Newsletter
Samsung‘s Android 13 update is widely available for the Galaxy Z Fold 2, Galaxy S21 FE, Galaxy S20 FE, and Galaxy A51 in the US. These devices started getting the big Android update stateside a few weeks back but the rollout has been a little scattered so far. The expanded release now covers everyone. All of these phones have already picked up Android 13 and One UI 5.0 in most international markets.
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 started receiving the Android 13-based One UI 5.0 update in the US last month. The initial rollout covered factory-unlocked units. While Sprint and T-Mobile were the only operators selling a carrier-locked version of the foldable, users of those devices had to wait for the big Android update all this while. They are finally getting it, with the new firmware version being F916USQU2IVK5. The handset is picking up the November 2022 security patch with this release.
The story is the other way around for the Galaxy S21 FE. This device first picked up Android 13 on carrier-locked units in the US. The rollout began early last month but was quite limited. In recent days, Samsung has released the update widely for both carrier-locked and unlocked units. According to SamMobile, which first reported this rollout, the new firmware version for the carrier-locked Galaxy S21 FE is either G990USQU4DVK5, G990USQS4DVL1, or G990USQU4DVLC, depending on the carrier. That for the unlocked device is G990U1UEU4DVLC. This phone is getting the December security patch.
If you have the first-gen FE model, i. e. the Galaxy S20 FE, Android 13 is now widely available for your phone as well. The unlocked variants of the device are getting the update with firmware version G781U1UEU9FWA7. The January 2023 security patch is in tow here, which is nice to see. The carrier-locked units got the update last month with the December 2022 patch. The rollout for those units still appears to be limited to US Cellular’s network, though. Hopefully, Samsung will cover all eligible Galaxy S20 FE devices in the US with Android 13 soon.
The Galaxy A51 is also widely getting Android 13 in the US
The Galaxy A51 is another Samsung smartphone that is widely getting Android 13 in the US. The carrier-locked devices picked up the update last month and it’s now time for unlocked ones. The updated firmware version for this mid-range model is A515U1UEU8EWA6. It is picking up the December 2022 security patch. Note that Samsung also sold a 5G model of this phone in the US. It is yet to get Android 13, though the update has already reached other markets. We will let you know when it arrives stateside.