Samsung is so behind schedule, it might skip from One UI 7 straight to One UI 8

By Patrick Hearn Published March 3, 2025

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus's cameras. — Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Despite numerous delays and a significant amount of time spent in development, One UI 7.0 could be the only version we see. Under normal circumstances, Samsung would release at least a 7.1 version to address any unforeseen bugs in the initial rollout, but a reliable leaker suggests things might change this generation.

“The next version of One UI 7.0 is One UI 8.0. There is no One UI 7.1 and 7.1.1,” according to @UniverseIce on X. The news is surprising, but it makes sense. There have been numerous beta releases, but Samsung has yet to launch the full, stable version of One UI 7 — and neither has the company given a concrete release window.

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Samsung is behind on its normal release schedule. When the first One UI 7 beta launched in December 2024, the company planned for the full version to go live by the end of this month. However, more recent rumors suggest a release near the end of April for the flagships.

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The next version of One UI 7.0 is One UI 8.0, there is no One UI 7.1 and 7.1.1

— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) March 3, 2025

There’s more One UI 7 news, and it’s not great. Samsung might skip the standard mid-generation updates in order to finish the next version.

That would put the One UI 7 timeline even later in the year. By skipping over mid-generation updates, Samsung could devote the majority of its research and development to finish One UI 8.0 before the next iteration of devices, rather than face another year of delays.

If that plays out the way we think it might, One UI 8.0 could arrive on your device a lot sooner than initially expected. Samsung already had plans in motion to cancel the One UI 7.1 update because of delays, as first reported by SamMobile, but this new leak suggests the situation might be worse than we thought.

Depending on when the new handsets release, some could possibly arrive with One UI 8 versus 7. It isn’t clear, though, how long retroactive support will apply to earlier generations. If One UI 8 is feature-rich and relies on more powerful processors, it might be unable to run on previous generations of phones.

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