flash storage.

In traditional storage, deleting files leaves fragmented, unusable pockets of space. The drive runs background maintenance to shuffle data and reclaim space, slowing performance and increasing wear (write amplification) in the process.

ZUFS minimizes this. By grouping data, the system can erase an entire zone once its data is obsolete, which is more efficient.

Storage suppliers like SK Hynix claim ZUFS can increase the lifespan of a storage chip by 40% and reduce performance degradation over time by more than four times.

Storage speed depends on which Pixel 10 you buy

UFS 4.0 is a headline feature for the Pixel 10 lineup, but the upgrade isn’t uniform across models and configurations.

Google uses a tiered approach, so storage speed and technology depend on your chosen device, capacity, and to make things more confusing location.

For those on a budget, the base 128GB versions of the standard Pixel 10 and the Pixel 10 Pro will stick with the older UFS 3.1 standard. The real speed boost begins with the 256GB models.

Every phone in the Pixel 10 family — from the standard Pixel 10 to the Pro, Pro XL, and Pro Fold — will feature UFS 4.0 storage at 256GB or more. However, you’ll need to buy the highest-capacity “Pro” models to get the best long-term performance.

The advanced ZUFS technology, with its longevity and AI-focused benefits, is exclusively available on the Pixel 10 Pro, Pro XL, and Pro Fold’s 512 GB and 1 TB versions.

There are also regional differences. Outside the US, the Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL get ZUFS only on 1TB models.

The 512GB versions use standard UFS 4.0. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold retains ZUFS on 512GB and 1TB models worldwide.

Most users won’t notice UFS 4.0, at least not right away

UFS 4.0 brings higher throughput and better efficiency, which helps the phone keep pace as apps and media grow. Tensor G5 is the brain, and UFS 4.0 is the faster pathway that supports it.

Apps open promptly, the camera clears buffers faster, and AI features spin up with fewer brief pauses, especially in heavier workflows.

Many users coming from UFS 3.1 will notice little change daily, but the extra margin should help the phone stay responsive for many years of updates.