We’re only two months into 2020 and are already starting to see an interesting trend that may very well define the coming decade. Yes, we’re talking about the soaring intrigue surrounding foldable smartphones.
Last year, Samsung officially unveiled the Galaxy Fold — the company’s most expensive and experimental smartphone in ages. The South Korean giant had its fair share of doubters, but that didn’t keep the company from taking a “revolutionary step” towards an exciting future.
Now, with the turn of the year, Samsung has unveiled a new foldable device, which, unlike the Galaxy Fold, folds vertically (along the horizontal axis). For people who want a compact form factor, the Galaxy Z Flip is a clear winner over the chunkier Galaxy Fold. And thanks to Samsung’s knack for delivering the best, you won’t be compromising too much in the performance department either.
In this piece, however, we’ll focus solely on the newly released software updates for your precious Z Flip. From monthly security updates and maintenance releases to highly-anticipated Android OS rollouts — bookmark this page for keeping up with all the latest news regarding your device.
When will the Galaxy Z Flip get Android 11?
As expected, the Galaxy Z Flip is coming with Android 10-based One UI 2 out of the box. Samsung delivers two Android OS upgrades to all its flagships, which means the Z Flip is guaranteed to get a bump to Android 11 and even Android 12.
Google has already released the Android 11 Developer Preview, which hints at an escalated timeline for the final product. If Google does push up the timeline, Samsung, too, could end up releasing Android 11-based One UI 3 sooner than anticipated — maybe even in October 2020. However, due to Z Flip’s unique nature and UI, it could take Samsung an extra couple of months to tailor the software according to the device. We could see the final build of Android 11 on Z Flip in Q1 2021.
One UI 3
While many smartphone manufacturers have been striving to deliver a stock Android experience, Samsung is happy and excited with its highly-customized user interface. After enduring a tumultuous run with TouchWiz, the South Korean OEM has finally found its rhythm with the newly introduced One UI. One UI, unlike TouchWiz, doesn’t come with a bunch of gimmicky services and prioritizes ease of use over everything else.
Samsung first introduced One UI in 2018, with the launch of Google’s Android Pie. One year later, the second iteration was launched with Android 10 powering the system. It’s only been three months since the unveiling of Android 10-based One UI 2, which makes it super early to speculate. However, the release of Android 11 Developer Preview has got us all guessing and excited for Samsung’s take on the upcoming OS. Given how well One UI 2 is being received, Samsung isn’t likely to change things around too much and keep the new-formed naming tradition alive. We believe Samsung take on Android 11 would indeed be called One UI 3 and adhere to the standards its predecessors set.
As Samsung would need a deeper level of customization for Z Flip, the launch could be delayed by a couple of months. We could see the final build of Android 11-based One UI 3 in the first quarter of 2021.
Software update timeline
Global
| Release date | Software version — Changelog |
| 03 May 2020 | F700FXXS1ATD9 — May 2020 security patch |
AT&T
| Release date | Software version — Changelog |
| NA | NA |
Sprint
| Release date | Software version — Changelog |
| NA | NA |
T-Mobile
| Release date | Software version — Changelog |
| NA | NA |
US Unlocked
| Release date | Software version — Changelog |
| 13 Feb 2020 | F700U1UEU1ATAR — Adds Single Take mode, Adds the option to switch between wide and ultra-wide lenses using the 1.1-inch front cover screen, February 2020 security patch |
Verizon
| Release date | Software version — Changelog |
| NA | NA |
February patch
- Released for US Unlocked
- NA for Global and carrier-locked devices
