Samsung Galaxy S26 series ships with One UI 8.5, built on Android 16, but beta testers might soon get early access to Android 17.
Samsung first introduced One UI 8.5 with Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26 Ultra
Photo Credit: Samsung
Samsung Galaxy S26 lineup was launched last month with One UI 8.5 onboard, which is based on Android 16. While the One UI 8.5 update is yet to reach older Galaxy flagships, Samsung appears to have started testing the next major update for the Galaxy S26 series. The first internal One UI 9 test build for the Galaxy S26 series was reportedly spotted on the company's servers, and the stable version of One UI 9 based on Android 17 is expected to arrive sometime later this year.
In a post on X, Tarun Vats (@tarunvats33) claims that the first internal test build of One UI 9 for the Samsung Galaxy S26 family has been spotted on Samsung's servers. The build reportedly appeared with version numbers S948BXXU1BZC5, S948BOXM1BZC5, and S948BXXU1BZC5.
Meanwhile, SamMobile was able to download a testing version of One UI 9 (S948BXXU1BZC5), and the publication began sharing details about the upcoming update on Monday. The publication said that it found a few small visual changes, including larger controls for some quick settings items
This indicates that a public beta release of Android 17-based One UI 9 is likely to take place in late May or early June. The stable rollout could happen in September. Meanwhile, Samsung is anticipated to unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Flip 8 with One UI 9 out of the box. The company is speculated to launch a wider foldable this year.
Samsung first introduced One UI 8.5 with Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26 Ultra. The update will expand to more Galaxy devices in the coming days. It includes new AI features, a refreshed design and advanced security and privacy solutions. It offers upgraded Photo Assist and Now Nudge functionalities. The update allows users to personalise the Quick Panel.
The stable rollout of One UI 8.5 is likely to begin later this month, starting with last year's Samsung Galaxy S25 series. The company could start rolling out the update to other devices from April.
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