- The first build of One UI 9 has appeared
- We also have screenshots from the software
- Expect a launch later in 2026
We’ve yet to see a wider rollout of the One UI 8.5 software that made its debut on the Samsung Galaxy S26 phones (revealed at the end of February), but it looks like progress is also being made on One UI 9 – as the first build of the update has just surfaced.
As tipster Tarun Vats reports, there’s now an official One UI 9 build on Samsung’s servers – and the folks at SamMobile have been able to get it up and running on a phone. It is an important milestone in the development of any Android update and worth noting.
The same source further says that the development will follow the same timeline that we saw last year with One UI 8 (based on Android 16). You may recall that after months of beta testing, it launched in July 2025 with Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7.
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Older phones started getting One UI 8 from September 2025, so expect the same kind of cadence throughout 2026. It might not be too long before a One UI 9 beta program opens up (though you’ll likely need a newer Samsung phone to access it).
Here’s what’s coming
BREAKING The first internal One UI 9 test build for the Galaxy S26 series has been spotted on the server today. 👀Build Version:S948BXXU1BZC5/S948BOXM1BZC5/ S948BXXU1BZC5Samsung has officially started One UI 9 development, following the same timeline as last year. Repost 🔄 pic.twitter.com/1DyxBLb2X4March 16, 2026
At this early stage, the screenshots shared by SamMobile don’t show much in the way of chances, but we do know that One UI 9 will be based on Android 17, so that gives us some clues as to what might be coming with this big update.
Android 17 is already in beta testing on Pixel phones, and there are some interesting upgrades on the way: better support for widgets for lock screens and app windows, for example, as well as improvements to how Android looks on less typical screen sizes.
It also looks like Android 17 will support an iOS-like notification tweak, meaning you’ll be able to swipe down from the top left corner to show your notifications and swipe down from the top right corner to show quick settings.
There’s undoubtedly more to come with Android 17 ahead of its big reveal at Google I/O 2026 in May as the Android 17 beta program continues. As usual, Samsung will also apply its own tweaks and improvements on top of Google’s code base.
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