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The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 7 will launch with Android 16

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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 (Image credit: Future)
  • Samsung has confirmed it will ship its next foldable phones with Android 16
  • That will likely make them among the first handsets to run Android 16 out of the box
  • Samsung's customizations are focused on AI, security, and convenience

Usually, Samsung’s new foldable phones launch with the previous year’s version of Android, as in the past Google had been launching new Android versions later in the year than Samsung’s phones. But that’s all changing this year.

We already know that Android 16 will roll out soon, with June looking likely, while the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 will probably launch in July. So that makes it viable for them to launch with Android 16 out of the box, but until today we weren’t certain that would happen, since Samsung still needs time to make its own software modifications.

However, the company has now confirmed that these phones will ship with Android 16, which is likely to make them among the first handsets to run Android 16 out of the box.

One UI 8 on a Samsung phone

Android 16 on a Samsung phone (Image credit: Samsung)

Faster than normal

This is slightly surprising since Samsung can often be slow to update its handsets, but the company claims this was achieved through “open communication” and “real-time feedback” with Google.

Specifically, you’ll be getting One UI 8 on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7. This is Samsung’s customized take on Android 16, and – as you might have guessed – it puts a lot of focus on AI.

That said, Samsung also highlights security and “convenient, intuitive tools” like allowing you to connect to Bluetooth audio devices effortlessly by scanning a QR code.

Of course, you won’t have to buy one of Samsung’s upcoming foldables to get Android 16 and One UI 8 – the company has already launched a One UI 8 beta on the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, so those devices will also probably get access to the finished version of this software soon after it’s available.

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James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.

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