Samsung is once again sacrificing Android updates at the altar of One UI

Samsung’s annual developer’s conference (finally) gave us a tiny sneak peek at the upcoming One UI 7 update, but those looking forward to jumping into the latest Galaxy interface will have come away disappointed. Samsung’s One UI 7 update schedule reveals that the new version will officially land with the Galaxy S25 series, which will likely debut around January or February 2025. That’ll be at least four months after Android 15 started rolling out to Google’s Pixel series — an age in the realm of modern updates.

By contrast, One UI 6 landed for the previous-gen Galaxy S23 in October 2023, so basically, this time last year. Likewise, One UI 5 debuted on the S22 series in October 2022, and stable builds of One UI 4 arrived for consumers in November 2021. In recent years, we haven’t had to wait for the next-gen flagship to get our hands on many of Samsung’s latest software goodies, earning the brand solid brownie points for putting software at the forefront of the Galaxy experience. Sadly, that’s not happening this year, and it could be weeks or even months after the Galaxy S25 launch before current Galaxy flagships see One UI 7.

It’s all starting to look like a return to the bad old days of sluggish updates, when customers were stuck waiting months and months for promised software to finally arrive. Google’s efforts with Project Treble and Mainline and closer collaboration with Samsung have vastly improved the Android update landscape in the past four or so years. And it’s not just update times that have tumbled; we’ve seen much longer-term update promises for flagships and even mid-range phones, too. Applause all around. But what good is the latest seven years of promised OS upgrades when they fail to materialize in a timely manner?

If there’s a silver lining, Samsung confirmed that the One UI 7 beta is still on the way for current handsets. Those willing to live with a few bugs and non-final features will be able to get their hands on the software before the Galaxy S25 launches. Unfortunately, Samsung couldn’t provide a list of beta handsets nor offer a firm ETA, simply stating that it’ll arrive before the end of 2024. We’re still in the dark, then.

Samsung hasn’t commented on why customers are waiting for such a comparatively long time for One UI 7. Based on previous years (and giving the brand the benefit of the doubt), I don’t think Samsung is holding out on the update just to debut new features on the Galaxy S25. It held flagship features — like Galaxy AI — back in a One UI 6.1 update for the Galaxy S24 series, which then made its way to older handsets shortly afterward. This strategy allowed Samsung to have its cake and eat it, bringing One UI 6 to older handsets while still launching new features with its flagship phone under One UI 6.1. It looks to have a similar delayed plan in store with One UI 7.1, according to one rumor at least.

Instead, One UI 7, and perhaps even Android 15, may have suffered from troubled development. Android 15 wasn’t ready for the launch of the Pixel 9 series, which arrived with Android 14 instead. However, Google moved up the launch of its latest flagships, and it should only take a few weeks to bring the latest OS version to Pixels. One UI 7’s development has been seemingly more difficult. The initial beta was rumored to arrive in July, then was stated for August, and then September. Now Samsung says sometime before the end of the year. It’s highly unusual not to have seen a beta version of Samsung’s latest software by now, so there’s likely something up with whatever is new.

Of course, this doesn’t really give us a reason. It’s possible that One UI 7 brings some major new features that simply aren’t cooked yet (though we didn’t see evidence of them at SDC) or that the UI simply requires more polish. Based on the preview build we laid eyes on, there are some controversial changes in One UI 7 that overhaul quite a lot about the interface. Samsung could be taking the time to make sure these are just right. Alternatively, perhaps years of customization may have made it difficult to make meaningful changes to Samsung’s skin without breaking things. Only Samsung knows, but it wouldn’t be in this position if it took a more Pixel-like approach.

This all begs the question: How does Samsung ensure that it gets updates right? With hardware feeling pretty stagnant, software is increasingly the big differentiator for mobile devices, especially if you’re hot on the latest trend in AI. Samsung will no doubt have new Galaxy AI tools and more to draw the spotlight to its latest handset. But is One UI 7 perhaps too ambitious? Can you have fast, long-term updates, an elaborate take on Android, and still reinvent your skin? We’ll find out once the Galaxy S25 arrives.

Hopefully, the delay to One UI 7 will be a one-off, and next year, there will be a return to business as usual.