The handsets may come running on the Android 16-based firmware at launch.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (pictured) came with Android 14-based One UI 6.1.1 out-of-the-box
Photo Credit: Samsung
Samsung's rollout of its Android 15-based One UI 7 operating system (OS) is yet to reach completion but the company is said to already have plans for an early release of its next iteration. According to a report, One UI 8 based on Android 16 will be offered out-of-the-box with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 foldables, which are said to be in the works and expected to debut some time later this year.
Citing insider sources, SamMobile reports that Samsung is planning to launch its next generation foldable smartphones — the purported Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 — with One UI 8 out-of-the-box. This potentially means that the handsets may come running on the Android 16-based firmware at launch.
The South Korean technology conglomerate's next generation foldable phones are speculated to debut in July this year, keeping up with the launch timelines of its previous iterations.
Notably, Samsung is said to have already begun testing its next OS. A tipster recently spotted One UI 8's internal test build on the company's server officially listed as a “newfound test firmware”. It is reported to come with S938BXXU1BYC1/S938BOXM1BYC1/S938BXXU1BYC1 as the build version for the flagship Galaxy S25 series. This suggests that Samsung is likely to have kicked off the development of its next-generation OS two months prior than its usual timeline.
With regard to its release date, the successor to Android 15 has already been confirmed by a Google official to release in June 2025. It could be moved to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) on June 3, following which original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Samsung can create custom variants of the OS catering to their respective devices and port it for the release.
There is no official word yet about the features included or the availability of Samsung's One UI 8 update. More information is likely to be revealed in the coming months leading up to the Android 16-based OS' release.
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