topic Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Flagship Models in Mobile Apps & Services

Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Flagship Models

AsuraThaGoat — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 02:33:07 GMT

just want to say how much I appreciate the Galaxy lineup and the way One UI has grown over the years. The software keeps getting smoother, smarter, and more user-friendly it really makes Galaxy phones stand out.

As a long-time Galaxy fan, I’ve noticed how even entry-level models like the Galaxy A05 are already enjoying One UI 7, which is amazing progress. It made me think about some of the older flagship devices, like the Galaxy S9 up to the S21. These phones were ahead of their time in hardware and performance, and many of them still run beautifully today.

It feels like a missed opportunity that they’re locked on older One UI versions. With their powerful hardware, they could definitely handle more of the modern UI features. Updating them would not only give fans a fresh experience, but also highlight how much Samsung values the longevity of its flagship devices.

Even if it’s not a full feature set, just extending a few One UI improvements would mean a lot to us fans who still love and use these classics.

Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Flagship Models

arianwen27 — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 02:58:17 GMT

The main reason behind it is kinda this. When a phone comes out, samsung says how many years of updates it will get. So you can sorta work out the last one ui update it will get before it's even out.

While yes they could probably run it fine, samsung set a date where updates stop. Doing updates past that time would cost them money without making any sales and go against what they promised.

To try and put it another way. Say there's 2 phones. Phone 1 costs £100 and gets 1 year of updates. Phone 2 costs £300 and gets 3 years of updates. The extra updates are a selling point and the extra cost goes into paying people to keep making them.

If phone 1 got updates after 1 year, owners would be surprised and happy. But samsung wouldn't gain anything, they'd lose money doing it. Owners of phone 2 would be mad because they paid more, thinking phone 1's updates would stop earlier than they wanted.

While I can't endorse this, some people with technical skills sometimes make their own versions of android with their own updates specifically for unsupported and older phones. It voids all warranty, will break all knox and payment features and can probably brick the phone. But it's a thing that I have to say exists.

As for my thoughts, while I'd love if every phone kept getting updates, I do see the commercial side on why they do what they do. The norm used to be 2 years of updates. These days it's moving to 6 and 7. So a modern phone would last way into the future. But devices like the s9 and s21 are from the 2 year eara. (Or something short like that)

There is something to sorta help. Any android 10 or higher phone gets google play system updates. Google themselves can add few features and keep things updated. Yes it isn't new one ui but it's something

Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Flagship Models

AsuraThaGoat — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 03:39:04 GMT

Yeah, I totally get what you’re saying it makes sense why Samsung does it that way. I just kinda regret going with the Snapdragon version of my Galaxy S9+ though. The Exynos ones at least have ports and custom ROMs floating around, but Snapdragon is so locked down that I can’t really try anything new on it.

It’s a little frustrating because the S9+ is still such a solid phone even now, and it feels like it has so much more potential if it wasn’t stuck on the old software. Still love it though — honestly one of my favorite Galaxy designs ever, apart from the S10.

Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Flagship Models

Joeeye — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:33:52 GMT

The S21 series do have OneUI 7. It is the last planned OS update for them though.

Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Flagship Models

AsuraThaGoat — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:39:03 GMT

True well I meant like those old flagships stuck on the old ui such as the s10 and so forth

Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Flagship Models

Sonora — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:39:41 GMT

Your explanation that Samsung loses money by supporting older flagships is overturned by Apple.

Apple will release iOS 26 on September 15th to all of its iPhones from 2019 to date, there is no speculation as to which phones will receive the update, Apple has officially published the list on its website, the iPhone 11, released in 2019, is on the list.

https://www.apple.com/in/os/ios/

Re: Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Flagship Models

Joeeye — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:43:59 GMT

Well Samsung offered 3 years during those years which was more than the 2 years Google and other manufacturers were offering. So comparatively, Samsung were being very generous already. And to be frank, those older devices don't really cut it with today's software in many cases. I still have my S8+ and Note 10+ 5G and whilst perfectly usable devices for ordinary tasks like web browsing and some calling, chat and simple system functions, they really can't cut it playing just the standard fare android game today. It's pointless bringing them up to date on the latest versions which they'd clearly lag behind. Besides that, nothing new would be of any real benefit to them.

Re: Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Flagship Models

arianwen27 — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:45:29 GMT

Apple do things differently. They cost a ton more because they have really long update support and are generally high end devices.

If samsung only sold S series devices, then yeah they wouldn't lose money adding an extra year or two.

But with the A series, the profit margins on some have to be quite narrow.

If they started adding extra years to the S series, the A series would probably look worse and the users might be a bit annoyed they aren't getting the same treatment

Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Flagship Models

Sonora — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:54:31 GMT

Your explanation is also invalidated by the fact that Samsung continues to produce the A, F, M series, phones for which it must also provide software support for at least 5 years, as required by the EU customer law

Re: Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Flagship Models

Sonora — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:59:11 GMT

I saw S8+ and S9+ running OneUI 7, more fluid than S23 or S22, so if enthusiast can do that, Samsung can do better

Re: Re: Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Flagship Models

Joeeye — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:04:38 GMT

Right and by running you mean a simple UI look with bare anything. I'm doubtful it'd be running anything close to official, let alone something whipped together by enthusiasts. Not saying they couldn't get the UI running, but how can you be even remotely sure it's running actual base android 15 with all official settings?

If what you saw was really true, then it's not just Samsung who can't code for a device, practically every other manufacturer including Google can't either.

In any case, it isn't a question of if they can do it, it's simply the fact nothing was ever promised or planned to. If I sell you some software with a promise of 3 years updates, why should I give you further years for free?

Re: Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Flagship Models

arianwen27 — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:03:58 GMT

That law is from june of this year, very recent. And the price or cost to build the device will probably have changed to compensate for the extra updates.

Those phones are made saying they will have 5 years of software, that's a selling point. People aren't buying them for the chance samsung decides to give them an extra year or two because they feel nice

Re: Re: Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Flagship Models

Sonora — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:11:00 GMT

Nor will the iPhone 11 get all the features of iOS 26, but it will still get it, at the same time as the iPhone 16.

Due to EU laws, Samsung only loses money by selling the A series, for which it is obliged to provide 5 years of software support, so why doesn't it stop producing the A series for the EU? If Samsung releases a new version of Android every year, and has to follow Google, the A series, with much weaker hardware, must also get a new version of Android every year, and so on for 5 years. Pure loss, and Samsung doesn't think so. How come, how come?

Re: Re: Re: Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Flagship M..

Joeeye — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:17:28 GMT

You're arguing in retrospect. It's not even remotely close to the argument suggested. I mean we're talking about phones 6+ years old, you do realise that?

Also what has Apple got to do with anything? They aren't relevant as they run their own OS and platform. It's not Google android so whatever they decide is for their own business.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Flagship M..

Sonora — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:20:12 GMT

S10 was released 2019. S21 ultra have 16GB RAM, more than S25 ultra, S24 ultra, S23 ultra, S22 ultra. No excuse for Samsung, sorry. Samsung's flagships costs equal as iPhone, or even more

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Flagsh..

Joeeye — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:20:57 GMT

iPhone has 8GB of RAM, your point?

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Flagsh..

Sonora — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:23:54 GMT

Apple optimized it's hardwer best on the world. That's why sold most smartphones on the world.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Fl..

Joeeye — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:25:24 GMT

Not really the reason why, but it's true that they have a much finer level of control over their own platform. That being said, why are you here then if you think Apple are so much greater?

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Older Fl..

Sonora — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:31:29 GMT

Because I'm Samsung, pardon Android fan and Samsung produce best Android, but have awful customer support 😆.

If Samsung had continued with the software it had before Android, I wouldn't even look at it, and today I would most likely be using an iPhone.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Request for atleast a little One UI Update on Olde..

Joeeye — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:29:48 GMT

CS is hit and miss with most corporations I think, but usually terrible in my opinion.