UFS Delivers the Next-level Performance and Efficiency

More selfies, bigger pictures, more videos and more capabilities in general mean that memory has been a growing priority for today’s smartphone consumers. In the past, many smartphones used eMMCs (embedded multi-media cards) to store information. However, today’s Universal Flash Storage (UFS) solutions offer a significant leap forward in terms of performance. In fact, UFS offers sequential read/write speeds fast enough to rival solid-state drives (SSDs) while still providing the low power consumption of an eMMC.

Performance soars with UFS Compared to eMMC, UFS shows much better performance in read speed, with an impressive 40 percent improvement in sequential read. When USB3.1 performance is optimized on the system (Gen1 5Gbps, Gen2 10Gbps), 40 percent better performance is achieved in a file copy scenario. This improvement in performance is based mainly on two factors. First of all, UFS has a LVDS (Low-Voltage Differential Signaling) serial interface with separately dedicated read/write paths. This allows full duplex (two-way interaction) so UFS can read and write simultaneously. In contrast, eMMC has a parallel interface which can only send data in one direction at a time; it can either read or write, but not at the same time. Secondly, UFS has a Command Queue (CQ) that sorts out the commands that need to be carried out. Thus, multiple commands can be addressed at the same time and the order of tasks can be changed accordingly. The combination of these two factors enables the Samsung UFS solution to have a sequential read speed, sequential write speed, random read speed and random write speed significantly faster than eMMC. Reduced power consumption

UFS provides much greater power efficiency based on reduced power consumption. In fact, UFS showed an 8 percent improvement in battery life over eMMC with the same workload. Actual work time was reduced by 30 percent with the same workload. Further advantages with UFS The UFS serial interface eliminates noise from crosstalk and supports smart error recovery. The interface also has only four signals, requiring fewer pins and simplifying printed circuit board (PCB) routing. As an added benefit, UFS can leverage intellectual property by standardizing interfaces across multiple devices such as application processors, cameras and displays. Demands for greater performance in smartphones will only increase in the months and years ahead ─ that much is certain. Samsung’s uMCP with UFS is well-positioned to serve a critical role in addressing these demands.