The December SMR (Security Maintenance Release) is live for both the original Galaxy S21 FE as well as the new version that arrived a few months later in Europe. Yes, not many might remember, but Samsung launched two Galaxy S21 FE versions in Europe this year. The first one came in January with the model number SM-G990B, while a mid-year refresh of the device came with the model number SM-G990B2. It was not a major refresh and went largely under the radar. Nonetheless, whichever Galaxy S21 FE model you may be using in Europe, the latest security patch is now available for you. The updated firmware versions are G990BXXS2DVL1 and G990B2XXS1DVL1, respectively (via). The December SMR for the carrier-locked units in the US came with firmware version G990USQS4DVL1. Samsung should soon roll out this update in other markets. The phone was released globally and is still relatively new, sitting towards the top of the company’s priority chart when it comes to software support. It will fall down the order as new models arrive in the coming years. The December SMR for the Galaxy devices patches 80 vulnerabilities, Samsung revealed earlier this month. These include issues specific to Galaxy devices as well as Android OS flaws affecting the entire ecosystem. The vast majority of this month’s security patches were labeled high-severity and critical by Google and Samsung.
Unlocked Galaxy S21 FE models in the US are still awaiting Android 13
Samsung’s Android 13 rollout pace has been incredible so far. Over the past couple of months, the company has updated more than 60 Galaxy smartphone and tablet models to the latest Android version. Unfortunately, the update hasn’t reached all Galaxy devices in every market yet. The Korean firm has kept unlocked units of many Galaxy devices waiting for Android 13. The Galaxy S21 FE is one of them. The newest affordable Galaxy flagship started getting Android 13 in international markets last month. The carrier-locked versions in the US also joined the party soon. But the big Android update has yet to reach unlocked units stateside. Hopefully, Samsung will not keep users waiting for much longer now. It’d be a nice little holiday gift if it released the update before the end of 2022.
