Unlocked Galaxy S21 is finally seeing Android 13 update, along with several other devices

Andrew Romero | Dec 1 2022 - 10:36 am PT

The Galaxy S21 isn’t an old phone in the slightest, yet it has taken a bit of time for Android 13 to come to the Samsung flagship of yesteryear. Now, the unlocked S21 is seeing Android 13 along with a multitude of other devices.

Since the start of Samsung’s official One UI 5 rollout, we’ve detailed just about every device as Android 13 becomes available for each. Now, it looks like more users in the US are finally seeing the new Android 13 update for their carrier-unlocked Galaxy S21 devices (via SamMobile). Previously, the upgrade was made available to carrier-locked S21 series phones. Without that restriction, more users in the US are able to install the update. The S21 is still an incredible device and it being “outdated” only makes it that much more of a steal.

To add to the list of devices with the update available, the Galaxy M42 5G is receiving Android 13 in India, bringing the new update to another mid-tier device for more users. With that, the Galaxy F42 5G in India is also getting One UI 5. Unfortunately, this will be the last major OS update for the F42 as it’s nearing the end of its supported life.

As an SK Telecom exclusive, the Galaxy Quantum 2 was launched solely for users in Korea. Now, the Quantum 2 is also seeing Android 13 for users in that region. This will be the second-to-last major OS update the Quantum 2 sees.

Next to the latter four devices, the latest Galaxy phone to see One UI 5 is the Galaxy A22. The A-series is a long-running budget series of devices that perform well and have been a true bang-for-your-buck phone in our experience. Fortunately for A22 users in India, Android 13 is making its way over. Much like the Quantum 2, the A22 will see only one more update after this.

We’ve definitely reached the point where we’re seeing more Android 13 updates than we can count. Samsung’s timeline is accurately predicting exactly what we should be seeing for the One UI 5 rollout. With that, this will certainly not be the last large batch of devices to get the latest Android OS.