One UI 9 with Android 17: these are the Samsung phones that can update now, and what’s new

Even though minchu.tech is mostly about Apple, plenty of you have a Samsung in your pocket, and this week there’s big news: Samsung has published the list of phones now getting One UI 9, its Android 17-based software. The rollout started on September 16 with the Galaxy S26 series, the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Z Flip8 are already updated, and now it’s the turn of much of the rest of the lineup.

Phones compatible with One UI 9

This is the list Samsung published on October 26:

• Galaxy S: S23 Ultra, S24 series, S25 series and S26 series.
• Foldables: Z Flip6, Z Flip7, Z Flip8, Z Fold6, Z Fold7, Z Fold8 and Z TriFold.
• Galaxy A: A17 5G, A27, A36, A37, A56 and A57.

In the coming weeks it will also reach the Galaxy Tab A11, Tab Active 5 Pro, Tab S6 Lite (2024), Tab S9, Tab S10 and Tab S11 tablets. Keep in mind: the rollout is staggered by country and carrier, so your phone may be on the list and still not see it yet.

What’s new in One UI 9

Many of the new features come from Galaxy AI, Samsung’s AI:

• Now Brief and Now Nudge: summaries of your day and suggested actions based on what you’re doing, for example in the middle of a conversation.
• Creative Studio: AI image editing and creation tools.
• Interpreter: real-time translation of conversations.
• My FanCam: a video mode that follows one specific person, designed for concerts.
• Security Brief and privacy alerts: a summary of your phone’s security status and alerts when an app accesses sensitive data.
• Scam detection in calls and messages.

How to update

Back up first and make sure you have battery and Wi-Fi. Then go to Settings > Software update > Download and install. If it doesn’t show up, check again in a few days.

My take

What I like most is the speed: a month and a half after launch, One UI 9 is already reaching three-year-old phones like the S23 Ultra and midrange models like the Galaxy A series. Samsung has been taking updates seriously for a while, and it shows. And with AI features like the interpreter and scam detection, it’s competing head to head with what Apple offers today.

Sources: Samsung Newsroom, Xataka.