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Android 14 and One UI 6 have been available for some time now, but One UI 6.1 is the update that Samsung’s new Galaxy S24 series will ship with. For that reason, a lot of people are curious whether their older smartphone will get the One UI 6.1 update. There are plenty of new features included in One UI 6.1, including the Galaxy AI tools that headline the S24 series’ top additions.
However, Samsung initially released a very short list of devices set to receive the One UI 6.1 operating system. These included the entire Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy Tab S9, Galaxy Tab S9+, Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 5, and Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Samsung now says more Galaxy devices will get One UI 6.1, according to a post from Tarun Vats on X. The post shows screenshots of a note from a Galaxy S Manager on Samsung’s official forums. In the post, the manager says that the entire S21 and S22 series will receive the update. The timeline for the rollout is sometime in the first half of this year, which is somewhat ambiguous. This could mean that the update will be released weeks from now, or that it is many months away.
Typically, devices that receive the first OS upgrade will get subsequent updates to that version. For example, not all One UI 5 devices got the boost to One UI 6 last year. However, we expect that all One UI 6 devices will receive the follow-up One UI 6.1 update. The aforementioned devices and product lineups are the only ones confirmed to get it, as of now.
Not all of Samsung’s One UI 6.1 devices will get Galaxy AI
Some of the biggest parts of the One UI 6.1 update are artificial intelligence features. Samsung released a suite of AI tools, called Galaxy AI, at its Unpacked event alongside the Galaxy S24 series. These include things like Circle to Search and Chat Assist. However, these AI tools are in part powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset. So, bringing them to older devices might not be as feasible.
Edit suggestions, photo ambient wallpapers, and translation features are processed on-device. These will require more recent chipsets, such as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy and its NPU. Others, theoretically, should be more universal. Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S23 series, its current-gen foldables, and the Galaxy Tab S9 will get at least some Galaxy AI features. For now, there are still plenty of One UI 6.1 devices that aren’t slated to receive Galaxy AI.