Samsung users just days away from major update but only these certain devices qualify

One of the biggest updates in recent years for Samsung users is just days away, yet only certain devices will be able to take advantage of all the new AI tools that experts have been raving about.

There will always reach a point where old phones become officially outdated, yet the rapid rise of artificial intelligence appears to have accelerated that due to increased hardware demands.

It's why Apple decided to make all of their newest products meet the 16GB memory spec – at least until the RAM shortage hit – and it's unfortunately becoming more common for gadgets released not too far into the distant past to be phased out.

That appears to be what's happened with the latest update for Samsung phones, as while One UI 8.5 brings a whole load of exclusive features to flagship devices, there are plenty that have been left behind and looking on from afar.

All phones older than the Samsung Galaxy S24 will have to wait longer for the new features (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Which Samsung devices are eligible for the One UI 8.5 update?

Here's a full list of the Samsung devices that will be able to download and install the One UI 8.5 update when it launches in a few days, as per Forbes:

• Samsung Galaxy S25:
• Galaxy S25
• Galaxy S25+
• Galaxy S25 Ultra
• Galaxy S25 Edge
• Galaxy S25 FE
• Samsung Galaxy S24:
• Galaxy S24
• Galaxy S24+
• Galaxy S24 Ultra
• Galaxy S24 FE
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6
• Samsung Tab S11:
• Tab S11
• Tab S11+
• Tab S11 Ultra
• Tab S11 FE
• Tab S11 FE+
• Tab S11 Lite
• Samsung Tab S10:
• Tab S10+
• Tab S11 Ultra
• Tab S10 FE
• Tab S10 FE+
• Tab S11 Lite

Any device not included in the list above won't be able to use any of the new features, although you should still be eligible for the latest Android updates from Google, so long as your phone is new enough to qualify.

It's likely that there will be a new One UI update of some form in the future for older Galaxy S devices, alongside Galaxy A phones, but this will be slightly different and tailored more towards less-capable machines.

When does One UI 8.5 launch?

Samsung's One UI 8.5 update has already been launched in the company's native South Korea, releasing on May 6, but the regions listed below will be able to install it from May 11:

• North America
• Europe
• Hong Kong
• India
• Southeast Asia
• Latin America
• Taiwan

What's included in the One UI 8.5 update?

AI is definitely the primary focus of the One UI 8.5 update, with a number of new generative features being added to eligible devices.

Many of the biggest features arriving with One UI 8.5 revolve around AI (Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Audio Eraser is the sound equivalent of Samsung's incredible impressive Magic Eraser for photos, letting you isolate and adjust voices, music, and background noise within an audio clip or video — and this could prove to be game-changing for content creation.

Creative Studio also allows people to transform rough sketches into complete drawings by using generative AI, and you can also employ an AI assistant to screen your calls if you're constantly getting phoned by people you don't know.

There are also rumors that the incredible impressive Horizontal Lock and Super Steady Mode could be making their way to non-S26 devices, but this remains purely speculative right now and we'll have to see once the update is in everyone's hands.