While the Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra ship with One UI 8.5 out of the box, Samsung has confirmed a sequential update rollout for older devices. It is a visual and AI reset built around two pillars: Ambient Design and a Perplexity-powered Bixby.

Samsung confirmed that stable builds will begin rolling out in March 2026. As expected, the newly announced Galaxy S26 flagships are first in line.

For S25 and S24 owners, the wait will be measured in weeks, not quarters. For S22 and older A-series users, patience will be required. That is the trade-off when you run one of the largest Android portfolios in the smartphone industry.

Expected waves for previous phones:

Wave 1, March/April 2026

• Galaxy S25, S25+, S25 Ultra
• Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7

Wave 2, April/May 2026

• Galaxy S24 series
• Galaxy Z Fold 6, Z Flip 6
• Galaxy Tab S11 series
• Select Galaxy A series models

Wave 3, May/June 2026

• Galaxy S23 series
• Galaxy S22 series
• Galaxy A56, A36
• Galaxy Tab S10 series
• Select Galaxy A, M, and F series models

Wave 4, Q2 to Q3 2026

• Select Galaxy A, M, and F series models

This tentative roadmap follows Samsung’s familiar anti-fragmentation strategy. Newer models get optimized first, carrier certifications move in parallel, and the long tail of mid-range hardware follows once stability metrics are locked in.

What’s new in One UI 8.5

One UI 8.5 marks Samsung’s most assertive mid-cycle refresh in years. Historically, “.5” updates were incremental, focused on polish. This time, the company is treating it as a platform shift, and it’s bigger than Android 15 to Android 16.

Frosted Glass is the most visible change. Frosted translucency, layered depth, and subtle 3D iconography respond dynamically to wallpapers. System panels, quick settings, widgets, and lock screen elements now carry a sense of depth.

Samsung has integrated Perplexity AI directly into the Bixby. It enables more complex natural language queries and persistent conversational context. It’s available in Beta and official version will be provided with the Stable One UI 8.5 update.

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