Samsung's One UI 9 update reached the Galaxy S24 series in October, but several S26 features are missing, and the S24 Ultra appears able to run them.
Samsung began rolling out its One UI 9 software update to the Galaxy S24 series in October. Owners of the S24 Ultra get some of what the newer Galaxy S26 received, but not all of it. Android Police says the gaps are hard to explain, because the phone can already do similar things in other places.
The S24 picked up Call Brief, custom Now Brief cards and My FanCam, plus a few other additions. Now Brief is Samsung's feature that gathers useful information in one spot. The update is real, but it is a partial version of what the S26 has.
The S25 got Horizontal Lock with One UI 9, but the S24 did not. S25 and S26 owners can turn on Notification highlights under Settings, then Galaxy AI. Some Pro video frame rate options, such as 25, 48, 50 and 100 frames per second, are also S26 only. Android Police calls that a small miss, since those rates matter mostly for TV work.
The writer argues the limits are not about hardware. The S24 already summarizes web pages, long notes and voice recordings, so summarizing notifications seems like a smaller job. The 24MP option already exists in the Expert RAW app on the S24 Ultra. The phone also records 4K video at 120 frames per second and can shoot dual videos.
On webcam mode, Android Police points out that the Google Pixel 6a, a budget phone with weaker cameras, has had it since 2023.
Android Police notes that other phone makers do the same. Google kept Magic Capture, Camera Looks and Instant Night Sight exclusive to the Pixel 11 when it launched, leaving them off the Pixel 10. Samsung has given no clear reason for the S24 gaps. The writer's best guess is exclusivity, which keeps newer phones looking ahead of older ones.
Nothing suggests these features are coming to the S24 Ultra. The writer advises not to expect them soon and warns that One UI 9.5 might repeat the pattern. For now, anyone who wants every One UI 9 feature would need a newer Galaxy.
S24 Ultra owners should expect only part of One UI 9, and the missing features are unlikely to arrive soon.
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