Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 confirmed to launch with One UI 8 preloaded

Samsung has confirmed what we exclusively reported a few weeks ago: the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 will launch running One UI 8 (Android 16) out of the box. This is the first time Samsung will launch a flagship in the second half of the year with a version of Android and One UI that isn't a year old.

This is thanks to Google's new release schedule, which brings major Android updates in the first half of the year. Before 2025, Google typically rolled out new Android versions between August and December, or around the same time Samsung launched new foldables or Galaxy Note smartphones, forcing the Korean giant to ship those devices with the previous year's Android firmware.

In fact, Samsung says that it has worked closely with Google to ensure that it can bring One UI 8 to customers much faster than any previous version of One UI. While the company hasn't confirmed it, we can assume this accelerated rollout will become the norm going forward.

It will be interesting to see if the Fold 7 and Flip 7 will introduce any major new features. Samsung has already launched the One UI 8 beta program for Galaxy S25 series users, but right now, the update is fairly minimal in terms of new functionality and is focused more on improving existing features.

The new foldables will probably just introduce some Galaxy AI features, and if that's the case, then only owners of flagship Galaxy smartphones will have something to look forward to. We'll let you know when we learn more, so stay tuned!