Samsung’s One UI Android operating system implementation has received consistent praise for its feature set and customizable interface for years. It’s a large part of what puts Galaxies among the best Android phones. Although the Korean tech giant has foregone major hardware changes to its flagships over the last couple of years, its recurring software release still rightfully gets tons of hype.
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Samsung’s bespoke version goes further than Android 15’s base rollout. Dedicated Samsung users wondering what’s coming next should prepare for a relatively major update on multiple fronts. While it takes direction from developer choices, the Samsung-flavored Android software remains as easy to use as before. It has more powerful capabilities and user-friendly considerations than ever, rivaling iOS’ out-of-the-box versatility. The latest version stands out from One UI 6.1 in these seven major ways.
6 powerful new One UI 7 features every Samsung user needs to try
The most significant visual change in years
7
Notable visual refinement
More than just updated system app icons
All icons get a little rounder with One UI 7, and Samsung system apps get redesigned icons, but that’s only the start. The visual refresh extends throughout the UI. Buttons, menus, and notifications see a similarly rounded appearance, and increased integration of transparent elements improves function and form. The One UI ecosystem now meshes better.
A touch-up to shapes, lines, and colors comes alongside reworked animations that promise a smoother, more satisfying experience. Various clutter has been cleaned up, with a standardized home screen grid and improved landscape-portrait transitions keeping things organized. You’ll notice the new look before anything else, but it’s far from the only upgrade.
6
New ways to use common functions
And an oddly familiar quick panel redesign
One UI’s newly split settings and notification shades draw stark comparisons to the longtime format of another industry-leading mobile OS. Swiping down from the upper-right corner pulls down your notifications, while anywhere on the upper edge brings out the Quick Settings. It’s a departure for two frequently used functions, and users could still deactivate the new format as of the final beta.
The previous horizontal app spread gets the ax in favor of the vertical drawer, which is popular among other manufacturers. Like many interface changes, the app drawer comes down to personal preference and can be reverted to the paginated view if you’re not a fan. Widgets are standardized and easier to customize for quick access, priming them to take over for the discontinued third-party Edge Panels (stock Samsung Edge Panels will continue to work).
5
A reorganized camera app
With overhauled controls and advanced editing functions
Without more advanced hardware, Samsung is banking on a streamlined camera app to keep Galaxy phones’ photo and video capture at the flagship level. A general decluttering makes it easier to focus on the subject, with an overflow menu below the viewfinder hiding the in-depth settings.
The mode menu sits below the shutter button, and advanced mode selection doesn’t seize the entire display, so you don’t lose focus on what you’re shooting. Quality-of-life considerations like a quick-select 2× zoom button, variable (rather than slotted) zoom selector, per-mode exposure settings, and more grid and level guides make thorough photography easier.
It wouldn’t be 2025 without fancy photo editing and filters. You can erase distracting items from images, craft custom collages, and add motion effects to photos that would otherwise bore. Animating videos and keeping track of editing changes also see powerful improvements.
4
Enhanced lock screen and notification experiences
See time-critical information via the Now Bar
Samsung’s interpretation of the Dynamic Island may not break major ground, but it brings potential to-the-minute updates together in a cohesive package. You can link the Now Bar to numerous Samsung apps to see what they want to tell you without unlocking your phone. It’s the next step in getting the most out of Galaxy phones with always-on displays. Tap the Now Bar, and it morphs into a full-size lock screen widget.
Samsung improved support for live notifications and offered a discrete pull-down notification panel. You can see the active progress of activities like recordings or timers without digging into the app via the Now Bar, status bar, or notification panel. One UI 7 also improves notification icon consistency, stacking, and unfurling and expands support for lock screen widgets and their various functions. You can filter certain alerts, like those from background apps, to keep less important static from distracting you.
3
The continued Galaxy AI invasion
AI apps are basically just apps now
Galaxy AI is improving, and so is Samsung’s integration of its various tools. You can ask for writing help when you select text and get the LLM’s input on tone, grammar, and formatting. Call recording arrives on North American Galaxy phones, and by extension, so does super-simple AI call transcription. AI is upgrading the Browsing Assist function by adding text-to-speech capture to its online translation and summary function. Meanwhile, AI-driven Live Effects and Portrait Studio integrate with the camera app to help you create the perfect pictures.
Sketch to Image now accepts commands via text and voice to get the picture right, and Samsung added a slider to set how aggressively you want the AI to massage your scribbles into coherent artwork. The tool, also known as Drawing Assist, offers fun modes such as 3D Cartoon and Watercolor output. Even Bixby is getting an AI overhaul. The immensely popular Circle to Search also levels up, now able to take a crack at on-screen math and physics problems in its upgraded Homework with the Circle to Search iteration. Here’s to the future of education.
2
Even more customization
Including more routines and technical settings
Samsung seems to have a handle on the interface decisions most people want, but One UI’s extensive customization options have long been among its upsides. That’s even more true with One UI 7. Bigger folders, more versatile widgets, the vast potential of the Now Bar, and 60- and 120-hertz game frame rate locks make up some such options.
Samsung’s latest OS gets 32 new routines for crafting your own automations using simple “if, then” statements. Clock customization now offers more options. One UI 7 adds helpful options for demanding users, like a system-wide Ultra HDR toggle that prevents the screen brightness from skyrocketing when viewing the up-and-coming image format in third-party apps that support it. Connectivity controls get a boost with the ability to filter Wi-Fi networks so you only connect to the standards or frequencies you need.
1
An undeniable iOS influence
For better or worse, Samsung keeps copying Apple
Samsung’s Android skin gets a lot of love. It also sees a fair share of criticism for copying iOS features. Apple copied from Android manufacturers before. When users love a feature, it makes sense for manufacturers to implement it on their platforms.
Even the most obvious supposed theft, the split notification panel, was on Android long ago and still features on implementations like Xiaomi’s HyperOS. Feedback remains positive as manufacturers shift to rounded, fluid design languages, so we can’t fault Samsung for following suit with One UI. The smoother animations are nothing to sneeze at. Samsung only adds these features because consumers love them.
Powerful software upgrades to offset lackluster hardware changes
While One UI displays iOS influences, it remains Android software at heart. It continues to boast more customization than iOS and other Android flavors. The added considerations of One UI 7 should satisfy both casual and power users. The streamlined camera app could help mitigate some of the Galaxy lineup’s recurring camera complaints (although there’s no word yet on whether shutter lag is improved).
These new tweaks sound great, but the best might be yet to come. It’s not clear how Galaxy AI will evolve over the next year. Considering Samsung plans to charge an AI subscription fee after 2025, we wouldn’t be surprised to see it release some new, enticing Galaxy AI abilities in the coming months. Thanks to the marvels of cloud processing, even the less capable of Samsung’s great Galaxy phones can theoretically utilize the hot, new technology.
