The Mid-Range Renewal: Samsung added One UI 8.5 Beta 2 to Galaxy A54
In the Quick world of mobile technology, "flagship" usually has stolen spotlights. We talk about Galaxy S-series and Z-folds with bated breath, but for millions of users worldwide, real workhorse is Galaxy A-series. Specifically, Galaxy A54 has owned a Status as "Perfect" of smartphones—not expensive, not basic, just right.
Samsung has just reinforced its commitment to this segment by expanding One UI 8.5 Beta 2 rollout to the Galaxy A54. This comes just days after the S23 series, and newer A36/A35 models received the same treatment.
In this deep dive, we’re going to explore what this update means for your device, the technical fixes included, and why One UI 8.5 is shaping up to be most stable "point-five" update in Samsung's history.
1. The Context: Why One UI 8.5 Matters in 2026
Usually, a ".5" update is a mid-cycle refresh. However, One UI 8.5 is a different a copywriter, I’m always looking for ways to connect with readers and create a memorable experience. This new version of Android has changed how Samsung thinks about “intelligence”.
The Galaxy A54 is an example of how Samsung continues to provide exceptional software support even though this phone was originally released with Android 13. Other companies may have put their three-year-old mid-range phone into security updates only, but Samsung has placed this device as an important part of its current ecosystem.
The Firmware Details
Device: Samsung Galaxy A54
Firmware Version: A546EXXUJZZD9
Update Size: Approximately 500MB
Region: Currently seeding in India (with global rollout expected shortly)
2. Beta 2 Changelog
A second beta is usually thought to be where 'the magic' will occur. In terms of improvements to Beta 1, Beta 2 encompasses verifying that the new features do not negatively affect the operation of your device. Provided below are the specific corrections for each fixed item as identified by Samsung:
A. Bluetooth auto scan failure
Users expressed their concern about an irritating bug when attempting to pair additional Buds or a smartwatch in the Bluetooth settings in Beta 1 where the auto scan would fail to work when the user opened their Bluetooth settings. Users who experienced this problem only were able to identify the list of previously paired devices.
The Fix: Beta 2 restores the active polling mechanism. Now, entering the menu immediately triggers the search for nearby low-energy (BLE) and standard Bluetooth signals.
B. Camera Function Stabilization
The Galaxy A54 is a phone that many people like because it has a 50MP main lens; however, in most of the beta builds, they saw post-processing lag on the camera display Viewfinder when you zoomed in and out from the Main to the Ultra-wide or Macro lens.
The Fix: Samsung has improved the hand-off from ISP (Image Signal Processor), so the camera app will be more stable, the camera shutter lag will be reduced by 15% (the average reported), and the transition between lenses will be much smoother.
C. Quick Panel UI Polish
One UI 8.5 adds a new, more transparent Quick Panel (glass-morphic effect). The original release of Beta 1 had a problem with the brightness controls and volume controls; if you swiped quickly, there was a delay or no response.
The Fix: The touch-response layering for the Quick Panel has been recorded. Sliding your finger to dim your screen at night is now a fluid, uninterrupted gesture.
D. Direct Voicemail & Samsung TTS
Samsung is moving toward a more localized AI. By making the Samsung TTS (Text-to-Speech) engine the default for Direct Voicemail, they are ensuring that the transcription and playback experience is consistent across all Galaxy devices, reducing reliance on Google’s cloud-based synthesis.
3.The “Android 16” Type of Connection What’s Beneath Years
One UI 8.5 is created on top of Android 16, so there are various behind-the-scenes improvements that don’t necessarily show up in every changelog, but they exist:
1) Predictive Back Gestures – With this new feature, while using an app, you will get a sneak peak of what you're navigating away from when you swipe back so that you can determine if you want to exit.
2) Enhanced Privacy Dashboard – Provides finer detail on what apps are able to have access to your sensors (camera, microphone, location) at any given time.
3) Battery Health Management - Provides a system-wide “Battery Health” percentage so that those with a Galaxy A54 can see how their Lithium-Ion battery has degraded over time (like what the iPhone has offered for years – but now on Android).
4. Performance Expectations for the Galaxy A54
The Exynos 1380 Chipset (also used in Galaxy A54) has many features that are designed specifically for Performance. This Chipset is a very good price point, as well as performed to the required specifications for this category of Product Line! Unfortunately, as compared with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Chipsets, the Exynos 1380 performance is inferior to those older Qualcomm Chipsets!
Regarding One UI 8.5, there will not be noticeably any changes to performance with the Exynos 1380.
Benchmark scores already indicate that there would be no decrease to Performance on the Galaxy A54 as compared with One UI 8. 5..
The company has been developing software to enhance mid-ranges Exynos devices' overall performance through a project called Project Smooth, to provide better overall performance in both animation and overall performance. The user interface rendering has been almost completely transitioned to only using the GPU for rendering of the user interface; allowing the CPU to be conductive for most of the processing workloads. The overall feeling of the device should be much faster than what you experienced with One UI 7.0 because of this change.
5. Joining the Beta (and whether you should)
If you live in India (or any other country in which Samsung has decided to invite you to be an early beta test participant) you can join the beta testing of One UI 8.5 through the Samsung Members app.
1. Install a beta version of software on your sole device may cause permanent damage or adversely affect your device in the future. Beta 1 and Beta 2 have seen many improvements over time but experienced less reliability because the beta has not yet been made available to the entire population of possible users.
2. Before testing this beta, please exercise extreme care; there are many known issues associated with this beta, some of which are listed below, with more listed in the "Known Issues" section of the beta release notes, which contain additional known issues caused by the beta, such as:
Banking applications (like Google Pay, or online banking portal) will not work because they will not be able to confirm safety-net checks.
Random reboots.
Higher than usual battery drain.
If you’re ready to take the plunge:
Open Samsung Members.
Click the Bell Icon (Notifications).
Tap on "Registration for One UI Beta Program."
Once registered, go to Settings > Software Update to pull the 500MB file.
6. The Value Proposition: Is the A54 Still Worth It?
Looking at the current market prices listed in the update notes:
128GB / 6GB RAM: $112.92
128GB / 8GB RAM: $259.00 / €239.82
At price points—especially for Renovated or entry-level models— Galaxy A54 is an absolute steal. You are getting a device that is currently running absolute latest cutting-edge software that hasn't even hit the public yet.
7. Looking Ahead: Stable Release
Based on Samsung's current trajectory, the Beta process for A54 will be like consist of 4 or 5 builds. We expect Stable One UI 8.5 Update to roll out world widely by late June or early July 2026.
For those with Galaxy A54 smartphones – don’t give up yet; it’s still important to Samsung and the company is demonstrating you do not have to expect less than Apple because of what you paid for your A54.
Are you participating in the Beta program? Have you seen improvements to your camera/ battery life with it? Let us know about that in the comments; we would love to chat about this.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which devices can currently receive One UI 8.5 Beta 2 update?
The Galaxy S23 series, Z Flip5, A36, A35, and the A54 are devices eligible for this release.
What is the firmware version and download size for the A54 update?
The version of firmware will be A546EXXUJZZD9 and approximately 500 MB in size at download.
Which primary bug fixes were added to this release?
This includes fixing auto-scan issues with Bluetooth, as well as camera freeze-ups when using the camera, and lag when adjusting quick panel settings.
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