I knew it was only a matter of time before Samsung started testing explanations for why Galaxy AI features would not be available on older hardware. When the company highlighted every chance it got that the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset made many functions possible,

If you buy a phone in the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, you’re not just getting new hardware, you’re also getting Samsung’s latest software in the form of One UI 7, and while some older phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S24 will be getting updated eventually,

Samsung is in the midst of rolling out its February 2025 update to Galaxy smartphones and tablets, but it's not One UI 7.

Owners of midrange and flagship Galaxy phones may need to wait until April for One UI 7, while the Galaxy A06 5G will ship with the software soon. If typical bug-squashing is responsible, Samsung is right to delay the UI release until it's perfect.

A Samsung interview with its EVP and head of Framework R&D, Sally, highlighted the toll its AI in One UI 7 takes on devices. Sally states that major on-device processes, like the personal data engine,