Pixels at all times had slower storage modules, with the Pixel 9 collection coming with UFS 3.1 throughout the board when each different high-end cellphone included UFS 4.0. Fortunately, Google is lastly altering its stance this yr on the Pixel 10, with all fashions getting UFS 4.0 — supplied you get the 256GB storage variant.
Curiously, the Professional fashions get Zoned UFS (ZUFS) 4.0, a variant of UFS 4.0 that shops information extra effectively. Primarily, information on a ZUFS 4.0 module is catalogued and saved in distinct zones, and this results in sooner loading occasions and elevated effectivity over the lifetime of the storage module.
With Google guaranteeing seven Android OS updates, going with ZUFS 4.0 is clearly the best transfer in making certain the storage module would not degrade. There’s only one downside; ZUFS is not customary on all fashions. In actual fact, the 128GB mannequin of the Pixel 10 Professional nonetheless makes use of the older UFS 3.1 storage, and it is annoying that Google is not offering UFS 4.0 on all of its fashions. Even when you get the 256GB mannequin, it comes with UFS 4.0 and never ZUFS, with that restricted to the 512GB and 1TB fashions within the U.S.
Annoyingly, Google would not present ZUFS within the 512GB mannequin of the Pixel 10 Professional and 10 Professional XL within the U.Okay. and different international markets — you will must get the 1TB mannequin if you would like the storage module. It might be good if Google standardized entry throughout its vary — like each different cellphone producer — however that clearly is not the case. In international locations like India, the place Google solely sells the 256GB mannequin of the Pixel 10 Professional and 10 Professional XL, there isn’t any option to improve to the ZUFS mannequin.
I haven’t got a 512GB Pixel 10 Professional, so I am unable to check its efficacy in opposition to the 256GB UFS 4.0 mannequin, however I examined my Pixel 10 Pro XL against other phones that have UFS 4.0 storage, and found it to be on the lower end of the scale when it comes to sequential reads and writes. If anything, there’s not a huge difference between the Pixel 10 Pro XL and last year’s UFS 3.1-based Pixel 9 Pro XL, and it’s likely Google is focusing on efficiency instead of raw numbers.
This is the case with the Tensor G5 as well, so it stands to reason that the storage situation is in line with Google’s priorities instead of the industry standard. Even if there isn’t a huge upgrade, moving to UFS 4.0 and ZUFS 4.0 puts the Pixel 10 and 10 Pro models in line with their immediate rivals, and while you may not see a tangible difference right now, it should be evident a few years down the line.
Should you buy the 512GB model of the Pixel 10 Pro just because of ZUFS 4.0? No. Get it if you need additional storage, and you see yourself taking a lot of photos and videos. Google is pushing users toward Google One plans as a way to manage excess storage, and I’m not a fan of using cloud storage — I’d like to be able to store all of my photos and videos on-device.
ZUFS 4.0 is just one of the ways Google is addressing long-standing issues with its devices, and combined with better cameras, more durable design, brighter OLED panels, and unique software features, the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL are proving to be among the best phones around.
The Pixel 10 Pro has all the features you need; the cameras are even better, and it excels at zoom, going all the way up to 100x. The Tensor G5 is noticeably faster than last year, and it has better thermal management. Combine that with the software and brightest OLED panel of any phone, and the 10 Pro is a great all-rounder.