After an unexpectedly long wait, Samsung’s One UI 7 rollout has finally kicked into gear. In a surprising move, the company has begun pushing the major Android 15-based update to the Galaxy S21 series. That’s right — the 2021 flagships are already receiving One UI 7 in select regions, much ahead of the expected timeline of late May to early June.
One UI 7 is available for the Galaxy S21 series
The Korean versions of the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra are now receiving the One UI 7 stable update. The new firmware build for the aging Samsung flagships carries version number HYD9. Depending on your model, the update weighs in at around 3.5GB. The OTA size is a bit smaller than what the likes of the Galaxy S24 and S23 received (more than 5GB) — likely because of missing features — but the update still contains plenty.
We are talking about updated visuals and system animations, new camera features, fresh UI for Samsung apps, and many other functional improvements. The Galaxy S21 series may not receive all the AI enhancements introduced with the S25, but there are a ton of other goodies to look forward to.
Samsung will soon release the One UI 7 update for the Galaxy S21 trio in other markets. It could take a week or so for the stable build to go global, but the countdown begins. This is the final major OS upgrade for the 2021 flagship lineup. Launched with Android 11 onboard, the Galaxy S21 series has received updates to Android 12, Android 13, Android 14, and Android 15.
Samsung’s updated support policy promises seven major OS updates for flagships, but it only applies to the Galaxy S24 series and newer models. The company also offers six years of updates to budget and midrange models, starting in late 2024. The Galaxy S21 series, meanwhile, will receive security patches until early 2026. Users should consider upgrading to a newer model soon.
