Samsung’s Flip-style foldable phones are some of the best in the market. The original Z Flip didn’t have the best flagship specifications, but the target audience differed.
Many people are bored of traditional slab-style smartphones, and the original Flip comfortably fits in pockets.
The current Z Flip and Fold 4 models trump the industry and are critically acclaimed as the best foldable phones you can buy. This is partly because Samsung’s updates are industry-leading.
Since 2021, Samsung’s new update policies came into effect, and all flagships and most mid-range phones got four years of major Android updates. Updates and software are major selling points for a foldable device.
Update August 11:
Samsung has opened beta testing for One UI 6 on the Galaxy S23 series phones in select countries. The Android 14-based software update introduces a refreshed Quick Settings panel, a new camera widget with storage selection, and the option to set wallpapers per Mode or Routine. The beta is currently available in the United States, Germany, and South Korea through the Samsung Members app. With testing underway, a stable rollout of One UI 6 for the Galaxy S23, S23 Plus, and S23 Ultra could arrive soon.
Recap of Galaxy Z Flip
The Galaxy Z Flip was launched in February 2020, and it was the first flip-style foldable phone from Samsung. There were many compromises to flipping the phone in half, making it more compact and easier to fit in pockets.
The display wasn’t anything special. The 60Hz 1080P AMOLED screen wasn’t anything special, and the cover display was just 1.1″ in size. There were two cameras on the back, a 12MP 1/2.55″ primary sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide camera.
The Snapdragon 855+ SOC was the flagship chip from the previous year and didn’t use the latest 865 chip. Another major drawback was the tiny 3300 mAh battery with slow 15W charging.
The Flip was about 180g in weight, which was relatively low for something that flips in half. The design and fashion-focused audience loved the product, though it wasn’t a success among those looking for the latest and most excellent specifications.
About One UI 6 & Android 14
Android 14 isn’t a huge update. It only brings a predictive back gesture, more privacy options like sharing only specific photos with an app, and more efficient RAM and resource management.
That’s all we know, according to the developer preview, but we might see more features on May 10th at Google I/O. For One UI 6, there might be more features like new UI designs for first-party apps, some new icons, and multitasking improvements.
Finally, finding and uninstalling bloatware and useless applications from your phone is much easier. This doesn’t sound like too many changes, and that’s true since Android 14 doesn’t look like a feature-packed update. One UI 5 had more features than this.
The original Z Flip recently received One UI 5 (Android 13), which brought many features like lock screen customization, more camera and gallery options, new widgets, new Bixby routines and modes, text extraction, better notifications, and more.
Galaxy Z Flip: Update History
The Z Flip came out with Android 10 of the box. After many security patches, the phone finally got Android 11 (One UI 3) with the December Patch between December 2020 and January 2021.
After another round of minor updates and stability patches, the phone got Android 12 (One UI 4) in December 2021. Finally, in November 2022, the Z Flip got its final Android 13 update.
Galaxy Z Flip will not receive One UI 6
Samsung’s 3-year update policy ends with Android 13 for the Galaxy Z Flip, and the phone already got the three major updates it was promised. From now on, the phone will still receive occasional security patches but not the One UI 6 (Android 14 ) update.
Android 14 isn’t a major visual revamp or an update with new features. So, you’re not missing out on much with Android 13 and One UI 5. Purchasing a new device for the latest Android update is unnecessary.
Are your phone’s performance, battery, or cameras not up to the mark? Then you may choose to upgrade your device to a more recent model.
Samsung does not tie major One UI exclusive features to a specific Android version. So you can still get some features with the security patches. We’ll keep you updated if there’s any further information about the Flip’s updates.
