Samsung May Skip One UI 8.5 on 12 Galaxy Devices From 2022

3 articles · Updated · PhoneArena · Jun 1

12 Samsung devices released in 2022—including the Galaxy S22 series, Z Fold 4, Z Flip 4 and Tab S8 line—may miss the One UI 8.5 update despite earlier expectations.
One UI 8.5 is built on Android 16 QPR2, whose added code changes, APIs and platform tweaks reportedly make optimization harder for phones whose promised major OS support ended with Android 16.
Server signs had suggested Samsung was testing One UI 8.5 for some of those models, but no fresh progress has surfaced since April, pointing to a possible halt in development.
Samsung is not seen as breaking its update pledge because mid-cycle One UI releases such as 6.1 were treated as extras rather than separate major Android versions.
The shift could set a stricter rule for future Galaxy updates: devices not eligible for the next Android version may also miss later point releases, even when newer budget phones get them.

Sources

With Android's complexity growing, is the era of mid-cycle feature updates for older flagship phones now over?

Is Samsung's update policy a smart cost-saving move or a major blow to its long-term customer loyalty?