A groundbreaking hardware experience that took Samsung to the number one spot in the market, the identical significance was given to an innovative software experience, with particular interest that most customers have expressed in their operating system and the device’s updates, put simply, One UI updates for customers using the flagship devices from Samsung and the Galaxy S21. Recent strategic changes affect updating those handsets; hence the release leading to One UI 7 deployment.
We’re exploring what the user of Galaxy S21 should expect from these software changes, how this way of addressing updates is changing, and what this shift from monthly to quarterly updates holds for the user experience. In that regard, we are also exploring what One UI 7 has in store for it and how that would change it, both in features, performance, and overall usability, across the Galaxy S21 series.
Importance of Software Updates on Galaxy Devices
Discussing why software updates are important to the users of Galaxy devices a bit before getting to nitty-gritty changes, let’s start by saying that the One UI skin Samsung is offering over Android is unique and user-friendly; besides new features that are needed for:
Security: It keeps the device secure from newly arising security issues. Samsung is pretty aggressive when it comes to patching security-related incidents and issues in its devices.
Performance Improvement: The update often comes packed with modifications to ensure that the device is running efficiently, bugs are killed, and the battery is long-lasting.
Novel Features: The updates majorly introduce novel features that create a big impact on the users’ experience with each version of One UI.
App Compatibility: Updates ensure compatibility of the gadget with the latest versions of Android applications and its OS versions.
As would be the case with other superb producers, Samsung will wait at least after the release period to update such flagship devices in the market, especially if they are released. However, that will be growing due to the complexity of smartphones themselves and the progress in software that new functionality begins to appear also in hardware as well.
Galaxy S21 Series
In fact, in January 2021, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S21 line, which had three models: the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra. What was new on Androids at that time was powerful processors, high-end screens, and developed camera systems.
It promised the Galaxy S21 major OS updates—that is, the One UI Update policy—for three years while ensuring four years of security updates. Indeed, that strategy has made the Galaxy S21 the biggest long-term competitor head-to-head, along with Android flagships by Google Pixel, among others.
However, these most recent updates and changes within strategy could disrupt what Galaxy S21 owners would even expect about the way Samsung should continue things onward.
Samsung Finally Drops the Rollouts Monthly to Quarterly Upgrades
Now, some monthly updates would give the consumers a view of their Samsung Galaxy S21 devices receiving periodic updates, possibly with some security patches or minor refinements. At this point, not all updates were critical, yet these updates for each one of the above helped to keep one’s device stable and current in improvements.
Recently, though, Samsung said it will move the majority of its devices—the Galaxy S21 series, for example—from the monthly update cycle to a quarterly one. That means instead of having their device’s software updated each month, three months is how long people now have to wait. The transition will not affect the rollout of any critical security patches or updates for higher-end models but will indeed impact the Galaxy S21 in all possible ways:
Less Feature Updates: Undeniably, one will also find that this OS update might imply the feature updates of the Galaxy S21 to be of rare instances; its features in One UI would be few and rare. This would, in turn, postpose functionality in the device.
Longer Period Before Updates: This new quarterly schedule means the Galaxy S21 will continue receiving its security updates. However, for every update received, the users have to wait a much longer period than previously. New vulnerability discoveries are popping up almost daily, and if it takes such a long time to arrive after discovery, that would worry a security-conscious person.
Stability over innovation. Perhaps Samsung wants to jump on the bandwagon of quarterly updates to solidify and mature the experience that already exists with One UI versus all that ‘experimentation.’ It will illuminate little of what’s truly new but, in the process, ensure a worthwhile, good-firm user experience.
There are a few reasons why Samsung is probably pushing the update cadence:
The Galaxy S21 is close to the end of its prime hardware life cycle. When the device has been in a mature state, in older markets, it does not provide much in the way of new features but keeps working toward stability and security.
Resource reallocation: Since Galaxy S22 and S23 are already on the market, Samsung gets tempted first to upgrade new ones so that users of these new versions can enjoy facilities as well as upgradations; therefore, much of the resources would be left for older versions like Sthus, so there are fewer reasons to upgrade, so updates will not be less frequent.
Change in strategy
Samsung is rebalancing the schedule so that the cycle of updates still allows for the delivery of basic updates, which consist of security patches, but without increasing the number of minor incremental updates.
Consumer Sentiment The consumer would have been more constructive when fewer updates had a bigger bite rather than loads of updates looking like small players. That means Samsung will have effectively managed to bring impactful change in each update quarterly.
Road to One UI 7: What’s to Come?
Samsung is going to present One UI 7 as an important update on the Galaxy lineup, to which the Galaxy S21 belongs, first in line in this series. And, naturally, what is expected: Among other things, there are such things:
UI Improvements: One UI 7 will bring more refined design improvements, new ways to enjoy your interaction with the device, improved multitasking, and a host of ways to customize your experience. That makes things even more fluid while better optimizing larger sizes, as seen on the S21 Ultra.
Camera Features: Since Samsung is always working on camera software updates, One UI 7 would be great in bringing better features to the Galaxy S21’s already spectacular camera setup. Expect new modes that unlock better images at night and improve image processing.
Battery Optimization: One UI 7 will be even better on the battery front, improving efficiency even more and perhaps providing new modes to save even more power, besides further granular controls over the use of apps’ power in the background.
Privacy and security will be an improvement where Samsung has placed heavy emphasis recently and One UI7. Further improvement comes to this one in this series as well, which may comprise new features about better, upgraded permission settings, and better alignment of apps under Samsung Knox.
Deeper Lockin with Samsung Ecosystem: One UI 7 will connect the Galaxy smartphone with other Samsung products like wearables, tablets, or smart home appliances. It may throw in some cross-device features which feature DeX, Multi-Device Connect, etc.
What does it do for the S21 user?
This will bring in a new change in the way to maintain the device as it shifts out into the later years of its software support for the Galaxy S21 series. This is really bad news for people who get updates extremely frequently, but the Galaxy S21 will continue to get all the necessary security patches and some feature updates according to the latest schedule.
At least as a silver lining, though, with slower update cycles, One UI 7 should finally give the users of the Galaxy S21 a better experience. It remains an all-around capable smartphone and has been patched and improved through updates where appropriate, with significant, larger overhauls coming less often. That is the same user who would require cutting-edge features from the latest. He wants to interpret this message, which tells them that the Galaxy S21 has covered most of its software lifecycle period.
The referring user will most certainly find a Galaxy S22 or S23 more appealing because of that because they will get this feature for much longer as they will receive updates every month as well as full-fledged software.
Conclusion
This adaptation in the software update frequency is part of the larger movement in adapting to the lifecycle of older devices. Users who are accustomed to monthly cycles might look at the shift from month to quarter as a step-down, but then again, the Galaxy S21 is a fully capable, very functional device.
Meaningful improvements can be expected through the One UI 7 update on the S21 series that would make an experience for its user, irrespective of how few updates are pushed in. Now, as the Galaxy S21 has completed its life cycle for its major updates, then it’s already high time for them to decide whether to remain on the same device or opt for a new model shortly. In any case, it pretty much becomes crystal clear that Samsung is going to sell its flagship phones, but this time around by the new policy of updates.
It may mark the end of the semipermanent updates of the Galaxy S21. However, its status as one of the favorite Android devices of Samsung is going to stay for quite a long time.
