Just days after the stable One UI 8 rollout began for the Galaxy S25 series, traces of One UI 8.5 have been spotted on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The early appearance suggests Samsung is moving faster than usual with its mid-cycle software refresh.
The stable One UI 8, built on Android 16, brings tweaks to Galaxy AI, more customization tools, and smoother performance. The rollout is still making its way across regions. But while users are still waiting for that, a test build for One UI 8.5 has already popped up on Samsung’s servers.
The firmware carries the version number S938BXXU5CYIA/S938BOXM5CYIA/S938BXXU5CYIA. It can’t be downloaded—Samsung patched the loophole that once allowed sideloading test builds—but its presence is enough to confirm development is well underway.
So what’s in it? Nothing official yet, but past mid-cycle updates have brought UI refinements, smoother animations, and extra Galaxy AI features. It’s possible One UI 8.5 will follow the same path.
Interestingly, developer @Feruzbek_101 managed to get a test build running on his Galaxy S21+. He shared a few images that reveal some of the early UI tweaks.
Samsung is also working in parallel on the Galaxy S26 series, which means One UI 8.5 might launch first with that hardware before it reaches current S25 owners. If so, it could be early 2026 before S25 Ultra users see the stable version.
Still, the fact that it’s already showing up is a good sign. Samsung’s software teams are clearly pushing updates quicker, keeping pressure on rivals like Google and Xiaomi. Expect more leaks in the coming months.
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