Samsung may be the best at keeping its phones and tablets updated with the newest version of Android, but it’s not usually the first one to launch devices with the most recent version of Android installed out of the box.
For instance, the first Galaxy phone to launch running Android 12 was the Galaxy S21 FE, which hit retail shelves in January last year. And until Android 10, Samsung used to have a gap of six months or so between the release of a new version of Android and the launch of the first Galaxy device to come running that new OS version out of the box.
This year, Galaxy smartphone and tablet owners will be looking forward to the Android 14 and One UI 6 update. The Galaxy S23 series is more or less guaranteed to get that update before any other Galaxy smartphone, but which Samsung device will be the first to come preloaded with Android 14 and One UI 6?
There is no definitive answer for now, only speculation
Well, let’s just say that at this time, it’s rather impossible to answer that with any certainty, except that Samsung’s new foldables — the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Galaxy Z Flip 5 — and tablets — the Galaxy Tab S9 series — won’t be the ones to get that honor.
The best bet, unfortunately, is the Galaxy S24 series next year, which would mean we could be waiting almost twelve months from now for the first Galaxy device that has Android 14 pre-installed. The Galaxy S23 FE could run Android 14 out of the box, but only if Samsung decides to wait until December this year to bring that phone to market instead of releasing it in October or November.
Of course, Samsung could switch things up and surprise us by launching a mid-range phone with Android 14 out of the box before a flagship device. It has happened before with Android 10, as we already pointed out, although we would suggest keeping your expectations in check at least until after Android 14 becomes available for existing Galaxy devices.
Speaking of existing Galaxy devices, plenty of them are eligible for Android 14 and One UI 6.0. We have a non-exhaustive list that we keep updating from time to time, so be sure to check it out (and bookmark it for future reference) to see if your Galaxy phone or tablet is included.
