A myriad of differences exist between the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and its immediate predecessor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, with one of the most notable being support for faster storage. In case you have not guessed it already, we are referring to UFS 4.1 support, and thanks to this massive change, the Galaxy S26 could receive a performance and efficiency boost.
Exynos 2600 is scheduled to be announced later this year for the Galaxy S26, but no word on whether it supports UFS 4.1 like the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Even though Samsung is rumored to be developing UFS 5.0 storage for its future high-end smartphones, we expect that there will be more variations in the UFS 4.0 category first, starting with UFS 4.1, which is supported by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. With on-device AI capabilities increasing in smartphones, it is up to manufacturers like Samsung to ensure that its devices ship with the best-in-class hardware to keep up with these demanding operations.
The Korean giant typically sources its RAM chips from Micron and has been doing so for its Galaxy S25 family. The memory manufacturer announced its UFS 4.1 technology earlier this year, so it should not be surprising to learn that a partnership could brew for this component. While UFS 4.1 is not a monumental upgrade over UFS 4.0, it introduces various perks, such as reducing boot-up time and increasing cache size with Dynamic Cache Adjustment, depending on the workloads. You also get faster recovery from flash errors.
The UFS 4.1 upgrade for the Galaxy S26 will be made possible thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, but Samsung is also expected to introduce its Exynos 2600 later this year for its flagship smartphones. Sadly, there is no confirmation if the company’s first 2nm GAA chipset will support UFS 4.1, but here is what we do know. Samsung’s Exynos 2500 allows for UFS 4.0 storage, giving us immense hope that the newer chipset will support the newer standard.
Samsung can still choose to cut corners with its Galaxy S26 series
Smartphone makers are no strangers to cutting corners wherever they can to improve their margins. For Samsung, the 128GB version of the Galaxy S25 ships with the slower UFS 3.1 technology, so buyers who want the benefit of the faster and more efficient UFS 4.0 storage would have to purchase the 256GB variant.
In short, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 arriving to the Galaxy S26 family does not immediately guarantee that the three flagships will be treated to UFS 4.1 technology, so it is best to keep our fingers crossed and wait for future updates.
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