Samsung Tests One UI 9 on 4 Galaxy FE Models Ahead of July Unpacked

Q: Will Samsung's cheaper Fan Edition phones receive the same powerful AI features as its flagships in the upcoming One UI 9?

Probably not in full, at least not at launch. The evidence so far shows Samsung is actively preparing One UI 9 for the Galaxy S25 FE, S24 FE and S23 FE, so these cheaper models are clearly in line for the Android 17 update. That means they should get many of One UI 9’s general improvements, including some Galaxy AI enhancements such as smarter photo-editing suggestions and other software-level features. But the available reporting stops short of confirming feature parity with Samsung’s top flagships. In fact, the wording around One UI 9 suggests the “full experience” and the most “advanced AI features” will debut on upcoming flagship devices, especially the Galaxy S26 line and the new foldables. That usually signals some tiering by hardware capability and product positioning. That distinction matters because AI features are not only software-dependent. They also rely on chipset performance, memory and on-device neural processing. Fan Edition phones are designed to be cheaper by using slightly less powerful or older hardware than Samsung’s main flagships, which makes it likely that some heavier on-device AI tools will either arrive later, run differently, or remain exclusive to premium models. So the safest reading is this: FE phones should receive One UI 9 and a meaningful set of Galaxy AI features, but there is no solid confirmation yet that they will get the exact same top-tier AI package as Samsung’s flagship phones.

3 articles · Updated · tech-ish.com · Jul 20

Fresh internal One UI 9 builds have appeared on Samsung servers for the Galaxy S23 FE, S24 FE, S25 FE and S25 Edge, signaling wider Android 17 testing beyond its newest flagships.
All four firmware builds carry the July 2026 security patch, indicating Samsung is still refining the software ahead of an expected stable One UI 9 debut at this week’s Galaxy Unpacked.
One UI 9 is already in beta for the Galaxy S26 series, while the Galaxy S25 is expected to get beta access shortly after; Fan Edition models historically have not been guaranteed beta programs.
The new server listings do not confirm an immediate rollout, but they suggest Samsung is actively preparing updates for FE devices rather than leaving them behind.