Nearly five years after its launch, the Galaxy S20 FE – Samsung’s first Fan Edition smartphone – has officially reached the end of its software update cycle. Launched in 2020, the device has received three major Android OS updates and five years of security patches, a remarkable run in the Android smartphone world.

Galaxy S21 FE continues to receive updates

Of course, this has left many Galaxy S21 FE users – its successor – worried about the fate of their device. The good news is that there’s nothing to worry about. The device has just received the One UI 8 (Android 16) update, marking its last major OS upgrade, but it will still receive security patches for about two more years.

Currently, the Galaxy S21 FE is still on the monthly update list, and it is expected that in 2026, this cycle will switch to quarterly updates before Samsung officially ends support.

One UI 8.5 will be the final upgrade

One UI 8.5 is expected to be the final feature update for the Galaxy S21 FE, bringing some minor changes to the interface and features to maintain a stable user experience for a while longer.

Interestingly, the Galaxy S21 FE is the only model in the Galaxy S21 series to be updated to Android 16, having been launched almost a year later than the three original S21 models. This means the device has the same software support period as the Galaxy S22.

Galaxy S25 FE – a worthy successor

If you are still using the Galaxy S21 FE, you can rest assured that you will stick with it for a few more years without worrying about security or performance. However, if you want to upgrade, the Galaxy S25 FE is an attractive choice with strong performance, accessible price, and especially support for up to 7 years of operating system and security updates - a huge step forward compared to the S21 FE.