UFS Storage 4.0

[mustang7757]

This article mentions UFS 4.0 Storage only comes on the pro models with minimum 256gb models so regular pixel 10 and 128gb models get UFS 3.1

Pixel 10's big storage upgrade depends on what phone you buy https://share.google/RmHlrcRRnCvuB7QEd

 

[mustang7757]

I originally went for the 256gb but it doesn't come with the zoned UFS Storage so cancelled and went with the 512gb , I recommend if you could swing it get the 512gb for zoned UFS I think it will help as the phone ages with any slowdown.

 

[bhatech]

I originally went for the 256gb but it doesn't come with the zoned UFS Storage so cancelled and went with the 512gb , I recommend if you could swing it get the 512gb for zoned UFS I think it will help as the phone ages with any slowdown.

Thanks for this !!! I came to know about this as well listening to MKBHD podcast now.

I'm not sure if the $200 OFF promo and Google store credits come back immediately after cancelling the order?

Don't want to screw up that. I currently have the 256 GB but willing to go for 512 GB

 

[mustang7757]

Thanks for this !!! I came to know about this as well listening to MKBHD podcast now.

I'm not sure if the $200 OFF promo and Google store credits come back immediately after cancelling the order?

Don't want to screw up that. I currently have the 256 GB but willing to go for 512 GB

Yes the 200.00 credit comes back

 

[mustang7757]

I feel this should have been starting with the 256gb models but Google is Google lol and I want this feature

 

[bhatech]

Yes the 200.00 credit comes back

Moonstone is out of stock. Originally had the Jade which comes in only 256 GB.

Porcelain is available for Aug 28-29 delivery with expedited shipping, but my Jade 256 GB comes in one day early Aug 27-28 with expedited shipping. Can't wait for an additional day, I have real first world problems

Will think about this lol

 

[mustang7757]

Moonstone is out of stock. Originally had the Jade which comes in only 256 GB.

Porcelain is available for Aug 28-29 delivery with expedited shipping, but my Jade 256 GB comes in one day early Aug 27-28 with expedited shipping. Can't wait for an additional day, I have real first world problems

Will think about this lol

Yeah
I went with the 10pro over the 10 pro XL it will be the smaller phone in my phone line up but felt the pro xl especially on the 9 pro xl was a little heavy.

 

[bhatech]

I feel this should have been starting with the 256gb models but Google is Google lol and I want this feature

From what I understand, the zoning is required only for higher storage models because it'll be slower to fetch from the larger storage, and hence the zones. The 256 GB still has the faster UFS 4.0 storage though, just not the zoning since it supposedly is not required for lower storage models. That's what the MKBHD podcast discussed. I'll research a bit on this as well.

 

[mustang7757]

From what I understand, the zoning is required only for higher storage models because it'll be slower to fetch from the larger storage, and hence the zones. The 256 GB still has the faster UFS 4.0 storage though, just not the zoning since it supposedly is not required for lower storage models. That's what the MKBHD podcast discussed. I'll research a bit on this as well.

This article talks also about zoned storage

All Pixel 10 Models Now Feature Faster, More Efficient UFS 4.0 Storage, With ‘Pro’ Variants Getting ‘Zoned UFS’ Technology

Google has finally added the faster and less power-hungry UFS 4.0 storage to the Pixel 10 series, and has included Zoned UFS for the higher capacity variants

wccftech.com

 

[bhatech]

Found a nice comment from the article you linked, summarizing the options

```
- 128- ufs 3.1
- 256- ufs 4.0
- 512- zufs
- 1tb - zufs

Why 128 is 3.1?
Because ufs 4.0 doesn't exist for 128gb

Why 256 is 4.0?
Because zufs doesn't exist for 256

Why 512gb and 1tb zufs?
Because it's the current best for those sizes

It's not that hard guys, Google is just giving the best possible storage for each level instead of limiting everything to 3.1 to be the same
```

 

[bhatech]

This article talks also about zoned storage

All Pixel 10 Models Now Feature Faster, More Efficient UFS 4.0 Storage, With ‘Pro’ Variants Getting ‘Zoned UFS’ Technology

Google has finally added the faster and less power-hungry UFS 4.0 storage to the Pixel 10 series, and has included Zoned UFS for the higher capacity variants

wccftech.com

Thanks

I asked chat CPT as well, I'm leaning towards just keeping the 256 GB pre-order.

Question: I'm planning to buy Pixel 10 Pro XL, 256 GB model comes with UFS 4.0 and 512 GB, 1 TB model comes with Zoned UFS storage. I got the 256 GB model, will I lose out on storage performance? I plan to keep my phone for year and upgrade to next model.

Chat GPT:

"Good question — you won’t really lose out in your case. Let me break it down:

Storage Types on Pixel 10 Pro XL

256 GB model → UFS 4.0

Industry-standard, super-fast flash storage.

Sequential read/write and random I/O are excellent.

Great for everyday apps, games, camera use, and OS updates.


512 GB & 1 TB models → Zoned UFS (ZUFS)

Newer tech Google is testing for very large capacities.

ZUFS groups data into “zones,” which helps long-term efficiency and endurance when handling massive files (e.g., 8K video, ML workloads).

Could give performance benefits at high capacities by reducing write amplification and improving sustained speeds.



Performance Difference

In normal phone use (apps, gaming, camera, updates, browsing) → you won’t notice a real-world difference between UFS 4.0 and ZUFS.

Where ZUFS shines is when handling huge, sustained write workloads (think: recording long 8K video, shooting RAW bursts constantly, or keeping 500+ GB of ML models or video projects).

Since you plan to upgrade next year, you won’t face long-term endurance concerns (where ZUFS might age better).


For You

256 GB UFS 4.0 is totally fine — blazing fast, plenty for your use case.

You aren’t missing out in a noticeable way unless you’re a power user storing massive raw footage daily.

With yearly upgrades, ZUFS benefits (longevity, efficiency with >500 GB storage) don’t really matter.


Short answer: No real downside for your 1-year use. You’ll still have flagship-class performance.

Do you usually load your phone heavily with 4K/8K video, RAW photos, or huge files, or are you more of a regular apps + media + cloud storage user? That would help me fine-tune the advice.
"

 

[mustang7757]

Thanks

I asked chat CPT as well, I'm leaning towards just keeping the 256 GB pre-order.

Question: I'm planning to buy Pixel 10 Pro XL, 256 GB model comes with UFS 4.0 and 512 GB, 1 TB model comes with Zoned UFS storage. I got the 256 GB model, will I lose out on storage performance? I plan to keep my phone for year and upgrade to next model.

Chat GPT:

"Good question — you won’t really lose out in your case. Let me break it down:

Storage Types on Pixel 10 Pro XL

256 GB model → UFS 4.0

Industry-standard, super-fast flash storage.

Sequential read/write and random I/O are excellent.

Great for everyday apps, games, camera use, and OS updates.


512 GB & 1 TB models → Zoned UFS (ZUFS)

Newer tech Google is testing for very large capacities.

ZUFS groups data into “zones,” which helps long-term efficiency and endurance when handling massive files (e.g., 8K video, ML workloads).

Could give performance benefits at high capacities by reducing write amplification and improving sustained speeds.



Performance Difference

In normal phone use (apps, gaming, camera, updates, browsing) → you won’t notice a real-world difference between UFS 4.0 and ZUFS.

Where ZUFS shines is when handling huge, sustained write workloads (think: recording long 8K video, shooting RAW bursts constantly, or keeping 500+ GB of ML models or video projects).

Since you plan to upgrade next year, you won’t face long-term endurance concerns (where ZUFS might age better).


For You

256 GB UFS 4.0 is totally fine — blazing fast, plenty for your use case.

You aren’t missing out in a noticeable way unless you’re a power user storing massive raw footage daily.

With yearly upgrades, ZUFS benefits (longevity, efficiency with >500 GB storage) don’t really matter.


Short answer: No real downside for your 1-year use. You’ll still have flagship-class performance.

Do you usually load your phone heavily with 4K/8K video, RAW photos, or huge files, or are you more of a regular apps + media + cloud storage user? That would help me fine-tune the advice.
"

What I'm worried about as more and more Manufacturers putting out AI this type of storage will help , I feel in some way phones with AI get a little bogged down, more things happening
And the partitioning in different zones for this .

 

[bhatech]

Alright @mustang7757, you convinced me . Cancelled my 256 GB order and placed the 512 GB pre-order.

Better to go for the BEST available option rather than repent later. Even though I think 256 GB with UFS 4 should be perfectly fine, I just don't want to second guess myself later when I have the option.

It's arriving 1 day later (expedited shipping option) than my earlier pre-order and not in my preferred color (Jade, Moonstone).

 

[mustang7757]

Alright @mustang7757, you convinced me . Cancelled my 256 GB order and placed the 512 GB pre-order.

Better to go for the BEST available option rather than repent later. Even though I think 256 GB with UFS 4 should be perfectly fine, I just don't want to second guess myself later when I have the option.

It's arriving 1 day later (expedited shipping option) than my earlier pre-order and not in my preferred color (Jade, Moonstone).

The porcelain is a beautiful color and my 2nd pick.

I feel like we are some type of used car salesman

 

[bhatech]

The porcelain is a beautiful color and my 2nd pick.

I feel like we are some type of used car salesman

Yeah I love Porcelain as well but my iPhone 16 Pro Max is the same color, and the Jade or Moonstone was different from the usual. Honestly, color is not that big of a deal breaker and I'll be fine with any of them. Given the option would have gone with Moonstone or Jade.

 

[mustang7757]

Yeah I love Porcelain as well but my iPhone 16 Pro Max is the same color, and the Jade or Moonstone was different from the usual. Honestly, color is not that big of a deal breaker and I'll be fine with any of them. Given the option would have gone with Moonstone or Jade.

Yeah once the case is on color doesn't matter

 

[bhatech]

I also love how cancelling and reordering is seamless with Google store unlike stupid Samsung these days

 

[mustang7757]

I also love how cancelling and reordering is seamless with Google store unlike stupid Samsung these days

True but the Samsung lets you pay the trade-in price before shipping and Google u pay full and later get the trade-in price.

 

[bhatech]

True but the Samsung lets you pay the trade-in price before shipping and Google u pay full and later get the trade-in price.

Yeah, agreed. That's definitely better on Samsung's side, and hopefully Google changes that aspect in the future. It probably might tempt more people with impulse buying, lol.

Honestly, the Google trade-in for me is a backup option, given the not-so-great trade-in prices. Generally, I'm able to sell my Google devices locally for more than Google trade-ins. With Samsung, it's a no-brainer; it's hard to beat their trade-in prices.

I'll be putting up my Pixel 9 Pro XL for sale locally (Facebook Marketplace) and try to sell it between $650 to $750. It should be easier with cash in hand and not waiting for trade-in processing. I'll only use trade-in if I can't sell locally for more than $600.

Not a fan of Swappa or eBay, since after including listing and PayPal fees, it'll probably end up less or almost the same as trade-in.

 

[mustang7757]

Yeah, agreed. That's definitely better on Samsung's side, and hopefully Google changes that aspect in the future. It probably might tempt more people with impulse buying, lol.

Honestly, the Google trade-in for me is a backup option, given the not-so-great trade-in prices. Generally, I'm able to sell my Google devices locally for more than Google trade-ins. With Samsung, it's a no-brainer; it's hard to beat their trade-in prices.

I'll be putting up my Pixel 9 Pro XL for sale locally (Facebook Marketplace) and try to sell it between $650 to $750. It should be easier with cash in hand and not waiting for trade-in processing. I'll only use trade-in if I can't sell locally for more than $600.

Not a fan of Swappa or eBay, since after including listing and PayPal fees, it'll probably end up less or almost the same as trade-in.

Yeah definitely one way of doing this .