After the One UI 8 Beta program has been deployed for more than two weeks, Samsung is preparing to launch the stable version along with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7. Soon after, the Galaxy S25 series will be the first devices to receive the update. While One UI 8 has not been officially released yet, Samsung has quietly started developing One UI 8.5.

According to Tarun Vats on the X platform, One UI 8.5 is expected to appear along with the Galaxy S26 series in early 2026. Currently, Samsung does not seem to have plans to release version 8.1 or 8.1.1, which suggests that One UI 8.5 will be the next notable upgrade. Some signs from internal testing and version numbering also support this information.

Notably, since the release of One UI 2.5 in 2020, Samsung has stopped releasing x.5 updates and has only maintained x.1 or x.1.1 updates that are light additions. The return to x.5 suggests that Samsung is preparing for a larger software upgrade. Traditionally, x.5 updates often bring more noticeable changes than previous small releases.

One UI 8.5 will still be built on Android 16, so users should not expect Android 17 to appear in early 2026. According to Google's schedule, Android 17 may only be adopted by Samsung from the One UI 9 cycle.

More details will gradually emerge as the development process continues and test versions are recorded on the server. Although everything is still in the initial stage, One UI 8.5 is showing positive signs. Some early reports suggest that Samsung is focusing on expanding AI features across the system in this update.