Google has extended Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series’ Android updates support by two years. Now, the devices belonging to these lineups will get two additional OS upgrades. Samsung Galaxy S21, S22, and S23 series also deserve an extension in Android OS update support.

Google recently revised its OS support plan for older Pixel phones. The company will now provide five years of OS and security updates to Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series. These models were launched right before the Galaxy S21 and S22 series.

Samsung should consider extending software support for these Galaxy models:

Galaxy S Series: Galaxy S23, S23 FE, S23+, S23 Ultra, as well as Galaxy S22, S22+, S22 Ultra, S21, S21+, S21 Ultra, S21 FE

Galaxy Z Series: Galaxy Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5, Z Fold 4, Z Flip 4, Z Fold 3, and Z Flip 3

Galaxy Tablets: Galaxy Tab S9, Tab S9+, Tab S9 Ultra, Tab S8, S8+, and S8 Ultra

Samsung Software Support – How it evolved

Way back in August 2020, Samsung introduced its software update policy. The company promised that the Galaxy S20 series and later models will receive up to three generations of Android OS upgrades and regular security patches.

Beyond that, Samsung has taken software support to a whole new level. In February 2022, the company promised four major Android upgrades and five years of security patches to flagship Galaxy phones released in 2021 and later.

This made the Galaxy S21 series eligible for an additional OS upgrade and two more years of security updates. Well, Samsung offered the same OS support to select Galaxy A and M series smartphones.

In 2023 and 2024, the Korean tech giant has completely changed the OS upgrade game. While rivals replicated Samsung’s policy, it has confirmed flagship-grade longevity to budget and mid-range smartphones.

2024 marked the biggest breakthrough in the mobile industry. Starting with the Galaxy S24 series, Samsung flagships are now eligible for seven years of Android upgrades and seven years of regular security updates.

While Samsung’s software support improved gradually, the Galaxy S21, S22, and S23 series are now lagging in competition. The S21 series will have its last major update next year, with two and three OS updates remaining for S22 and S23, respectively.

Samsung is the last among all Android smartphone makers to release an Android 15 based software upgrade for its devices but it seems that the One UI 7 delay is highly relative to the Galaxy S25 series user experience.

Last year, Samsung released the One UI 6 beta program in August, right after the Android 14 release. The software is packed with new personalization features.

This year, Google also pushed the Android 15 release to October, which allowed Samsung to delay its beta activity by a few months and take the stable release around the Galaxy S25 series release in January 2025.

Yesterday, the phone maker started the One UI 7 beta rollout for the Galaxy S24 series. The program first landed in Germany, the US, and the UK and will expand through other markets.

The latest software is designed with a new approach and differentiates from the current One UI version. Among these, Samsung has paid full attention to UI and animations.

The first beta revealed that the old-school quick settings panel is now divided into two sections. One is dedicated to notifications and the other is for quick settings.

The notifications panel uses onboard AI to manage your notifications and decide the priority for what’s important. The new quick settings help you organize the icons better than One UI 6.1.

It has sections organized for easy access, media, connectivity, and volume sliders. Furthermore, the edit option is reinvented for a more personalized user experience.

Samsung has changed the app icons for a fresh look and the touch response has been improved as well.
The key attraction for the software also brings us to animation.

The changes made to the UI are directly related to the transitions throughout the software, which include the lock screen, lock and wake-up sequence, switching apps, and more.

The minimalistic Now Bar widgets are unique and catch attention. For example, the mini widget in the bottom allows you to tap and enlarge it in the center. It offers key options to manage their essential features without unlocking the device.

However, the concept here is to improve the finger’s reach at the bottom. Also, the animation of enlarging the widget is very smooth.

The existing One UI version keeps such widgets in the center by default and doesn’t offer such flexibility, especially not at this scale.

One UI 7 (Credit – Samsung)

Galaxy S25

The next-gen Samsung flagship is coming with a new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. This is the fastest Snapdragon chip Qualcomm has ever designed for mobile devices. It has a better neural processing unit for generative AI, allowing the S25 devices to deliver new AI features.

One UI 7’s user experience will also rely on this new chip. The enhanced performance will take power from Snapdragon 8 Elite to render the visuals and animations on screen.

As a result, the Samsung Galaxy S25 lineup will be able to visualize the entire One UI 7 experience like never before.
Furthermore, the new flat screen and low bezels in Galaxy S25 Ultra will maximize the One UI 7 further.

Check our S25 series section to know more.

For the first time, Samsung has officially posted a brief teaser for the upcoming Galaxy S25 series devices with the One UI 7 launch. The Korean phone maker has unveiled its newest mobile software based on Android 15.

It is currently available in Galaxy S24, S24+, and S25 Ultra. These three devices can sign up for the latest One UI beta via the Samsung Members app (check more details here).

This new One UI version has plenty of new features including the new Now Bar, which offers seamless interactions with essential features directly from the lock screen.

This feature is being prompted for the next-gen Galaxy S series devices.

“Set to be supported on upcoming Galaxy S series devices” Samsung mentioned in the One UI 7 press release. The company has not provided a context or a specific name for these devices but we need no proof of what’s heading our way.

Samsung Galaxy S25 series teaser in One UI 7 press release (Source – Samsung)

Samsung has planned S25 as its next flagship lineup featuring three devices – S25, S25+ and S25 Ultra. These phones will continue the legacy of last year’s devices except for the high-end version with radical changes.

The S25 Ultra will stand out as the most improved smartphone this year with a flat frame design.

The Korean phone maker did not opt for this design language until the Galaxy S24 and S24+, while the S24 Ultra still had some vibes of the previous S and Note series with sharp corners and slightly curved frames.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra CAD Redner (Credits: Androidheadline/Onleaks)

That will change with the new S25U and reflect all over the device including a polished Titanium material.

Along with that, the S25 series will adopt the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset with improved performance for single and multi-core. Early comparison shows this new chip will provide better all-round performance over the Galaxy S24.

Samsung has not officially announced a launch date for the Galaxy S25 series but it could unveil somewhere in early Q1 2025.