Samsung One UI 8.5 Goes Global on May 11 — Here's the First Wave of Devices

Samsung

by Nick Papanikolopoulos

Thursday, 07 May 2026 at 08:44

The four-month beta is done. Ten builds tested. The stable release is here.

Summary

Samsung officially began the One UI 8.5 stable rollout on May 6, 2026 in South Korea for the Galaxy S25 series — the first devices to receive the update after nearly six months of beta testing.
The global rollout expands on May 11, covering Europe, Hong Kong, India, Latin America, North America, Southeast Asia, and Taiwan — an unusually short two-day gap between Samsung's home market and the rest of the world, reflecting strong build confidence.
The first global wave includes the Galaxy S25 series (including Edge and FE variants), Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy S24 FE, Galaxy Z Fold 7, Galaxy Z Flip 7, Galaxy Z Fold 6, Galaxy Z Flip 6, Galaxy Tab S11 series, and Galaxy Tab S10 series.
One UI 8.5 runs on Android 16 and backports four Galaxy S26 AI features to eligible older devices: Call Screening, Advanced Audio Eraser for third-party apps, Creative Studio, and improved Photo Assist.
Older flagships including the Galaxy S23 and S22 series are pushed to a second phase with no confirmed date, while Galaxy A-series devices from the last three years qualify for a lighter AI feature tier called Awesome Intelligence.

What One UI 8.5 Actually Changes

The visual headline is Ambient Design — a blur-based interface overhaul that touches the Quick Panel, volume sliders, notification shade, and system-wide navigation elements. One UI 8.5 also makes the Quick Panel fully modular for the first time: any widget, toggle, or card can be repositioned or deleted. The search bar in Samsung apps including Settings has shifted to the bottom of the screen for one-handed reach — a small change that compounds significantly over daily use.

The four backported Galaxy AI features are the practical headline for existing device owners. Call Screening uses on-device AI to auto-answer unknown callers and transcribe the call in real time, filtering spam without requiring the user to pick up. Advanced Audio Eraser now operates across third-party apps during playback — removing background noise while watching content on Netflix, Instagram, or YouTube, not just in Samsung's camera app. Perplexity-powered Bixby and the Samsung Internet rename to Samsung Browser with a new Ask AI feature round out the update's most visible changes.

First Wave vs. Everyone Else

The first phase prioritizes devices Samsung considers its current generation: Galaxy S25 and S24 families, the Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7, Z Fold 6, Z Flip 6, and the Tab S11 and S10 tablet lineups. The Galaxy S23 and S22 series are acknowledged eligible but sit in a second phase without a committed date. Mid-range A-series devices from 2023 onward — specifically the A56, A55, and A36 — qualify for One UI 8.5, but receive a subset of AI features rather than the full suite available on flagship hardware.

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The update weighs approximately 4.5GB for devices upgrading from One UI 8.0. Beta participants receive a significantly smaller differential package. Check Settings then Software update then Download and install — if the option isn't visible yet in your region, Samsung staggers carrier by carrier and the notification typically appears within 48 to 72 hours of the regional launch date.