Android Central Labs
Android Central Labs is a weekly column dedicated to deep dives, experiments, and a targeted look into the tech you utilize. It covers telephones, tablets, and all the pieces in between.
The Samsung One UI 7 beta program is absolutely underway, having simply launched its second beta that is crammed with bug fixes for all eligible Samsung Galaxy telephones. I’ve been utilizing it on my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and am already satisfied that is the very best model of One UI Samsung has made in a really very long time.
The newest beta is all about fixing bugs, however there are such a lot of new options in One UI 7 that it is onerous to not sift via all of them to search out my new favorites. Samsung is doing lots to cater to long-time followers and folk who dislike One UI by doing what it does greatest: providing choices for each possible choice.
So, what’s it like to make use of One UI 7? Exceptional in most methods, fortunately.
A brand new UI
Right off the bat, seasoned Samsung customers — and there are lots of you on the market — will instantly discover that Samsung has cut up the notification shade by default. This implies that knocking down on the proper facet of the standing bar brings up a full display screen of fast toggle buttons and sliders whereas swiping down on the left facet of the standing bar brings up notifications. It’s precisely like an iPhone.
I can see lots of people getting actually annoyed with this new default habits, and I’m undecided it is my favourite choice ever. On the intense facet, you may shortly transfer between the 2 panels with a horizontal swipe, so it would not take a lot effort if muscle reminiscence kicks in and it’s good to get to the opposite panel.
Thankfully, you may change it again to the unique single-panel habits, however you may have to hit the pencil button within the fast toggles pane and swap again over. It’s a bit of bit hidden, and I believe Samsung must floor it a bit extra. I attempted the brand new cut up pane for some time, however I actually do not prefer it, so I made the swap again to the Android-style habits.
Finally! A vertical app drawer by default!
The subsequent factor you may seemingly discover is the vertical app drawer. Ironically, whereas Samsung is copying Apple with the default cut up notification pane, it is going with a extra Android-like expertise with the default app drawer format. If you do not like this, you may swap again by selecting the “customized” kind order. It’s a bizarre wording selection and I believe Samsung wants to only change it to “vertical” or “horizontal” to keep away from confusion.
The new vertical drawer is fantastic, although, and even has a scroll bar on the proper for shortly transferring between apps, all sorted alphabetically by default. The vertical app drawer is a large enchancment that makes One UI immediately really feel prefer it was developed within the 2020s quite than the 2000s.
The new multitasking UI is SO MUCH BETTER than Google’s terrible default design in Android.
The third enormous factor you may discover is the brand new multitasking UI, which lastly enables you to see multiple app tile at a time. Instead of spacing tiles out horizontally and making the center one take up most house, Samsung now arranges tiles in a 3D carousel so you may peek behind and simply see apps forward as you scroll via the record.
The energetic app instantly strikes to the proper of the display screen so you may shortly juggle between a number of apps. Of course, this design is almost equivalent to the iOS fashion of multitasking that has existed on iPhones for over a decade, and it is about time, too.
Google launched the outdated horrendous format with Android 9, and I by no means understood why the corporate saved it for so long as it did. It’s not a multitasking UI if you happen to can solely see one app at a time. This no less than does lots to repair that, even when it is a blatant iOS ripoff.
Good Lock is not prepared but, so what you see is what you get till then.
If you need any of the opposite multitasking types, you may have to attend till Good Lock’s Home Up module will get up to date for One UI 7 compatibility, seemingly after the ultimate OS launch, which is anticipated in January.
Other refreshes across the OS embody new icons, up to date fonts, a brand new battery indicator that appears tremendous swanky, and loads of new widgets you may positively wish to mess around with. I notably love the countdown widget, which helps you to decide a particular date on the calendar and drop it on your private home display screen to construct anticipation.
Not fairly nailing the sensation
While the brand new UI adjustments are largely constructive with just a few controversial choices, the “feeling” you get is one thing of a non-measurable class. If I evaluate One UI to one thing like OxygenOS 15, for example, Samsung’s consumer expertise nonetheless would not really feel like the very best of the very best.
Haptics, for example, nonetheless really feel weak and are sometimes lacking in essential locations and it makes the expertise really feel so vacant in comparison with my OnePlus 12. Moving the brightness slider or clearing notifications on a OnePlus cellphone delivers satisfying haptics that make them really feel like bodily buttons or sliders, whereas Samsung’s UI would not vibrate or really feel responsive in any respect.
Animations in One UI 7 aren’t wherever close to the caliber of OxygenOS 15 on the OnePlus 12. For occasion, while you set a timer and swipe residence on OnePlus’s OxygenOS 15, the app will “reduce” to the standing bar in a brilliant slick manner. When you click on the timer, it then warps and enlarges into the app while you click on it. This is healthier proven in movement, which you’ll see under.
Watch On
Samsung’s new animations nonetheless aren’t the identical caliber that may be present in OxygenOS 15, and haptics in One UI 7 nonetheless really feel vacant and hole.
However, in One UI 7, the app simply slides down and away with none pomp. Clicking the reside notification timer within the standing bar simply opens the app in the usual manner. No pizazz. Nothing enjoyable is going on in any respect.
What I’ll say is that Samsung’s new Live Notifications are an incredible riff off of the iPhone’s Dynamic Island that I’ve been craving. But as a substitute of simply copying Apple, Samsung improved on the idea by making the notification “capsule” seem on the backside of the show the place it is most clickable.
You’ll see this new capsule on the always-on show or the lock display screen, making it simple to shortly pause that timer or take actionable data for a supported app. Otherwise, the little capsule lives within the standing bar on prime, so you may see it always with out it taking over any extra room than the standing bar ever does. Bravo, Samsung.
Ten thousand options
As you may count on from Samsung, the brand new options record for One UI 7 is a mile lengthy. While some beloved options had been eliminated, the brand new OS model is packed stuffed with stuff you may solely use a handful of occasions however, finally, will discover helpful while you get the prospect to make use of them.
There’s one thing right here for everybody, even if you happen to solely end up utilizing it as soon as in a blue moon.
One instance is transferring all calendar entries to a brand new calendar as a substitute of getting to do it one after the other. If you are sharing a file over Quick Share and it fails, you may now be provided the choice to switch it utilizing an web connection as a substitute of getting to redo the switch.
Notifications can even stack when an app provides you a bunch at a time. This is helpful for when you’ve got a number of Gmail accounts, for example, as you may get one occasion of Gmail within the notification shade however can simply swipe down on it to see all the pieces.
Even the digicam obtained some love, though I’m not tremendous loopy about all the pieces. The digicam has a 2x zoom button proper on the viewfinder, including to the record of .6, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10x zoom choices to immediately get the place you need with out having to scroll. Samsung even added enjoyable new results for reside images so you may shortly flip them right into a Boomerang or slow-motion preview of your picture.
Still a piece in progress
One UI 7 is not excellent, however I believe it is an enormous step in the proper path for Samsung. One UI has felt a bit dated for some time now and wanted some updating to really feel trendy once more. I’m glad to see Samsung not solely taking suggestions but additionally being keen to make much-needed adjustments for UI parts which were round for manner too lengthy, like that horrible horizontal app drawer.
This is simply the second beta launch for One UI 7, and the subsequent launch of the beta is anticipated to repair extra bugs that’ll seemingly crop up; plus, it might make just a few tweaks based mostly on consumer suggestions within the beta program. Most seemingly, we’ll see the subsequent beta replace pop up earlier than the yr ends.
