A cheap Samsung phone got One UI 8 ahead of many high-end devices

Samsung has accelerated the release of the One UI 8 update over the past week. Several mid-range and high-end phones have already received it, but today, an affordable Galaxy phone has received the update ahead of many high-end phones and tablets.

It appears that Samsung started rolling out the Android 16-based One UI 8.0 update to the Galaxy A17 5G today in Vietnam. The update comes with firmware version A176BXXU2BYID and likely includes the September 2025 security patch to make the phone more secure.

If you are a Galaxy A17 5G user and live in Vietnam, you can check for the new update. You can do that by navigating to Settings » Software update » Download and install. Once the update is finished downloading, tap the Install now button. The phone will then restart after a few minutes.

The update could be released in other countries and regions over the next few days.

The Galaxy A17 5G was launched a few weeks ago with Android 15-based One UI 7.0 onboard. Samsung promised to release six major Android OS updates to the device, and One UI 8.0 is the first update that has been released.

One UI 8.0 brings several improvements, including a revamped Quick Share screen with two separate tabs (Send and Receive), a redesigned version of Samsung Internet, improved Profile Cards, improved design for Samsung Weather, and a more secure version of Secure Folder.

It also brings improved management of alarms, calendar events, and reminders. My Files and Reminder apps have received some design changes. The Modes and Routines app has also received new actions and conditions.