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Even though it's over three years old at this point, there's no denying that the Samsung Galaxy S21 continues to be a top-of-the-line smartphone. And since it's an older model, it costs considerably less than this year's best Android phones. Then there's Samsung's excellent software update policy, which ensures you get the most out of your investment.
This $200 Samsung phone is getting its stable Android 14 update
Samsung’s impressive One UI 6 rollout pace continues
Samsung released the stable One UI 6 update for the Galaxy S23 series in late October. Since then, the company has been on a roll, updating the best Galaxy phones to the latest Android release. Besides the Galaxy S23, Samsung has updated the Galaxy S22, S23 FE, Galaxy Tab S9, Z Fold 5, and even the mid-range Galaxy A54 to Android 14, all in the last few days. That list is now expanding even further, with the stable One UI 6 update for the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy A14 going live in certain parts of the world.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. Galaxy S21: Should you upgrade?
Should you swap your two-year-old S21 for the newer Galaxy S23?
The Samsung Galaxy S-series is always in the conversation of the best Android phones every year. That was true when the Galaxy S21 was released and today with the newest Galaxy S23. But how well do the Galaxy phones hold up after a couple of years if you compare them to the latest flagships?
The Samsung Galaxy S21's cameras should soon be getting a big Snapchat upgrade
Better late than never
A year ago, Google released its Pixel Camera Services app which allowed apps like Snapchat to bring the Pixel series' Night Sight feature to its platform. Samsung brought a similar feature to its Galaxy S22 lineup, and it could now be making its way to the S21 series.
Astrophotography is headed to your Samsung Galaxy S21 and Z Fold 4
Samsung’s Expert RAW Astrophotography mode now works on two more premium Galaxy phones
The stock Samsung Camera app is very powerful, but you need to use Expert RAW to extract the maximum performance from the cameras of the best Samsung phones. It is like Pro mode on steroids, allowing you to capture RAW photos with multi-frame HDR. Samsung even added an Astrophotography mode to the app in October 2022. So far, this new feature was limited to the Galaxy S22 and S23 series. The Korean giant is now expanding the Astrophotography mode's availability to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy S21, its 2021 flagship smartphone lineup.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra: Should you upgrade?
Is the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra a notable improvement over the S21 Ultra?
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra was a fantastic flagship when it launched in 2021, with top-shelf performance, capable cameras, and a slick design. In addition, the phone had an MSRP that started at $200 less than the Galaxy S20 Ultra. That means 2022's S Pen-equipped Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has a tall order to fill.
We all know the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the absolute cream of the crop when it comes to flagship Android phones; however, its price can turn a lot of people to slightly older devices to save some money. Enter the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 FE. Sure they may be yesterday's news to a lot of people, but both phones are still very capable daily drivers.
Android 13 and Samsung One UI 5 are coming to Galaxy S21 series stateside
Android 13 will soon be widely available on last year’s flagships in the US
Since early August, Samsung has been releasing its One UI 5 skin based on Android 13 to its wide range of eligible smartphones. The rollout began with the Galaxy S22 series in beta, with the stable release reaching customers worldwide late last month. Now, that stable One UI 5 build is arriving on Samsung flagships from last year, namely the Galaxy S21 series.
Some Galaxy S22 phones plagued by inability to receive SMS messages
Several reboots a day keep the SMS issues at bay
The Samsung Galaxy S22 is easily one of the best smartphones you can buy today, with the winning combination of top-tier hardware plus frequent updates. Unfortunately, not all software is perfect, and Samsung seems to have run into a little trouble with its September update for the Galaxy S22 series, as customers in the US complain about their phones failing to receive SMS messages several times a day.
It's time for Samsung Galaxy S21 owners in the US to join the One UI 5 beta program
Prepare yourself for Android 13
Are you feeling Android 13 envy yet? Pixel phones have had access for a month now, and while phone manufacturers everywhere rush to update their own devices, Samsung's been leading what's easily the most high-profile attempt with its own One UI 5 beta testing. Since kicking off with the Galaxy S22, Samsung's been expanding beta access to more devices in more regions. It's been about three weeks now since we saw the start of Galaxy S21 beta sign-ups internationally, and now they're finally coming to the US.
Samsung Galaxy S22's latest update will let you shoot Hyperlapse videos of the sky
This is the second camera-focused update from Samsung for the Galaxy S22 series since its launch
Samsung's Galaxy S22 lineup rank among the best Android smartphones on the market. The Galaxy S22 Ultra, with its four rear cameras, offers an unmatched level of versatility when shooting photos and videos. Its cameras are not the best, but it more than makes up for it with its flexibility. In June 2022, Samsung rolled out a major update to improve the Galaxy S22's camera performance. A couple of months later, the company is again releasing another update for its 2022 flagship series, focusing on improving the imaging experience.
Samsung's April 2022 security update is now available for the unlocked Galaxy S20 in the US
It's also available for several other phones and tablets
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At the end of March, the April 2022 security update started rolling out to Samsung Galaxy devices in international markets. So far, Galaxy S22 Ultra owners in Asia and Europe have reported seeing the update. Now Samsung's extending availability to US users, with the new update hitting devices in the States, including the whole Galaxy S21 5G series.
Samsung’s March 2022 security update is reaching more Galaxy devices in the US
Now available for the Verizon Galaxy S10
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It's become customary for Samsung to send out security updates to its devices before the month starts. Its March release was no different, and started rolling out a few days before the end of February. So far, the Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra, the Galaxy S10 Lite, the entire Galaxy S9 series, and the Galaxy A52 have all seen the update — at least in international markets. Now Samsung's extending availability to users in the US, as the new update starts hitting devices in the States beginning with the Galaxy S21.
Galaxy S21 FE, Galaxy S10 and Note10 are latest to get Samsung's One UI 4.1 update
Even more phones are joining the One UI 4.1 list
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Samsung has been on a roll with its software update cycle. The company impressed everyone by quickly rolling out Android 12-based One UI 4 to a bunch of its premium and flagship devices months ahead of schedule. Then, following the Galaxy S22's launch with One UI 4.1 in February, the Korean smartphone maker announced earlier this week that the latest version of its skin would be coming to older Galaxy Fold and Flip, S-series, Note, and A-series devices, complete with several new features and changes in tow. After an update started making its way to the Galaxy Z Fold3, Flip3, the Galaxy S21 series in some parts of the world, Samsung is following up with a patch for the Note20
Samsung’s February 2022 security patch starts arriving for more phones in the US
Now available for the Verizon Tab S7 and S7+
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Samsung is no stranger to speedy update rollouts. The company started releasing the February 2022 security patch to eligible devices internationally at the tail end of last month, and we've already seen the likes of the Galaxy Note20, Galaxy S20 series, and Galaxy A50s receive the new software. Now the update's hitting the US, beginning with Note10 carrier models.
Samsung Galaxy S22 camera features are coming to older Galaxy phones with One UI 4.1
Coming sooner than you think
Last month, Samsung debuted One UI 4.1 on the Galaxy S22 series with some minor new additions and tweaks. Most of the improvements focused around the camera with features like an improved Pro mode, Night mode portraits, and enhanced Snapchat integration. Luckily for those on older devices, the Korean smartphone maker tends to bring many of the new features of its latest flagship phones to yesteryear's models via a software update. Now, a forum post by a Samsung community moderator has detailed that many of One UI 4.1's camera enhancements are coming to older Galaxy devices.
Samsung's fiery update pace continues internationally with the February 2022 security patch
Now available for the Galaxy Z Flip 5G and several other phones
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Samsung has managed to stand out as one of the fastest Android OEMs to bring monthly security updates to its devices for quite a while now. When Google was still fumbling with December and January patches for its flagship Pixel 6 series, Samsung was already working wonders, sending out security updates to eligible phones. While we’re expecting the Pixel 6 series to get the February update at the tail end of next week — and keeping our fingers crossed that it doesn't break anything as it arrives — Samsung is already forging ahead, beginning to release its own February patch.
Samsung shipped millions of smartphones with a serious security flaw
At least your new Galaxy S22 is safe
Samsung tends to be vigilant about updating security on its devices, but no phone manufacturer is perfect, and sometimes the problems stay very well-hidden. One issue that shipped with some major models didn't become public until recently, and anyone who owns certain Galaxy phones could have fallen prey to the exploit and never realized it.
Samsung's January 2022 security update is arriving for more phones internationally
Now available for the Galaxy A51 5G and several other A series phones
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Samsung used to be one of the worst companies when it comes to updates. Back in the TouchWiz days, software support for Samsung phones was absolutely abysmal. But the arrival of One UI saw a change of direction for the company, currently promising up to 3 years of major updates and 5 years of security patches — and actually doing a decent-ish job at rolling them out in a timely manner. Now Samsung's saying "happy New Year" a little early as the first January 2022 security patches for its phones (and specifically, for the Galaxy A51) start becoming available.
Samsung's Expert Raw app sounds like it's coming to more Galaxy phones
Stable version launching on February 25
Last year, Samsung introduced the Expert Raw app for the Galaxy S21 Ultra, giving users extended access to the phone's telephoto cameras and offering the best image quality they can get. Since then, the app has been in beta testing and received multiple updates to fix bugs and add new features. Last week the manufacturer confirmed that Expert Raw would be compatible with the new Galaxy S22 series, including even the smaller models. Now it looks like Expert Raw might be about to gain support for a lot more devices as it launches to the public later this month.