Samsung recently ended software update support for the first-gen Galaxy Z Flip. Its 5G version, meanwhile, still has some left in it and is picking up the April 2024 security update in the US. The latest security patch is also rolling out to the Galaxy F15, a new budget phone from the Korean firm.
Galaxy Z Flip 5G grabs the April 2024 update in the US
Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Flip in early 2020, around the same time as the Galaxy S20 series. The company promised three major Android OS updates and four years of security patches for these devices. As of March 2024, it delivered the promised updates. The Korean firm then extended security support for the Galaxy S20 trio into a fifth year but didn’t treat the original clamshell foldable similarly. The Galaxy Z Flip is officially done getting updates.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5G, on the other hand, debuted in July 2020 and turns four this July. It has a few more months of life left in it. While feature updates have stopped coming since Android 13 (it arrived with Android 10), the device is still picking up security patches once in a while. Samsung has just released the latest SMR (Security Maintenance Release) for the device. It is available for carrier-locked and unlocked variants in the US. A global rollout may follow soon.
First reported by SamMobile, the April 2024 update for the Galaxy Z Flip 5G comes with the firmware build numbers F707USQS7IXC1 (locked) and F707U1UES7IXC1 (unlocked). The official changelog supplied by Samsung confirms that the update doesn’t contain anything more than the latest security fixes. The April SMR patches more than 40 vulnerabilities across the Galaxy family, including at least one critical Android OS flaw patched by Google.
If you are holding onto this aging Samsung foldable, it is about time you upgrade to a newer phone. Samsung’s clamshell foldables have changed a lot in recent years. You now get a larger cover screen, stronger build, better cameras, and more improvements. The next model, Galaxy Z Flip 6, is expected to arrive in July this year with more improvements. The Korean company may also launch a more affordable foldable called the Galaxy Z Flip FE this year.
These security fixes are also rolling out to the Galaxy F15
Samsung’s April 2024 security patches are also rolling out to the Galaxy F15. The F series is largely confined to India and surrounding countries, so it shouldn’t be long before the company updates all eligible units. The device is just over a month old, so there may not be many units to update. The new firmware build number for this budget handset is E156BXXS1AXD3. This is the first update for the Galaxy F15, which ran Android 14 out of the box.
