Samsung is already testing Android 14 on the first Galaxy phones

Samsung is already testing Android 14 on the first Galaxy phones. Is this a first sign that the South Koreans will roll out the new versions of the OS and the One UI interface even faster this year?

Samsung is testing Android 14 on the Galaxy S23 and Z series

When Samsung updated quite a few phones to Android 13, one thing stood out in particular. Never before have so many devices been equipped with the new software so quickly. After the upgrade started in October 2022, it only took two months for most devices to be updated. It only took a little longer on a limited number of budget models. This year, the development of Android 14 seems to be even faster.

Deciphered firmware version numbers of the Galaxy S23, Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 show that Android 14 for these devices is already being tested. For example, Samsung is working on test firmware version S91xBXXU1BWE2 for the S23 series. The second ‘B’ in the row is the indication that this is a major new software version. For comparison, the current Android 13 and One UI 5.1 based firmwares have an ‘A’ there.

The same goes for the Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4, for which Samsung is now testing firmware versions F721BXXU2DWD7 and F936BXXU2DWE1 respectively. Here the letter ‘D’ is new. For these devices, the ‘A’ was Android 12 and One UI 4.1.1, the ‘B’ was the upgrade to Android 13 and One UI 5. More recently, the devices received version ‘C’: One UI 5.1.

Theoretically, the ‘D’ version on the Z series could also be an ‘interim upgrade’ to One UI 5.1.1, which could come after the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5. Still, the timing of these tests – at the same time as that of the S23 series – is striking, which makes us think more of the major Android 14 upgrade.

But when, and which phones?

Last year it was already June when we saw the first test firmwares with the next Android version. This year we see the first concrete indications of the test, so about a month and a half earlier. This does not mean that the entire roll-out will therefore take place one and a half months earlier. After all, there is a difference between Samsung’s internal planning and what attentive users receive from the outside. Nevertheless, a faster roll-out would fit quite well with the developments of recent years.

Even though we do not yet know exactly when Samsung will offer Android 14 and One UI 6, the Galaxy S23 series will soon be the first to receive the upgrade – let’s say: in September or October. If the rollout of Android 14 proceeds in the same way as the rollout of Android 13, devices such as the S22, and the Z Flip and Z Fold models will follow in the weeks that follow. And with a bit of luck you can install the new software in November on the Galaxy A54, Galaxy A53, and many more models.

Do you want to know whether your Galaxy will also be eligible for the major upgrade? Then check our extensive overview of which Samsung Galaxy will get the Android 14. There you can also read which devices will unfortunately no longer receive the upgrade.