Samsung is still struggling with Android 15, whereas Google has already released an Android 16 developer preview. Google already announced that stable Android 16 will be released in the first half of 2025, which may force Samsung to release its Android 16-based One UI 8 sooner.
Samsung usually releases its latest major One UI update after Google releases its latest stable Android version. However, it’s already quite late to release the latest Android 15-based One UI 7.
Samsung has already announced at the SDC24 that the stable One UI 7 is scheduled for 2025 and will release the beta program for developers by the end of this year. Now the company is highly anticipated to start the One UI 7 beta program this week.
Currently, Google has released the developer preview along with the timeline for the forthcoming Android 16 update from developer previews to the final release. According to the timeline, Google will release two Android 16 developer previews; the first is already released and the second is scheduled for next month.
After the developer preview, it will run the beta program for four months from January to April 2025 and release one beta update each month, and the final release is scheduled for May. If the program goes smoothly according to the timeline, then Android 16 will be released earlier than usual.
The early release of Android 16 could force Samsung to release the One UI 8 sooner, maybe by the end of the first half of next year. However, it will be interesting to see how Samsung will manage the timeline since it’s already lagging behind to release Android 15.
