Samsung has confirmed that the stable One UI 8.5 update is starting to roll out, but not every Galaxy device will be making the jump. While most flagship and premium Galaxy phones are in the clear, some mid-range and affordable models might be left out entirely.
The rollout covers the majority of Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab S, and Galaxy Z series devices that previously received One UI 8.0. The situation gets murkier when you look at the Galaxy A, F, and M lineup. As pointed out by Sammobile, Samsung’s German press release specifically states that the “previous three generations” of Galaxy A series devices will receive One UI 8.5. That phrasing is doing a lot of work, because it quietly excludes anything older than three generations, which likely means 2022 devices and earlier won’t see the update.
Which devices could miss out?
Galaxy A, F, and M series phones from 2022 originally launched with Android 12. Since then, they’ve received four generations of Android OS upgrades, bringing them up to Android 16 with One UI 8.0. Samsung may consider that commitment fulfilled, with no plans to push the additional One UI 8.5 update on top.
It’s worth pointing out that this would be a shift from how Samsung has handled things before. Historically, if a device received a One UI x.0 update, it would also get the corresponding x.1 or x.5 update that followed. That expectation is no longer guaranteed, at least based on what we’re seeing here.
Samsung hasn’t officially confirmed which devices will be excluded, so this is partly speculative based on the wording in the press release. The company could still announce a broader rollout plan for more devices down the line, so it’s not completely off the table.
There’s a practical reason Samsung might be drawing this line. The company now promises six generations of Android OS upgrades for even its most affordable Galaxy phones released since 2025, which is a significant support commitment across a very large device portfolio. Maintaining that while also pushing mid-cycle updates like One UI 8.5 across every older device gets complicated fast.
Looking ahead, Samsung is already working on One UI 9, which is expected to debut with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 around July. The company will likely want to wrap up the One UI 8.5 rollout before that launch. We’ll keep you updated as Samsung confirms the complete device list for this update.
