The rollout of One UI 8 might give Samsung the software updates crown back. Samsung was one of the first companies to roll out Android 14. However, they fell behind with Android 15 due to the delays in the One UI 7 rollout. It’s worth noting that One UI 7 was an extremely major redesign, with new icons, a visual refresh, new animations, better first-party apps, and more.
The Android 16 is Google’s redesign. It offers a lot more blur elements in the UI, has different animated sliders, a new Quick Settings page, and more. Samsung does not follow or implement Google’s design, since the company runs its own custom skin with a unique design and more features.
Since Samsung already did a redesign last year, the company does not have much to change with One UI 8. It’s mostly an optimization update to iron out inconsistencies. One UI 7 still has a few rough edges with design, which One UI 8 will address.
Samsung is completely skipping One UI 7.1, and users will directly get One UI 8. It will also mostly address the battery issues and lag issues that users are facing on One UI 7. Samsung has already launched the One UI 8 beta program, and it has a few new features. The program is only available for select devices for now.
Samsung has officially announced these devices for the Phase 1 rollout:
- Galaxy S25
- Galaxy S25 Plus
- Galaxy S25 Ultra
Strangely, the S25 Edge is missing from this list for now. These flagships are the first devices to get the betas of One UI 8. We can assume they’ll also get the stable release first. We’ll mostly see other devices down the road. In typical Samsung fashion, not all countries will get the beta or stable release at the same time.
The beta is currently available in the following countries:
- United States (Both for T-Mobile & Unlocked devices)
- Germany
- South Korea
- United Kingdom
These are the only countries that are eligible for Phase 1 betas at the moment. We can expect expansion to other countries eventually, perhaps with Phase 2 of the One UI 8 betas.
The update adds a few new AI features. It’ll also bring the features introduced with the S25 series on One UI 7 earlier. There’s a new reminders app, a better calendar app, new Modes & Routines, a different design for the weather app, etc. It’s largely minor tweaks here and there.
How to join the One UI 8 Beta program
- Open the Samsung Members app.
- Go to the “Beta Program” home page.
- Register for the One UI 8 beta.
- Download the latest beta software from here.
Assuming your device is eligible and you’re in a supported country, it should download the update. There are other methods through which you can sideload the beta, but they’re risky.
Note: Only use beta software if you’re a creator or a tester/ developer. It’s not recommended to use it on your main device, since it’s prone to instability, security issues, and incompatible apps.
