Samsung has updated One UI, its own opinionated take on Google's Android software, version 2.5. The update first made its debut on the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra, and now the company has committed this update bringing it to at least three generations of past flagships.
What's new in One UI 2.5
Samsung first released One UI 2.5 on the Note 20. It bundles in updates to many of Samsung's core apps including the Notes app, wireless Samsung DeX, and Reminders. Notes become far more powerful, allowing users to bookmark sections of audio recordings and edit PDF documents. Samsung's also added syncing so that you can keep your notes in sync across all your devices.
DeX also becomes a lot more powerful with wireless DeX support. Now you can use any compatible smart TV and instantly create a larger workspace while using your Galaxy phone as a touchpad replacement.
Naturally, the camera gets a lot of focus here as well. Samsung has added a new Pro Video mode to the S20 line, allowing users to shoot in 8K24fps for what they call a cinematic look. It also allows users to control the mic direction, letting them pick up certain sounds while minimizing others.
One UI 2.5 also now lets third-party Android launchers use gesture navigation on Samsung devices. It's an issue that had long been resolved on Pixels, but it's nice to see Samsung getting round to it at last.
When will my Samsung Galaxy be updated to One UI 2.5?
Like with all updates, it depends on your phone model and region. Samsung started rolling out One UI 2.5 to the Galaxy S20 and Z Flip in the U.S. back in August, and even older flagships like the S10 and Note 10 have started recieving the update this month. In mid-September, Samsung started rolling out the One UI 2.5 update to Galaxy Tab S6 owners. At the end of the month, the older Galaxy Tab S5e was updated to One UI 2.5 as well. In October, Samsung announced the update was coming to the Samsung Galaxy Fold.
Shortly after that, the Galaxy A71 was the first of the A-Series to get One UI 2.5. This was the first phone not included in Samsung's initial list to recieve the update, indicating that more phones than we previously thought could be updated to One UI 2.5.
In mid-October, Samsung brought One UI 2.5 to the Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S9, S9+, and the A51, marking the completion of its original rollout plan.
By the end of 2020, Samsung had extended the rollout to include the A50, the A70 and the A90 5G in various regions incluing India, the UK, and Canada. It had also rolled out the update to some of the newer M-series phones, including the M21, M31, and the M51.
Here are the devices that are currently being updated to One UI 2.5
- Samsung Galaxy A50
- Samsung Galaxy A51
- Samsung Galaxy A70
- Samsung Galaxy A71
- Samsung Galaxy A90 5G
- Samsung Galaxy M21
- Samsung Galaxy M31
- Samsung Galaxy M51
- Samsung Galaxy Note 9
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10 5G
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10+
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G
- Samsung Galaxy S9
- Samsung Galaxy S9+
- Samsung Galaxy S10
- Samsung Galaxy S10 5G
- Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite
- Samsung Galaxy S10+
- Samsung Galaxy S10e
- Samsung Galaxy S20
- Samsung Galaxy S20 5G
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy S20+
- Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
- Samsung Galaxy Fold
- Samsung Galaxy Fold 5G
What about devices not currently listed?
Samsung has delivered One UI 2.5 to all but one phone on its original list of promised devices. It has also shared the update to phones and tablets it didn't include at first. This means that other phones in the A-Series as well as tablets that sold well could still see updates to One UI 2.5 down the line.
What about One UI 3.0?
One UI. 3.0 is the next big update for Galaxy devices, and it'll be based on Android 11 when it launches.
Samsung has just started rolling out the One UI 3.0 developer pre-beta for the S20 family to select devices in Korea and the United States. One UI 3.0 itself is expected to be made available for consumers generally around December going by previous Samsung patterns. As for what features and additions Samsung's prepared to ship alongside Google's software, we're not quite clear on that yet. Samsung will reveal more as the beta period goes on, and we'll update this page when that time comes.
