Samsung is doing the unthinkable with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, but will it matter?

What was only a (pretty outlandish) rumor less than two months ago has just become official in a rather uncharacteristic way for Samsung. The company’s next-gen foldable devices will run the next version of the company’s Android-based One UI software out the box, thus setting themselves apart (at least at launch) from not just last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, but this year’s entire Galaxy S25 family as well.

Will Samsung‘s new “software evolution rhythm” turn things around for the struggling Z Fold and Z Flip lineups all of a sudden? Are we looking at a one-off here designed to make up for and distract us from the One UI 7 rollout fiasco of the last few months? Is this really that big of a deal in the first place? Let’s talk about it…

A historic event of modest significance

Look, there’s no denying that what Samsung is planning to do “this summer” is… notable. Momentous, even. With Google’s help, One UI 8 will be ready to rumble (if nothing goes wrong between now and then) roughly nine months after the search giant’s Pixel devices received the stable Android 15 update on which One UI 7 was built.

Official Samsung One UI 8 beta screenshots

The Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 will launch with One UI 8 out the box before the update reaches the S25 family in its stable form. | Image Credit — Samsung

That’s an incredibly quick turnaround that has never been seen before (especially at a third-party Android smartphone maker like Samsung), and perhaps most notably, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 are set to ship with One UI 8 before the same goodie pack spreads to the Galaxy S25 series as an over-the-air upgrade.

Now, the million-dollar question is what kind of a gap are we looking at here? Specifically, how much time will Samsung need to stabilize and deliver the Android 16-based One UI 8 promotion to the S25, S25 Plus, S25 Ultra, and S25 Edge?

If we’re talking mere days or even a couple of weeks after the Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 go on sale, then I’m sorry, but it’s going to be hard to see this as a major selling point for Samsung’s next big foldables. Especially if the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 will receive the update roughly at the same time as the S25 trio quartet.

The devil is in the details, my friends, and until Samsung releases more details about its One UI 8 rollout schedule, I’d advise you to view the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Z Fold 7 with admiration, but also a healthy degree of caution. After all, there are breakthroughs and breakthroughs in this business, and let’s just say this doesn’t sound like the most significant one in the recent history of the smartphone market.

No one cares

Okay, that’s a little rough. And admittedly unfair. Let me rephrase. Almost no one cares. As in, nearly no living soul currently thinking of getting the Galaxy Z Fold 7 or Z Flip 7 in July will be swayed one way or the other by what OS version the two devices run out the box.

A little rough, but (mostly) true. | Image Credit — Dream Logos Fandom

Mind you, I’m not saying all Android users or Samsung fans are oblivious to the software support part of their next phone’s value equation. That’s definitely important for a lot of some people, but as long as you’re promised a swift update to the latest OS iteration after launch and stellar long-term support (which will obviously be the case), I know most of you will be more than happy.

I also know that an empty title like the “world’s first phones to come with Android 16” (if that title will go to the Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 to begin with) won’t seal a $1,100 or $1,900 deal for, well, anyone. Samsung will need to differentiate its 2025 foldables from their 2024 predecessors (and the Galaxy S25 family) in a bunch of other truly remarkable (and useful) ways to catch up to Huawei and keep the likes of Oppo, Vivo, Motorola, and Honor at bay.

Pre-loaded One UI 8 software could be the icing on the cake, but it must not be the whole cake or the most delicious part of it. That’s where the larger screens, bigger batteries, better cameras, and tougher build should and hopefully will come in.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian’s passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for ‘adequate’ over ‘overpriced’.

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