Galaxy Z Fold 5 will unsurprisingly use the speedy storage from Galaxy S23, but Flip 5 may be limited

Ben Schoon | Feb 22 2023 - 9:31 am PT

The arrival of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 smartphones has also brought forth UFS 4.0 storage, which provides real speed improvements. According to a new report, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 will upgrade to that speedy storage, but the Galaxy Z Flip 5 may be limited.

UFS 4.0 storage debuted on the Galaxy S23 series, with Samsung using it on the super fast Galaxy S23 Ultra as well as the lesser models. It contributes to the fluidity and just overall feeling of speed present throughout the software experience on Samsung’s latest devices, as we pointed out in our Galaxy S23 Ultra review.

Now, SamMobile reports that Samsung will also deliver UFS 4.0 storage in its upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 foldables, due for release later this year. This really doesn’t come as a surprise, as Samsung is expected to use the same, if not an upgraded version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip in both of those devices as was the case with the prior generation.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 will apparently use this upgraded storage across all variants, as the foldable will apparently be sold with 256GB as the minimum storage tier, just like its predecessor. A 1TB option is also apparently coming this year.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5, though, will only use UFS 4.0 on its 256GB and 512GB variants, with the 128GB model being sold as the most cost-effective version of the phone, with UFS 3.1 storage in place. The base Galaxy S23 sees the same compromise.

Realistically, this won’t have a huge impact on the performance of the phone in most cases, but there will probably be a noticeable difference when comparing models side by side. For early buyers, it especially shouldn’t have a big impact, given Samsung usually offers doubled storage as a pre-order perk on its website. This could change, though, if Samsung begins manufacturing a 128GB UFS 4.0 storage chip in time for the production of the Flip 5.

Beyond this storage upgrade, Samsung is also expected to give the Galaxy Z Flip 5 a much bigger cover display, while also redesigning the hinge on the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and possibly delivering a camera upgrade too, all while the competition continues to heat up.