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Galaxy S24 owners could fall a whole Android version behind the Pixel

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The vertical app drawer in One UI 7.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

The Samsung Galaxy S25 series is the only set of devices currently featuring the long-delayed One UI 7. Unfortunately, other Samsung devices will not receive this update soon. This delay could impact devices currently in the wild and new ones set to launch this year.

According to SAM Mobile, sources say Samsung is delaying the launch of a stable One UI 7.0 update to non-Galaxy S25 series devices. Currently, the expectation is a stable One UI 7.0 update won’t be available until the company launches the all-new Galaxy S25 Edge, which could happen sometime in April. Only then would non-Galaxy S25 devices be eligible to receive a version of One UI 7, probably One UI 7.0.1.

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If this news wasn’t bad enough, there’s also a word that the One UI 7.0 update delay could mean there won’t be a One UI 7.1 version available when Samsung announces the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 7 this summer.

Typically, Samsung releases a fresh One UI X.1 whenever its flagship foldables are released. Those versions are packed with features exclusive to those models. The thinking now is that those phones will also receive One UI 7.0.1.

Historically, Samsung has not been particularly fast in releasing new versions of One UI, although it has improved in recent years. The latest news is frustrating because the delay in releasing One UI 7.0 for non-Galaxy S25 devices also means a delay in releasing Android 15 for those devices, which is the foundation of One UI 7.0.

Meanwhile, Pixel owners can currently use beta versions of Android 16. In other words, a possible scenario is developing in which phones like the Galaxy S23 Ultra or Galaxy Z Fold 5, which were very expensive when first released, could be an Android generation behind Pixel phones.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (left) and the Galaxy S25 Ultra Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

SAM Mobile says Google aims to release the stable version of the Android 16 platform update in Q2 2025.

The first public version of Android 15 was released in October, specifically for Google Pixel devices. Since then, many other phones, including those from Motorola and OnePlus, have received updates to Android 15. Meanwhile, just one month later, the first beta version of Android 16 was unveiled on an accelerated release schedule.

So far, Samsung has been silent about why a One UI 7.0 update has been delayed. This is undoubtedly frustrating news for millions of Samsung customers.

Bryan M. Wolfe
Former Mobile and A/V Freelancer
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
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