It’s official: Samsung Galaxy S25 series to get major free upgrade this month

It's been a very busy year for Samsung, especially in the mobile space. After launching the Galaxy S25 Ultra back in January – which went on to become T3's Phone of the Year 2025 – the range later expanded with the S25 Edge.

Now, in closing the circle, Samsung has revealed the Galaxy S25 FE, or 'Fan Edition', which is the more affordable entry point in the series line-up. It's the first to ship with the latest One UI 8 software from day one, too.

But there's an official promise from Samsung too: One UI 8, which has until now been available as a public beta for S25 series users, will be available as via an update in 'late September'. There's no specific date, but it's confirmed as happening this month.

The timing isn't a major surprise, as it's related to the Google Android 16 software update. Google has only just launched its latest handsets, the Pixel 10 series – with the Pixel 10 Pro XL as the brand's top-of-the-line offering (and clear Galaxy S25 Ultra competitor) – and, in effect, other brands form an orderly line thereafter.

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The Galaxy S25 FE is shipping immediately, with no pre-order window, so it makes sense that the same software experience will rapidly trickle down to the other Galaxy models: the base S25, larger S25 Plus, super-slim S25 Edge, and top-tier S25 Ultra.

What exactly does One UI 8 bring to the party? Samsung promises that its Galaxy AI suite of artificial intelligence will be "more powerful", plus you'll get the latest system aesthetic, with Android 16's base and various customisation options for greater personalisation.

It's also worth noting that Samsung has also revealed the all-new Galaxy Tab S11 and Tab S11 Ultra tablet models, for which "One UI 8 means multi-tasking is more seamless". Obviously the brand's best phones don't present the same screen real-estate for such multi-tasking, but being on the latest software will enhance cross-platform use – and there's a nifty new 90:10 dual app split in One UI 8, too.

So there's not long to wait now: Android 16 and One UI 8 will be coming to the full Samsung Galaxy S25 range imminently. It's worth downloading the update as soon as offered to benefit from the latest look and feel, AI enhancements, all secure in the knowledge that the public beta has been stable for some time – so the final release is in a good place to upgrade your daily experience.