We recently reported that Samsung’s new Galaxy AI features will be coming to previous-generation Galaxy phones at some point “within the first half of the year”, and now we’ve got a better idea of when, exactly, that might be.
According to leaker Bennett Buhner (via Android Authority), Samsung’s One UI 6.1 update – which brought the company’s Galaxy AI features to the Samsung Galaxy S24 line in January – will be made available to download on Samsung Galaxy S23 phones “next month” (i.e. March).
More specifically, another leaker, Tarun Vats, followed up Buhner’s claim by predicting (via X) that One UI 6.1 will arrive on last-gen Galaxy phones at some point between March 11–13, or March 18–20. By the sounds of things, then, Galaxy S23 owners don’t have too long to wait to get their hands on the best One UI 6.1 features.
It’s worth noting that the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Plus and Galaxy S22 Ultra are also expected to qualify for Samsung’s One UI 6.1 update – likely at the same time as the Galaxy S23 line. However, as Samsung confirmed to us last month, phones in the Galaxy S22 line won’t be getting Galaxy AI features.
Galaxy AI for Galaxy S23 series coming next month!Next month is the deadline for the addition of One UI 6.1 and Galaxy AI, which will add many new features and improvements! – Vastly improved animations – Many new Galaxy AI features – New lock screen customization features… pic.twitter.com/Fc0VCI3YCQFebruary 11, 2024
As for which Galaxy AI features will be making the jump across generations, Samsung has listed Circle To Search, Live Translate, Note Assist and Photo Assist as ‘coming soon’ to the Galaxy S23 Ultra, so we’re confident that these features will likewise be made available on the standard Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus, Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 next month.
Of course, One UI 6.1 brings more to the mobile table than just AI (and Samsung Galaxy S22 owners will need some new features, after all). Lock screen widgets, for instance, will soon become available on all of those aforementioned devices, with Samsung currently supporting Calendar, Samsung Health, Weather and Clock apps on the Galaxy S24 line.
One UI 6.1 makes it easier to share files between Android devices, too, since Samsung has finally decided to merge its Quick Share with Google’s Nearby Share feature.
And for battery health, One UI 6.1 introduces three new battery protection options – Basic, Adaptive and Maximum – to keep your phone battery healthy when you charge it overnight. Basic will have your phone stop charging at 100% and only restart when it reaches 95%; Adaptive will pause charging at 80% and start it again just before you wake up; and Maximum will cap your phone’s maximum charge at 80%.
For our full thoughts on One UI 6.1 and Samsung’s latest handsets more generally, check out our Samsung Galaxy S24 review, hands-on Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus review and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review.
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axel.metz@futurenet.com (Axel Metz)
