Google left out most of the hardware specifications belonging to each Pixel 9 model during the official announcement, and for good reason, because we can imagine that customers wanting to pre-order one of these would be absolutely livid if they found out that the newest flagships ship with UFS 3.1 storage instead of UFS 4.0.
UFS 3.1 is typically used in ‘price to performance’ smartphones to lower their cost, while the high-end Android smartphones are equipped with faster standards, so it definitely comes as a surprise that Google would take this route. However, as much as we prefer seeing cutting-edge technology being used in flagship handsets, please do not consider it a dealbreaker for the reasons that you are about to read.
UFS 4.0 is twice as fast as UFS 3.1, but it will matter little if the Pixel 9 lineup delivers a top-tier and responsive experience to the user
There were rumors making the rounds, talking about this claim, so Android Authority decided to ask Google directly. Sadly, the advertising giant has confirmed that even if customers pre-order the top-end storage versions, they will not experience speeds higher than the UFS 3.1 standard. Based on the testing done by the publication, sequential read and write and random read and write speeds on the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL are much slower compared to the competition.
The base model tops out at 980MB/s, while the Pixel 9 Pro XL can reach 911MB/s speeds. Compared to the Zenfone 11 Ultra, which is equipped with UFS 4.0 storage, Android Authority found that this smartphone’s top speed reached 2,130MB/s, which is twice as fast as UFS 3.1. Now, this major difference should immediately discourage customers from picking up any Pixel 9 model when it is available for purchase, right?
Not at all, unless you are transferring gigabytes of data from your Pixel 9 to a laptop, then yes, UFS 4.0 would present a major advantage. How about 4K or 8K video recording? An 8K 60FPS video requires 750MB/s of sequential write speeds to deliver pristine performance, but the report mentions that smartphones apply video compression, meaning that the Pixel 9 will only need 100MB/s to record at the aforementioned resolution and framerate.
Additionally, Google’s large AI model means that compressed video recording will not take a hit to image quality, with the Tensor G4 likely ensuring you get a crisp, clean video. However, we are not downplaying the advantages of UFS 4.0 technology, as it is speedy, energy-efficient, and takes up a smaller footprint than UFS 3.1. Even if Google decided to incorporate a slower storage standard for the Pixel 9, if there are no performance drops when using one of these devices daily, then it hardly makes a difference.
Hopefully, the company will catch up to the competition with the launch of the Pixel 10 lineup next year, which is also reported to be treated to the Tensor G5, Google’s first 3nm in-house chipset that will leverage TSMC’s next-generation process. For now, if you are interested in getting the Pixel 9, Amazon is offering up to a $200 gift card if you pre-order one of them right now.
News Source: Android Authority
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