Forget One UI 7, Samsung could drop One UI 8 sooner than anticipated

Summary

Samsung might be skipping mid-cycle versions of One UI 7, instead opting to focus on developing One UI 8.
One UI 7 was expected to be available on the S24 series before the end of March, but reportedly the update has been delayed until the launch of the Galaxy S25 Edge in mid-April.
Android 16 could release in June this year, hence why Samsung might be choosing to go full steam ahead on One UI 8 to avoid a repeat of the delays it had this year.

Since the Galaxy S25 series with One UI 7 officially launched in early February, users have eagerly awaited the software update’s arrival on older Galaxy devices, like the S24 and S23 series. While One UI 7 could arrive this month, rumors indicate that Samsung has fallen behind on its rollout.

A consequence of One UI 7’s late launch could be the shortening of its life cycle. According to known tipster Ice Universe on X, the next version of One UI 7 will be One UI 8, entirely skipping mid-cycle updates like One UI 7.1, which usually introduce additional features and squash any bugs.

Samsung Galaxy S25

Brand: Samsung
SoC: Snapdragon 8 Elite
Display: 6.2-inch
RAM: 12GB
Storage: 128GB, 256GB
Battery: 4,000mAh

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One UI 8 could have a faster rollout

The Galaxy S24 series could get One UI 7 in mid-April

By the time a stable version of Android 15-based One UI 7 reaches all eligible Samsung devices, Android 16 could be rolling out shortly afterward. So, it would make sense for Samsung to concentrate on getting an Android 16-based One UI 8 update out the door as fast as possible instead of focusing on mid-cycle versions of One UI 7. This would mean that One UI 8 gets into the hands of users faster, avoiding the costly delays Samsung has experienced this year.

Samsung has been beta testing One UI 7 since December. In January, Samsung Korea indicated that it would start rolling out the update before the end of the first quarter of the year (by March 31). Since then, rumors about potential delays have been rampant. Recently, a leak suggested that One UI 7 won’t roll out widely until the launch of the Galaxy S25 Edge, rumored to be on April 16. Another leak, allegedly from a Samsung Romania workshop, further corroborated this possibility by revealing a release timetable for One UI 7, which indicates that the update will arrive for the S24 series on April 18.

It’s rumored that Google could release Android 16 as early as June of this year. If this turns out to be the case, Samsung would be smart to immediately pivot to an Android 16-based One UI 8 update to avoid delays like it’s had so far this year. As long as Samsung delivers a stable version of One UI 7 soon, mid-cycle updates might not be entirely necessary if One UI 8 gets to people faster.