On September 5, the One UI 6.1.1 update started rolling out to the Galaxy S24 series. A week later, it later arrived on flagship Galaxy phones and tablets launched in 2023. Flagship Galaxy devices launched in 2022 will also receive One UI 6.1.1 at some point.
What about Samsung's mid-range phones? Will they get One UI 6.1.1, or will they go straight to One UI 7.0? It is likely to be the latter, and there are many reasons why we think that might be the case.
A55 and other mid-range Galaxy phones will likely skip to One UI 7
The first is that Samsung has not officially said anything about One UI 6.1.1 for mid-range phones as of mid-September. Sure, it's possible Samsung just hasn't made the announcement yet. But we would have heard something on the company's community forums by now.
The second reason is that while Samsung tested both One UI 6.1.1 and One UI 7.0 for flagship devices, it seemingly went directly to testing One UI 7.0 for mid-range phones like the Galaxy A55, A54, and others.
Another reason we believe Samsung will skip One UI 6.1.1 for mid-range devices is Galaxy AI. While One UI 6.1.1 brings more than just AI features, Galaxy AI is the primary highlight. Select mid-range phones received the Circle to Search feature, but Samsung had no part in its development and so it doesn't count as a true Galaxy AI feature.
Finally, Samsung has always reserved x.1.1 One UI updates for its tablets and foldables. Non-folding flagship phones get these updates as well, but their One UI version doesn't change. It's why despite getting One UI 6.1.1, the Galaxy S23 and S24 still report One UI 6.1 as the software version.
There have been instances where select changes from a x.1.1 One UI update were released for mid-range phones. But with Galaxy AI forcing One UI updates to spend longer in the development phase, Samsung will likely want to shift all its focus to One UI 7.0 once the One UI 6.1.1 rollout for eligible flagship devices is completed.
If One UI 6.1.1 or some of its features and enhancements make their way to mid-range Galaxy smartphones before One UI 7.0, you can be sure we will let you know. But we wouldn't recommend getting your hopes up.
