Summary

  • Mid-range Galaxy phones like the Galaxy A54 and A53 may receive the One UI 6.1 update on May 14 in Canada.
  • Samsung faced issues with Galaxy S22’s buggy One UI 6.1 build in Korea, which could cause a potential delay for other devices.
  • Galaxy AI features in One UI 6.1 are unlikely to be available on Samsung’s mid-range phones, including the Galaxy S21 FE.



Samsung has been on a roll with its One UI 6.1 release. While the skin was initially exclusive to the Galaxy S24 series, the Korean giant expanded its availability to the Galaxy S23 and its 2023 foldables in late March. More recently, it rolled out the update for a bunch of its 2022 and 2021 premium devices, including the Galaxy S22, Z Fold 4, and S21 series. Now, it appears Samsung’s mid-range Galaxy phones are next in line to get the One UI 6.1 update.


The Samsung Galaxy AI logo appears below the words Galaxy S24

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Samsung could release the One UI 6.1 firmware for the Galaxy S21 FE, Galaxy A54, and A53 in Canada on May 14 (via SamMobile). Typically, the company rolls out an update in Canada a few days after its international availability. This suggests these mid-range Galaxy phones might get a taste of One UI 6.1 in Korea or Europe over the next few days or early next week.

Do not rule out a slight delay in the release timeline, though, especially since the date does not come officially from Samsung.



Due to boot loop and lock screen issues, the Korean giant had to pull the Galaxy S22’s buggy One UI 6.1 build from its home market. A fixed firmware is yet to go live, though new test builds were spotted on the company’s servers. This might have an unwanted effect and delay One UI 6.1’s firmware availability for other Galaxy devices. Still, given Samsung’s track record of addressing software bugs quickly, any delay is unlikely to exceed a few days.


Samsung mid-rangers are unlikely to have Galaxy AI access

One UI 6.1 packs some minor but notable usability enhancements, like better battery longevity controls and smoother additions. The main highlight is the addition of Galaxy AI with features like Live Translate, Browsing Assist, and Note Assist, etc. These features are unlikely to come to Samsung’s mid-rangers though. The recently launched Galaxy A55 and A35 miss out on Galaxy AI access, so the probability of older A-series phones gaining access to the AI features is almost nil.



The Galaxy S21 FE will likely only get Circle to Search with One UI 6.1, just like the Galaxy S21 and other premium Galaxy phones from 2021.