It’s been a long and awkward road for Android 15. Google launched its latest Pixels without a new build for its mobile OS, with users waiting until October for the latest changes to roll out. Since then, we’ve seen a couple of companies — namely, OnePlus — roll out their respective upgrades, while the 800 pound gorilla in the room stayed silent. Finally, after months of rumors and leaks, it’s finally time for Samsung to deliver a preview of One UI 7, with the first public beta ready to rock today.
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One UI 7 has an all-new look and feel
And yes, it seems very iOS-inspired
Before we get to Samsung’s round-up of AI-focused tools, let’s focus on the big changes this year: a full visual overhaul. We’ve seen plenty of leaks since the company reportedly delayed its beta in August, with Samsung delivering a small sneak peak at its developers conference in October before, once again, falling silent.
Today’s beta announcement confirms practically every leak we’ve seen, right down to the new look and feel for One UI. The biggest change is something Samsung calls the “Now Bar,” which looks to be the company’s take on Apple’s Live Activities widgets. The Now Bar displays actions from “Interpreter, Music, Recording, Stopwatch and more,” which seems to suggest it’s exclusively limited to first-party apps.
I’m a huge fan of Live Activities on iOS, especially as more apps have come to support it. Having sports scores and Fantasy matchups live on my lock screen while reviewing the iPhone 16 Pro Max was fantastic, and I’m hoping to see similar support here. But unless the Now Bar opens up to third-parties, this is probably going to be limited to a music widget for lots of users.
Samsung also says One UI 7 sports a “simple, impactful, and emotive design,” though I’m not sure that’s coming through in the screenshots shared with today’s announcement. The quick settings menu has been reworked to be more in line with what the iPhone offers — a decision Samsung is far from alone in — while the updated icons remind me of Chinese OEM offerings, like MIUI and Color OS. I’m curious to see how these look in action when One UI 7 lands on my Galaxy S24 Ultra later today. At least these new widgets look pretty nice.
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This redesign also includes an all-new look for the camera, which looks like a hybrid between Google’s viewfinder on Pixel and Apple’s UI on iOS. The placements of the gallery button, rotate button, and the look for swapping between zoom lengths are all out of Google’s playbook, while the font for the different camera modes (and, more specifically, the fact that they’re written out in all caps) is giving big iPhone vibes. It’s not just about visual differences, though. Samsung has reorganized its Pro mode toolsets with an easier layout, which should make controlling your final image a whole lot easier.
Visual changes aside, this wouldn’t be a major modern OS upgrade without plenty of attention paid to AI. We’ve already heard Samsung is holding back some of its marquee next-gen Galaxy AI features for One UI 7.1, but that doesn’t mean this beta is completely missing out on new toolsets.
“Advanced writing assist tools” work in any app where text is selectable, delivering summarization options, spelling and grammar check, and auto-formatting for bullet points, in addition to the writing tools introduced last year. Call transcripts are also on their way, complete with support for 20 languages. Tap a button in-call to start recording, and you’ll get an auto-transcription at the end of the conversation.
Galaxy S24 users can grab it today
But only if you’re in a supported region
This update has been a long time coming, but not everyone’s going to be able to jump on it today. Samsung’s One UI 7 beta program is only available right now for Galaxy S24 series users (excluding the Galaxy S24 FE) in Germany, India, Poland, South Korea, the UK, and the US. Don’t worry, Z Fold 6 owners, you’ll get your chance.
If you’re interested in trying it out, you can sign up through the Samsung Members app. If you’re waiting for the stable update, Samsung says it’s coming in the first quarter of 2025. Get your Edge Panel memories in while you can.
