Is Samsung Preparing One UI 8.5 Beta for Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5?

Earlier today, Samsung began One UI 8.5 beta testing for the Galaxy S23 series. Naturally, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 were expected to be next in line. Now, both devices have appeared on Samsung’s internal test servers with One UI 8.5 beta builds. This indicates that the company is preparing a beta release for them as well.

Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5 surface with One UI 8.5 beta builds

As spotted by Tarun Vats, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 have appeared with their first One UI 8.5 beta test builds for the Korean variant. Test builds for the global and United States variants could appear soon. The last four characters of the build number are ZZD1. This strongly suggests that a beta rollout could happen soon. Possibly, it may occur alongside the Galaxy S23 series.

Samsung seems to be extending the One UI 8.5 beta program to its foldable lineup as well. This keeps things in line with the Galaxy S23 series. If the rollout begins, it could be available in regions like India, Korea, Germany, Poland, the United States and the United Kingdom. As usual, users in other regions may not get access to the beta program.

However, there is a downside. With more devices joining the beta program, the stable rollout may take more time. Samsung will likely release multiple beta updates for these models to fix bugs and improve stability before pushing the final version. This process usually takes time, especially when user feedback is involved.

Looking at the current pace, the One UI 8.5 stable rollout may not arrive anytime soon. At least, it will not be available in April. Unless Samsung speeds up beta testing and bug fixes, the timeline could stretch further. There is also a chance of some confusion in the rollout, similar to what we saw with One UI 7.

Let’s see how Samsung handles the beta expansion and stable release in the coming weeks.