Samsung to Debut One UI 8 with Galaxy Z Fold7 and Z Flip7

Samsung is reportedly gearing up to launch its highly anticipated Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 foldable smartphones with a new version of One UI based on Android 16. The move marks a welcome shift after many users expressed frustration regarding the delayed rollout of the current One UI 7 (Android 15) update. Even now, most Samsung users are waiting for One UI 7 to bring Android 15 to their devices, months and months after Google rolled the update out. To make matters worse, the S24 series launched with One UI 7 several months back and yet the older devices are still left waiting.

Thankfully, Galaxy Z Fold6 users have gotten access to the ongoing One UI 7 Beta and the experience is so good it almost makes up for how incredibly late it is. The animations are smoother, many UI elements have been reworked and a whole plethora of new features straight from the S24 series have been brought over.

According to SamMobile, Samsung is keen to get back to a better release cadence by releasing One UI 8 much sooner than you’d expect based on how late 7 is. Google is slated to showcase Android 16 at their next Google I/O event in May and then release Android 16 sometime around August or September of 2024. That should be right around the time that the Z Fold and Z Flip devices will be released. It’s worth noting that what they’re saying is that One UI 7 with Android 15 will have only been out for a few months before One UI 8 with Android 16 launches.

I would imagine it would be smart to mentally prep yourselves for a similar experience where the new phones have the new update for months before it hits older devices, which in this case could include the S24 devices. Prove me wrong, Samsung.

At this moment it’s unclear if Samsung will run a beta program for One UI 8 as there would be little time to do so. I would assume that it’s likely that the first time we see One UI 8 is with the new phones and then a beta might occur after that for the wider release.

Ultimately, a smoother and faster update process benefits everyone. Here's hoping Samsung prioritizes its existing user base alongside the launch of its new flagship devices. We'll continue to track this story and provide updates as they become available.