Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Samsung’s Android 15-based One UI 7 update for your phone is right around the corner. For several months now, owners of devices like the Galaxy S23, S22, S21, Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5, and even S24, Z Fold 6, and Z Flip 6 have been stuck in this seemingly never-ending loop of empty promises and bitter disappointment, but the nightmare could finally be over soon. Probably. Possibly.
The good news is that might actually happen sooner than reported just a couple of days ago, at least in one specific Asian market. The bad news is there are still absolutely no guarantees, especially as far as the US and European countries are concerned.
Is this new schedule realistic?
April 2025 – Galaxy S24, S24 Plus, S24 Ultra, Galaxy S23, S23 Plus, S23 Ultra, Galaxy S22, S22 Plus, S22 Ultra, Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, S21 Ultra, Galaxy S24 FE, Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy S21 FE, Galaxy Z Flip 6, Z Flip 5, Z Flip 4, Z Flip 3, Galaxy Z Fold 6, Z Fold 5, Z Fold 4, Z Fold 3, Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, Tab S10 Plus, Galaxy Tab S9, Tab S9 Plus, Tab S9 Ultra;
To quickly answer that question, no, I really don’t think so. And not just because this Hong Kong plan looks radically different from the Indian schedule we talked about earlier this week. Instead, it’s incredibly hard to believe that Samsung will, for instance, spread the stable One UI 7 love to four different Galaxy Z Flip editions and four Galaxy Z Fold generations by the end of this month.
Granted, the recently halted rollout has reportedly resumed in South Korea for the Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 in addition to the Galaxy S24 family. But that still leaves three older Z Flip models and three Z Folds awaiting the same treatment within less than two weeks, which is… perhaps not impossible, but certainly highly unrealistic.
And don’t even get me started on the Galaxy S23, S22, and S21 rosters or the Tab S10 and Tab S9 families, all of which recently set a revised May 2025 update target in India that I don’t think Samsung will predate in Hong Kong or anywhere else.
When should you expect to score One UI 7 goodies in the US?
Realistically speaking (gosh, I’m starting to hate that word so viscerally), some devices could get the troubled update at some point next month. I’m thinking mainly about the Galaxy S23, S23 Plus, S23 Ultra, S24 FE, Z Flip 5, Z Fold 5, Tab S10 Plus, and Tab S10 Ultra, but of course, the S24, S24 Plus, S24 Ultra, Z Fold 6, and Z Flip 6 are first in line.
Will the Galaxy S23 and S22 join the stable One UI 7 club in the next couple of weeks? It’s possible, but unlikely. | Image Credit — PhoneArena
If those five 2024-released powerhouses manage to leave the Android 14-based One UI 6 version behind by the end of April in the US, and if nothing goes wrong with the updates this time around, I could definitely see Samsung try to squeeze the Galaxy S22 and S21 families, as well as the Z Flip 4, Z Fold 4 and Tab S9 line into the May OS delivery corridor.
But there are clearly still way too many question marks hovering over this rollout to allow ourselves to dream too big, and even if the most optimistic scenario pans out, that only applies to US unlocked devices, with carrier-specific updates being an entirely different thing that might take a significantly longer time to materialize.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian’s passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for ‘adequate’ over ‘overpriced’.
