Samsung’s Surprise Galaxy S8 and Note 8 Update Reaches the US

A couple of weeks ago, Samsung surprised Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 users in some regions with a new update. This update is now available in the US as well. While this software release doesn’t change the security patch level, it appears to include important security fixes that users should install as soon as possible.

Nearly decade-old Galaxy phones get a new update in the US

The Galaxy S8 and S8+ debuted in early 2017, introducing Samsung’s Infinity Display design and setting the stage for modern Galaxy flagships. The Galaxy Note 8 followed later that year, becoming the first Note device to feature a dual-camera setup. Both phones received four years of regular security updates before reaching end-of-life status in 2021.

A year later, Samsung released an unexpected GPS-related update for the devices in some regions. However, since then, the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 phones have remained untouched. And that is what makes the latest firmware release particularly noteworthy. Nine years after launch, Samsung is once again delivering software updates to devices that many users assumed had been permanently retired from support.

Interestingly, the update does not include a newer Android security patch. The exact security patch level varies by market and model, but the phones remain on a 2020 or 2021 patch. Even the aforementioned GPS-related update in 2022 didn’t introduce a newer patch.

That said, Samsung appears to have addressed one or more critical vulnerabilities through the latest firmware. While the company hasn’t published a detailed changelog, the decision to release an update for phones this old suggests the fixes target issues significant enough to warrant an exception to its normal support policy.

Since the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 phones are almost a decade old now, they may not have many users around the world. But if you are holding onto one, watch out for an update in the coming days. The new firmware carries build numbers ending in DZE3 for the Galaxy S8 and DZE2 for the Note 8, though the exact version may vary by carrier and model.