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Samsung seems to be in a hurry to get done with the One UI 5.1 rollout. The company began seeding the new One UI version to Galaxy devices yesterday, and in no time, the update has reached the majority of eligible models. The Galaxy S21 FE and Galaxy S20 FE 5G are the latest additions to the party.
As of this writing, the One UI 5.1 update for the two Fan Edition (FE) models is rolling out in Europe. The new firmware build number for the Galaxy S21 FE is G990B2XXU1EWAJ, while that for the Galaxy S20 FE 5G is G781BXXU4HWB1 (via). It appears the 4G version of the latter hasn’t received the update yet. But Samsung should soon cover that model as well. The rollout should also reach more markets in the coming days, including the US.
This update brings a host of new features and improvements to the Galaxy S21 FE and Galaxy S20 FE. Samsung has added new camera features and improved several stock apps and existing features. The Shared Family Album in Gallery makes it easier to share photos and videos with family members. Bixby Text Call, which transcribes live audio calls, now supports English. Samsung Notes allows collaboration during a Google Meet conference. One UI 5.1 also lets you remaster downloaded GIFs. The February 2023 Android security patch is part of the package too.
This is the last major update for the Galaxy S20 FE
Samsung launched the Galaxy S20 FE in September 2020. The device came running Android 10 out of the box. It has since picked up updates to Android 11, Android 12, and Android 13. And that’s all it will ever get. The handset is not eligible for Android 14. The Korean firm now offers four generations of major Android upgrades, but not to phones launched in 2020. As such, One UI 5.1 is the last major feature update for the Galaxy S20 FE. Going forward, it will only get security updates.
The Galaxy S21 FE, on the other hand, arrived in January 2022 with Android 12 onboard. Moreover, it is covered under Samsung’s revamped support policy. This phone picked up Android 13 a few months back and will also get Android 14, Android 15, and Android 16 in its lifetime. If you’re using either of these FE phones, One UI 5.1 with a host of new features is coming your way. We will let you know when the new One UI version reaches other Galaxy devices, like the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Z Fold 2.