Samsung has started expanding One UI 8.5 to more Galaxy phones and tablets, bringing features that first arrived with the Galaxy S26 series in February 2026. The rollout has begun in Korea, with other regions set to follow later, depending on market and device model.
Which older Galaxy devices are getting One UI 8.5?
The update is headed to the Galaxy S25 series, Galaxy S25 FE, Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy S24 FE, Galaxy Z Fold 7, Galaxy Z Flip 7, Galaxy Z Fold 6, Galaxy Z Flip 6, Galaxy Tab S11 series, and Galaxy Tab S10 series. For users holding on to these older flagship phones and tablets, One UI 8.5 brings Samsung’s latest Galaxy AI tools without requiring an upgrade to the newest hardware.
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
What new AI features come with the update?
One UI 8.5 adds several communication and productivity tools that were not part of One UI 8.0. Eligible devices will get access to AI Call Screening, which can answer unknown callers on the user’s behalf, ask about the reason for the call, and show a live transcript so users can decide whether to pick up. Live voicemail transcripts is another new feature which let users read messages in real time while they are being recorded.
Samsung has also added a new productivity feature to its keyboard called Now Nudge. It can suggest calendar entries, useful facts, or relevant actions based on the active chat, helping users act on information without switching apps. Bixby has also been upgraded with more agentic capabilities, allowing it to handle multi-step tasks across apps. For example, it can find a specific photo and email it to a contact.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus, typing in a Generative Edit prompt.Tom Bedford / Digital Trends
The update also adds new AI photo editing tools with the Creative Studio app and Text-to-Edit Photo Assist. Instead of editing photos manually, users can simply type what they want changed, like a new background or extra objects. Another feature, called Object Transfer, lets users move people or objects from one photo to another directly in the gallery.
For personalization, the update has AI Weather Effects, which add dynamic lock screen wallpaper animations based on local weather conditions like rain or snow. As usual, Samsung says availability and feature support may vary by region, market, and device model.
With the start of April, Netflix is welcoming entertaining movies that will be available to stream for the foreseeable future. One of the new movies I’m ready to watch is Thrash, a new shark movie where the Jaws-like creatures wreak havoc on a coastal town during a hurricane. It might only be spring, but I’ll watch this type of survival thriller any time of the year.
Speaking of thrillers, there are several prominent movies featured on the genre page. My top pick for thrillers this week is a gritty punk-rock film, now streaming on Netflix in the U.S. The other two thrillers we want to spotlight are a twisty crime tale from the 1990s and an allegorical dystopian mystery set in prison.
3
The Platform
Maybe don’t watch on a full stomach
Read what I wrote under the title again. The Platformis not for viewers with queasy stomachs. I have a strong stomach, and yet there are several moments when certain prisoners chow down where I wanted to look away. Between that and the violence, watching before dinner might be the move.
In a dystopian future, there is a prison called the Vertical Self-Management Center. Two prisoners are stationed on each floor, and there is a giant hole in the center. Every day, a platform filled with food lowers to the floor. Prisoners can have as much food as they want when the platform is on their level. However, they can no longer eat when the platform lowers to the next floor. The higher you are in the building, the more food you’ll have at your disposal. The lower floors are left to eat the scraps.
The Platform has much to say about social inequality and greed. I did not expect the Spanish thriller to be as gory as it was. This movie reflects how society treats the rich and the poor, so I should have expected a few uprisings. Overall, it’s a surprisingly effective thriller.
2
Wild Things
A steamy thriller from the 1990s
The following phrase is meant as a compliment: Wild Thingsis sexy trash. It is unapologetically lustful. It’s like playing Mad Libs with an erotic thriller. Plus, its attractive cast—Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Denise Richards, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and Kevin Bacon—adds to the appeal.
In Miami, high school counselor Sam Lombardo (Dillon) is accused of raping popular student Kelly Van Ryan (Richards) and outcast Suzie Toller (Campbell). Sam then hires sleazy lawyer Kenneth Bowden (Murray) to defend him at trial. As the case progresses, Detective Duquette (Bacon) remains suspicious of the girls’ motives and questions whether Sam is innocent.
I’m being intentionally vague in my synopsis because of the significant twists this movie takes. Even if you guess one of the twists, more will follow. It approaches parody with how ridiculous it is, but I’m a sucker for this movie. It’s a soap opera with scandal, murder, and sexual longing. Wild Things is a scripted version of your favorite reality TV show.
1
Caught Stealing
Austin Butler races around New York City
Austin Butler has the “it factor.” Ever since Elvis, Hollywood has been pushing Butler as one of its future stars. The 34-year-old has the looks and skills of an A-list talent. He has good taste, as evidenced by the directors he works with, a list that includes Quentin Tarantino, Jeff Nichols, Denis Villeneuve, Ari Aster, and Darren Aronofsky.
Butler headlined Aronofsky’s 2025 crime thriller Caught Stealing. In the late 1990s, Hank (Butler) is a bartender living in New York City. Hank had aspirations of playing in the MLB, but a car accident derailed his opportunity. One day, Hank’s neighbor Russ (Matt Smith) asks him to look after his cat. That small task somehow leads to Hank going on the run from Russian mobsters.
Butler is the perfect actor for this star-making performance that would have taken him to new heights had it come out in the 1990s. Caught Stealing was considered a box office flop—$32 million on an estimated budget of $40 million. I don’t necessarily blame Butler for the poor box office. I think the August 29 release date played a role in its poor performance. Butler’s inclusion in a project might not lead to significant financial gains. However, I appreciate that he made a grimy mid-budget crime thriller that has seemingly disappeared from today’s movie landscape. If Butler’s down to make more crime capers with breakneck action and frenetic pacing, sign me up.
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