I've gotten tired of complaining about Samsung's painful delays with regards to its latest version of software, One UI 7. While Galaxy devices being released from this point on come with the new Android 15-based OS, older ones, including some that cost over a thousand dollars, are yet to get the update.
There's good news and bad news. The bad news is that the stable version of One UI 7 isn't coming this month. The good news is that it isn't far off. And oh, more good news is that finally, the One UI 7 beta is breaking out of S24 exclusivity and rolling out to the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 today.
The Latest Samsung Galaxy Z Foldable Is Finally Eligible for the One UI 7 Beta
As someone pointed out, delays in the release of software should never be taken as a bad thing. They usually arise due to bugs and issues with the software that the company chooses to iron out before launch rather than launching the software in a less-than-satisfactory state. It's why part of me is trying to forgive Samsung. However, no stable release six months after Android 15 was released is a little hard to excuse.
Either way, the process is trudging along, as the South Korean OEM has just started rolling out the beta for One UI 7 to users with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 or Z Fold 6, giving them the opportunity to take the new operating system for a test drive. However, you need to keep in mind that this beta is limited to those in the US, the UK, South Korea, and India. You can also expect other devices to join the beta within the month.
Here Are Notable Aspects of the Changelog for One UI 7 Beta on Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6
The changelog for the Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6's update to One UI 7 beta is very long. To save us all time, I'll note some of the most important things that it adds to the experience:
- Brings new Galaxy AI features, such as the ability to transcribe recorded phone calls and writing assistance in any text box.
- New changes to the visual elements of the OS, such as buttons, menus, notifications, animations, icons, widgets, etc.
- Improvements to Home Screen organization, including deeper customization with the icons for apps, widgets, and folders.
- Improvements to the Lock Screen, including the Now Bar, new clock styles and customization, and additional widgets.
- Quick Panel and Notification shades are now separate by default, though the combined style can be re-enabled in device settings.
- The camera interface has been upgraded to improve ease of use.
There's a lot more than just that, but you can take a look at the full changelog over here.
Samsung Confirms the Stable Release for One UI 7 Is Coming Next Month
A leak spotted a few days ago revealed the dates when One UI 7 would finally launch on several of the supported devices. The earliest date was mid-April, but based on the dates alone, the leak didn't seem unreasonable.
We finally know that it truly was reasonable, as Samsung has confirmed in a press release that the “official update of One UI 7 will be available starting in April.” We can all guess that the big flagships like the S24 series and sixth-gen Z foldables will be the very first in line.
