Samsung has now confirmed the feared bad news for millions of Galaxy users, as they fall further and further behind Google’s Pixel and other Android devices, to say nothing of Apple’s iPhone, its arch rival in the premium smartphone category. For those who have paid $1000-plus for a new flagship, this will come as a nasty surprise.
Just a week ago, there was speculation that Samsung’s One UI 7 Beta—its Android 15 preview—was imminent, albeit it’s already later than expected with SDC kicking off this week. But the company has now burst that bubble, only assuring that “One UI 7 beta will be available to developers before the end of this year.” This update comes with significant security and privacy upgrades, and with the current state of threats on the Android platform showing no signs of abating, delays are unwelcome.
Worse, though, the full Android 15 release is now obviously delayed until next year, with “the official version of One UI 7 with all of the game-changing AI features released next year with the next Galaxy S series.” That’s the S25, of course, and while users with shiny new S24s will clearly get the upgrade, it will likely come as cold comfort as Pixel users—plus other OEMs—get there long beforehand.
If that’s not disappointing enough, Google is also now teasing that Android 16 will start doing the developer rounds much earlier than usual, which will raise the question as to how Samsung can catch up, given its Android 15 is behind.
The other critical question for users will be what’s in and what’s out when it comes to Samsung’s deployment of Android 15. Some of the new security and privacy advances—live threat detection and cellular network defense, for example—may or may not hit Samsung devices on release. While the cellular defense upgrade, which warns of possible rogue network connections is a great move, it’s the live threat detection that catches the eye. This is Google’s most significant move to catch Apple’s safer, better protected iPhone and provide a greater degree of AI-powered protection for users.
Samsung is also pushing its Knox Matrix multi-device advances at SDC, which will make its ecosystem stickier and harder to leave. Definitely an echo there as to the power of Apple’s walled garden and the user assurances it underpins.
I have asked Samsung for clarity on whether Android 15’s full suite of security and privacy advances will be included. Meanwhile, it’s a case of wait and see. The good news for users, though, is that Samsung is leading the way on locking down its Android ecosystem ahead of any OS upgrade. Albeit the shift to default maximum protections has triggered the current Epic Games lawsuit, which claims Samsung and Google are working together to make third-party app installs overly difficult.
All told, it’s a mixed bag for Samsung users at a time of unparalleled smartphone advances across the board.