Why did the system data on Galaxy S23 Ultra decrease by up to 20GB with just one update to One UI 6.0?
After updating the phone to One UI 6.0, many Galaxy S23 series users reported that their system memory suddenly dropped significantly.
The system partition on the Galaxy S23 Ultra now only occupies 20GB, less than half of One UI 5.1.
However, this is not surprising and only related to the way of calculating memory that Samsung had set before.
After upgrading to One UI 6.0, the system memory on the Galaxy S23 Ultra decreased by more than 20GB
On social networking sites, many Galaxy S23 series users said that their storage capacity suddenly dropped sharply after upgrading to One UI 6.0. The reason comes from the system file itself when this partition has decreased by more than 20 GB compared to the previous version.
I also tested updating the Galaxy S23 Ultra to One UI 6.0 and compared it with another device running One UI 5.1. The result was that the system partition on the Galaxy S23 Ultra now only occupies 17.56GB, less than half (over 20GB) of what it was with One UI 5.1 before (38.98GB).
Both models used in the test above had 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The number of installed apps on these devices did not differ significantly, and the RAM Plus feature (virtual RAM) was also set to default.
To make it easier to compare, the total system capacity (including both System and System File partitions) on the Galaxy S23 Ultra is now equal to or even lower than many other Android flagships. The system partition on the iPhone 14 Pro 256GB occupies more than 17.2GB, while this number for the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 14 Pro (512GB version) is 25.26GB and 21.4GB respectively.
Samsung has applied a new way of calculating memory
To find a solution to the above problem, first of all, let’s talk a little about the issue of calculating capacity.
Have you ever bought a laptop or PC running Windows and realized that the total capacity in all partitions is always smaller than the manufacturer’s specifications? For example, you buy a 256GB SSD but the system only reports about 240GB or a 1TB HDD but in fact, Windows only reports about 930–940GB.
The reason for this is the difference between the way humans and computers calculate data. When manufacturers design hard drives, they calculate data in decimal system (base 10). For example, 1GB of data is equivalent to 10³ or 1000MB. However, computers process them in binary data (base 2). In this case, 1GB of data will be equal to 2¹⁰ or 1024MB of memory.
The difference of 24MB is the factor behind the deficit above. With One UI 5.0 or One UI 5.1, Samsung decided to “merge” this capacity into the system partition itself. This makes the system capacity increase significantly, while in fact the amount of data loaded is unchanged. That’s why there was a time when the Galaxy S23 Ultra was occupied up to 50GB or even 60GB for the system partition.
However, with One UI 6.0, everything is completely different. According to Android Authority, Samsung has changed the way of displaying memory on this user interface. The system partition is recalculated according to the decimal system (base 10), thereby reducing the storage capacity significantly. At this point, the System memory on the Galaxy S23 Ultra will only contain system data without including files or capacity differences due to calculation as on One UI 5.1.
A Samsung phone with a capacity of 128GB after upgrading to One UI 6.0 will “save” about 9GB of system data. This number with the 256GB and 512GB versions is 18GB and 36GB respectively.
However, the total storage capacity that users receive is likely to remain unchanged. Because, according to Android Authority, the memory difference due to calculation can be transferred to the “Other Files” partition.
If you pay attention, you will notice that this section on One UI 6.0 occupies up to 5.73GB of data, while it is 0GB on One UI 5.1. This number will increase proportionally to the actual storage capacity and will reach its maximum when the device is full. For example, a Galaxy S23 Ultra 256GB, when full, will have the “Other Files” partition occupy 18GB, equivalent to the calculation difference.
Ignoring the difference in memory calculation, One UI 6.0 is still a significant upgrade for Samsung phone users. Compared to One UI 5.1, this software version brings many new improvements related to fonts, the Control Center, and the Camera interface. Currently, users of Samsung devices like the Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy Z Fold5, or Galaxy Z Flip5 can install and experience One UI 6.0.
