A new version of Android is released every year, but every manufacturer also makes changes and tweaks that are specific to its devices.
One UI is one of the most well known of these ‘skins’, as it’s what you’ll find on all recent Samsung smartphones and tablets.
Here’s everything you need to know about the newest version of Android for Samsung devices, including the latest One UI 6.1 update.
When will One UI 6 be released?
One UI 6, based on Android 14, was officially released for the Galaxy S23 series in October 2023, though the rollout to other compatible devices took a while.
In January 2024, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S24 series, introducing One UI 6.1 alongside it. It’s still based on Android 14, but integrates several new Galaxy AI functionalities for devices running Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip.
Samsung says that One UI 6.1 will be available from “end of March“, though it may take a while to roll out fully.
Which phones will get One UI 6?
One UI 6 is currently available for all of the following devices:
Galaxy S series
- Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Galaxy S23+
- Galaxy S23
- Galaxy S22 Ultra
- Galaxy S22+
- Galaxy S22
- Galaxy S21 FE
- Galaxy S21 Ultra
- Galaxy S21+
- Galaxy S21
Galaxy Z series
- Galaxy Z Fold 5
- Galaxy Z Flip 5
- Galaxy Z Fold 4
- Galaxy Z Flip 4
- Galaxy Z Fold 3
- Galaxy Z Flip 3
Galaxy A series
- Galaxy A73
- Galaxy A72
- Galaxy A54
- Galaxy A53
- Galaxy A52 (A52 5G, A52s)
- Galaxy A34
- Galaxy A33
- Galaxy A24
- Galaxy A23
- Galaxy A14
- Galaxy A13
- Galaxy A04s
Galaxy M series
- Galaxy M54
- Galaxy M53 5G
- Galaxy M33 5G
- Galaxy M23
Galaxy F series
- Galaxy F54
- Galaxy F23
- Galaxy F14 5G
Galaxy Xcover series
Galaxy tablets
- Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
- Galaxy Tab S9+
- Galaxy Tab S9
- Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
- Galaxy Tab S8+
- Galaxy Tab S8
However, only the below are compatible with the One UI 6.1 update and its AI features:
- Galaxy S23
- Galaxy S23+
- Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Galaxy S23 FE
- Galaxy Z Fold 5
- Galaxy Z Flip 5
- Galaxy Tab S9
- Galaxy Tab S9+
- Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
What new features does One UI 6 have?
One UI 6 is quite a substantial change that introduced several new features and notable quality of life improvements on Samsung phones and tablets. Here are the most important ones, plus what One UI 6.1 adds to the experience.
Quick panel
youtube.com / Samsung
The biggest UI change in One UI 6 is the Quick panel, Samsung’s take on the quick settings menu. It introduces a new button layout which will make it easier to access the most useful features first, like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth toggles. The panel itself is now divided into the most important part at the top, a customisable panel in the middle, and a visual options panel at the bottom.
There are more layout changes, such as an improved album art display in the panel and the ability to quickly access brightness controls. One UI 6 also makes it much quicker to access the full Quick panel, as it requires just two swipes down to get all your options.
New personalisation options
youtube.com / Samsung
On eUI 6 also focuses on personalisation. You’ll now be able to reposition the clock on your lock screen, as well as add different watch faces.
You can also customize it with routines, allowing it completely different based on the time of day. This means not only different watch faces or wallpapers, but also shortcuts to different apps.
Camera and editing improvements
youtube.com / Samsung
Samsung also announced lots of One UI 6 features for taking better photos and videos, but also editing them using AI and machine learning (ML).
Firstly, you can now add custom camera widgets to your home screen, each opening the app in different shooting modes and with the options of your choosing. You’ll also have much easier access to options such as resolution settings, video size menu or effects, making customising your photos and videos much easier.
There are also options which allow you to decide quality your photos will be saved at. This allows you to choose how much post-processing is to be done to your photos, giving you more freedom to shoot the way you like.
The Gallery app has also got some attention. It will analyse photos using AI and has new features such Photo Remaster (for improving the quality of photos and GIFs) and Object Eraser (for removing objects you’d prefer not to be in the frame.
Elsewhere, a new video editing app called Samsung Studio aims to make it quick and easy to edit video directly on your phone.
Galaxy connected experience
youtube.com / Samsung
Samsung is also trying to unify its ecosystem even more. Sharing content between Galaxy tablets and smartphones was already easy, but One UI 6 makes it just as easy between Android and Samsung’s Galaxy Book laptops.
You can even control all these devices with the same mouse and keyboard, making the experience seamless and allowing you to, for example, copy and paste content between these devices without any issues.
New system font
youtube.com / Samsung
One change that might not affect the way you use your phone, but you will notice, is the new system font. One UI Sans will be the new default system font, and is designed to make it feel more modern and improve readability.
One UI 6.1
In January 2024, Samsung rolled out One UI 6.1 alongside the Galaxy S24 series. This updated software package introduced several new features, including:
- Generative Edit – automatically fills in parts of a photo’s background
- Circle to Search – circle anything on your screen to search for it on Google (text or images)
- Live Translate – real-time, two-way voice and text translation during phone calls in the native app
- Transcript Assist – converts voice recordings into written transcriptions, which can then be summarised or translated
- Chat Assist – adjust the tone of your message or email to match the conversation. Also, can translate any on-screen text into one of 13 languages
- Note Assist – create summaries, custom templates and individual cover art for notes in Samsung Notes.
- Browsing Assist – create summaries of online articles
- Interpreter – instant, split-screen translation between two languages, allowing conversations between participants who speak different languages
- Instant Slow-mo – generates additional frames in an existing video to create a slow-motion version
- Photo expansion– expand pictures beyond their original borders and use AI to fill in the gaps
- AI wallpapers – choose from various categories for unique images and apply weather or portrait effects to finished wallpapers
- Quick Share – Quick Share and Nearby Share merged, allowing easy sharing with all Android phones
- Battery protection: includes Basic, Adaptive, and Maximum modes to prevent battery degradation over time
- Lock screen widgets – a range of widgets available on the lock screen
For the full range of features, including some smaller ones not mentioned here, see the Samsung blog post.
