We recently reported that Samsung’s new Galaxy AI features will be coming to previous-generation Galaxy phones sometime “within the first half of the year,” and now we have a better idea of when exactly that could be.
According to leaker Bennett Buhner (through 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 for download on Samsung Galaxy S23 “next month” (i.e. March) -Phones.
More specifically, another speaker, Tarun Vats, followed up Buhner’s claim by predicting (via X) that One UI 6.1 will arrive on the latest generation of Galaxy phones sometime between March 11 and 13 or March 18 and 20. Sounds like Galaxy S23 owners won’t have to wait long 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 be eligible 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 will not get Galaxy AI features.
Galaxy AI for the Galaxy S23 series is 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! – Majorly improved animations – Many new Galaxy AI features – New lock screen customization features… pic.twitter.com/Fc0VCI3YCQFebruary 11, 2024
As for the features of Galaxy AI shall To make the leap between generations, Samsung has listed Circle To Search, Live Translate, Note Assist and Photo Assist as ‘coming soon’ for the Galaxy S23 Ultra, so we’re confident these features will also 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 some new features finally). Lock screen widgets, for example, will soon be available on all of the aforementioned devices, with Samsung currently supporting Calendar, Samsung Health, Weather, and Clock apps on the Galaxy S24 line.
One UI 6.1 also makes it easier to share files between Android devices, as Samsung has finally decided to merge 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’s battery healthy when you charge it overnight. Basic makes your phone stop charging at 100% and only restart when it reaches 95%; Adaptive pauses charging at 80% and restarts just before you wake up; and Maximum limits your phone’s maximum charge to 80%.
For our full thoughts on One UI 6.1 and Samsung’s latest handsets in general, check out our Samsung Galaxy S24 review, hands-on Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus review and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review.