Samsung hints older phones might not get this One UI 7 feature

One UI 7.0 brings several new features, and some of them are dependent on new and more powerful hardware. A Samsung executive has now hinted that one One UI 7.0 feature might not arrive on older Galaxy phones with a software update.

Now Brief needs powerful NPU, so it might not come to less powerful Galaxy phones

In an interview, Samsung's software chief, Sally, mentioned how the company spent 2-3 years planning, designing, and developing One UI 7.0. She also revealed some One UI 7.0 features, particularly those powered by AI, need modern hardware to run, hinting that not all One UI 7.0 features will come to existing, older Galaxy phones and tablets.

One of those features is Now Brief, which shows relevant information based on the time of the day. Samsung's Personal Data Engine, which powers Now Brief, requires advanced chips with a powerful NPU.

Sally said, “This feature requires powerful processing to deliver an optimal experience. In contrast, features like Circle to Search can run on older devices, as they rely more on cloud-based services that are less demanding on device performance. For more affordable devices, we continue to review user needs and provide cloud-based AI features that can be used across devices, without requiring advanced hardware.”

You can see how Now Brief works on the Galaxy S25 Ultra in our video below.

So, it is clear that Samsung intends to bring all the One UI 7.0 features it can to all phones if they can be implemented on a software level. However, features that require powerful hardware will not come to devices that don't have qualifying hardware.

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Asif Iqbal Shaik - Senior Editor

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First Samsung device: T100

Asif is a computer engineer turned technology journalist. He has been using Samsung phones since 2004, and his current smartphone is the Galaxy S21 Ultra. He loves headphones, mechanical keyboards, and PC hardware. When not writing about technology, he likes watching crime and science fiction movies and TV shows.

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