After Samsung messed up the rollout of One UI 7, users and fans have been questioning the future of software support from the company. One way to make up for this is by providing the stable One UI 8 update much faster.
Samsung is actively working on One UI 8 right now, and leaked screenshots via Smartprix confirm some iterative changes. Since Google is releasing the Android 16 update a few months earlier than usual, companies are working to update their devices to it. One UI 8 is still in the alpha stage, and many elements are similar to One UI 7. This could change with future betas.
The One UI 8 leak is from a testing unit of the Galaxy Z Fold 6. While One UI 7 was focused on major design changes and new features, One UI 8 is more of an optimization-focused update.
One of the major changes from the screenshots is the File Manager app. The contents have now moved slightly above, and the categories are stacked vertically instead of horizontally. There are minor visual enhancements to offer a better presentation. This change was only spotted on devices running the Android 16 Beta, so it’s framework-specific.
There are also changes to the Gallery app. The old Share menu had no transparency and no blur. With One UI 8, there’s a bit of blur and a transparent effect. The icons are now presented with a round border. There are minor visual improvements throughout the app.
Such design changes weren’t spotted on other apps so far, and we might get more changes in future betas. Samsung is refining the design after the One UI 7 update and making it more cohesive.
There were several leaks that said the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 might ship with One UI 8 out of the box. This is very good news since the company could push out the update to older models a bit earlier.
As the source, the One UI 8 update might finally bring the Now Brief widget to older models. At the moment, Samsung has confirmed that it’s not coming to older models since it requires a personalized data engine. This engine supposedly needs the latest hardware. Since the source shows a video with Now Brief working on the Z Fold 6, there’s a good chance that Samsung might release it for older models with this update.
Samsung’s One UI 5 and One UI 6 rollouts set an example to the industry and rolled out to a majority of devices between September and December of the same year. The versions were also stable, and Samsung also ambitiously announced 7 years of software support. Unfortunately, the One UI 7 rollout was delayed by several months, and critical bugs were also found a day before the final rollout. It has been recalled once more, and we’re not sure when Samsung will release it to all the devices yet. One UI 8 is Samsung’s chance to redeem itself in the software game.
