Galaxy S26 FE ships with One UI 9.0, gets an extra upgrade over the Galaxy S26

All flagship Galaxy smartphones launched in 2024 and later are eligible to receive seven major Android OS upgrades. The eligibility is determined based on the version that the device launched with.

Galaxy S26 FE owners will fare better than those who bought a Galaxy S26 series phone earlier this year, as the device comes with One UI 9.0 out of the box.

The very first devices to come with One UI 9.0 (Android 17) out of the box were Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and the Galaxy Z Flip 8. The company has released a One UI 9.0 beta for the Galaxy S26 series but the stable version hasn’t come out yet.

Samsung launched the Galaxy S26 FE on August 27, and it confirmed that the device comes with One UI 9.0 out of the box. The company also confirmed that this device will receive seven Android OS upgrades.

This puts it at an advantage to the three Galaxy S26 series phones that arrived earlier this year with Android 16 One UI 8.5. Their support will end at Android 23 while the Galaxy S26 FE’s software support will be capped at Android 24.

That’s one advantage the Galaxy S FE lineup gained last year compared to the primary flagship models, and those who wish to buy the latest iteration would be happy to see that it has been retained for the Galaxy S26 FE.