We tried the beta 1 of the One UI 8: here are the new features and other useful info

A few days ago, Samsung officially started the One UI 8 Beta program for its current flagships, or the Samsung Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+ and Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Although the Beta program is not officially available in Italy, we still had the opportunity to install it and put our hand to discover All the news That will come with the next major update, expected in a very short one despite the one UI 7 has actually released for just four months.

One UI 8: Let’s find out the news from Beta 1

Last May 28, the One UI 8 He took the first big step towards the release in stable form: Samsung has in fact released the first beta of the next version of the One UI, based on Android 16, for its Galaxy S25.

Currently the beta program is available in countries such as South Korea, the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. Soon, to the party Other countries could unite (we do not have actual confirmations on Italy) and, above all, other models. Indeed, next week Beta 2 could already arrive.

In any case, as anticipated, we had the opportunity to put his hand on the beta 1 (installed on a Galaxy S25) and therefore we can tell you all the news that will be implemented with the One UI 8.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce8rijnve-a

News for the Samsung targate apps

We open this review of the novelties of this beta 1 of the One UI 8 with those news concerning the Samsung apps: the development team has worked “by Fino”, trying to optimize the user experience.

Reminder app

One of the apps that will receive the most significant improvements is the app Memorandum. Compared to the version available with the One UI 7, there are multiple predefined categories and the suggestions of the reminders arrive. In addition, Samsung has made sure that its calendar app can now view (and also create) the reminders.

Weather app

The app Weather forecast It has been updated mainly from the point of view of visual experience: compared to the integrated version in the One UI 7, more “realistic” images are shown as regards the animations related to current weather conditions; In addition, there is much more “game” with transparencies.

Archive app

Also in the app Archive Some aesthetic changes come (such as the categories, arranged on three rows by two cards and not on two files from three buttons) but also some functional changes: entering, for example, in the section “Download”we can notice the presence of download filters (in this case All, Chrome, Discord, Other). We talked about it a few days ago in a more in -depth way.

Samsung Internet app

The browser Samsung Internet Earn an aesthetic novelty that mainly affects the shortcut menu: specifically, it is now much easier to share a web page or choose the shortcuts to be viewed on the menu. We talked about it in a dedicated article.

NEWS AT THE SYSTEM

Going further, let’s move on to those novelties of the One UI 8 that invest, more generally, the operating system: also in this case, as we mentioned in the introduction of the news related to the apps, these are “refinements” rather than revolutions.

System search

Samsung made some changes also to the screen of the system searchmainly to make the most of the space available. Compared to the past, moreover, the horizontal scrolling carousels disappear to give way to squares with all the suggested apps or all the buttons (filters and not) in the first function inside.

Animation gesture back predictive

Although it was already present with the One UI 7 on the Android 15 basis, the animation “predictive gesture” becomes almost predefined only with the One UI 8: Samsung is in fact widening the compatibility of this animation in many of its applications (such as settings, calculator, contacts, weather, clock, vocal recorder). We talked about it in a dedicated article.

News for use with support apps (divided screen)

The next version of the One UI will significantly improve multitasking: specifically, alongside two apps (divided screen mode), we will no longer be “limited” to the two currently available possibilities (ie 50/50 or 75/25) but we will be able to opt for the new possibility 90/10.

In this way, one of the two apps will be practically “internal screen” but recalling the other, reduced to 10% at the bottom or at the top, will be very simple. We treated this news in a dedicated article.

Other news of the One UI 8

We close our review with those functions for which news have been promised (but for which nothing new has been implemented) or other new UI 8 who are “daughters” of the transition to Android 16.

Now Brief and Now Bar

As regards Now brief And Now bartwo of the novelties of the One UI 7, Samsung has promised some refinements which, at the moment, are not very visible. Surely, most of the future improvements will be linked to those developers who will make their apps compatible with the summary and with updates in real time.

New “Experience” with Quick Share

We have already known for some time Quick Sharethe service for sharing nearby, would soon receive a profound reinterpretation. As you can observe from the following image, now the functionality is divided into the two cards “Send” And “Receive”. In the future, this Redesign should reach all Android devices.

When will one UI 8 arrive?

There One UI 8 This summer is expected this summer with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 and Galaxy Z Flip7, the folding smartphones that the South Korean giant should present in July (perhaps already in the early stages).

For the rollout “in stable” form on the most dated devices, with the Galaxy S25 without a doubt in the front row, we will certainly have to wait a little more time, probably in the order of a couple of months: gradually, then, the availability will be extended to all compatible smartphones.

Considering that Samsung is a lot virtuous Once left on the updates front, the rollout will not take long to reach the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6, all the Galaxy S24 and gradually the most dated models. We already know, however, that the One UI 8 is a candidate to be the last major update for eighteen devices of the South Korean giant.