Samsung has started rolling out One UI 9, its version of Android 17, to the Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra. So far it’s only in South Korea, where it began on Wednesday 14th October 2026 with phones that were on the One UI 9 beta. The Korean build ends in GZIF and carries the October 2026 security patch. That makes the S23 the oldest Galaxy flagship on the One UI 9 list, and this is the last major Android upgrade Samsung promised it.
The S23 launched in February 2023 on Android 13. Samsung’s support page for the series promises four years of One UI upgrades and five years of security updates. Android 14, 15, 16 and now 17 make four, so there’s no Android 18 coming for these phones. As we explained in July, the S23 is on Samsung’s older four-update policy, unlike the newer flagships. Security updates run on their own clock. Counting five years from launch takes them into early 2028, though Samsung hasn’t given an end date.
What the S23 gets in One UI 9 is less clear. Samsung hasn’t said which of the newer Galaxy AI features arrive. The S23 beta, which arrived in India on 3rd September, showed the main changes:
- a Quick Panel you can customise much more,
- improvements to Samsung DeX and Samsung Notes,
- and new accessibility features.
Beta testers on Samsung’s forum found no new Galaxy AI tools. The ones Samsung lists for the Galaxy S26, such as My FanCam and Now Nudge, aren’t confirmed for the S23. So on an S23, expect the redesigned Quick Panel and the other usability changes, and don’t count on new AI features.
The update is about 3 GG. Check Settings > Software update.
Samsung has started every One UI 9 wave in South Korea, with beta phones first. The S26 got One UI 9 there on 16th September, the S25 on 28th September and the S24 on 6th October. The S24 then reached Europe and India on 12th October, six days after Korea. Samsung hasn’t given a date for the S23 anywhere else. Samsung Japan’s roadmap lists the S23 and S23 Ultra for early November on its carriers, and the unlocked S23 Ultra for mid-November. Japan is a late market, though. Its S26 update came in mid-October, a month after South Korea.
For Kenya, the nearest guide is the S26. It appeared on Kenyan units about 15 days after South Korea, as we reported on 1st October. Fifteen days from 14th October is 29th October. That’s our estimate from one earlier wave.
The Galaxy S23 FE isn’t part of this wave. Samsung Japan’s roadmap puts it at mid-January 2027. Samsung’s support page for the S23 series names only the S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra and doesn’t mention the FE.
So if you own an S23, this is the last new Android version you’ll wait for. After it come security patches, which by our count keep arriving into early 2028.
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