A new version of Android comes out every year, but each manufacturer also makes changes and tweaks specific to their devices.
One UI is one of the most well-known “skins” because it’s what you’ll find on all recent Samsung smartphones and tablets.
Here’s everything you need to know about the latest Android version 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 2023although rolling out to other compatible devices took some time.
In January 2024, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S24 series, introducing One UI 6.1 alongside it. It’s still based on Android 14, but includes several new Galaxy AI features for devices running Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip.
Samsung says One UI 6.1 will be available from “end of March“, although the full deployment may take some time.
Which phones will receive 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 A04
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 items 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 are the new features of One UI 6?
One UI 6 is a pretty big change that introduced several new features and notable quality of life improvements to Samsung phones and tablets. Here are the most important ones, along with 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 version of the quick settings menu. It introduces a new button layout that will make it easier to access the most useful features first, like the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth toggles. The panel itself is now divided into the most important part at the top, a customizable panel in the middle, and a visual options panel at the bottom.
There are more layout changes, such as an improved display of album art in the panel and the ability to quickly access brightness controls. One UI 6 also makes accessing the full quick panel much quicker, as it only requires two swipes down to get all your options.
New customization options
youtube.com/Samsung
On eUI 6 also focuses on customization. You will now be able to reposition the clock on your lock screen, as well as add different watch faces.
You can also personalize it with routines, making it completely different depending on the time of day. This not only means different watch faces or wallpapers, but also shortcuts to different apps.
Camera and editing improvements
youtube.com/Samsung
Samsung also announced many One UI 6 features for taking better photos and videos, as well as editing them using AI and machine learning (ML).
First, you can now add custom camera widgets to your home screen, each opening the app in different shooting modes and with the options you want. You will also have much easier access to options such as resolution settings, video size menu or effects, making customizing your photos and videos much easier.
There are also options that allow you to decide how well your photos are saved. This allows you to choose how much post-processing to do on your photos, giving you more freedom to shoot the way you want.
The Gallery app also got some attention. It will analyze photos using AI and has new features like Photo Remaster (to improve the quality of photos and GIFs) and Object Eraser (to remove objects you would 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 right 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 simple between Android and Samsung’s Galaxy Book laptops.
You can even control all of these devices with the same mouse and keyboard, making the experience seamless and allowing you, for example, to copy and paste content between these devices without any hassle.
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 more modern and improve readability.
A 6.1 user interface
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 editing – automatically fills certain parts of a photo’s background
- Circle to search – circle anything on your screen to search for it on Google (text or images)
- Live translation – real-time two-way voice and text translation during phone calls in the native app
- Help with transcription – converts voice recordings into written transcriptions, which can then be summarized or translated
- Chat support – adjust the tone of your message or email based on the conversation. Can also translate any on-screen text into any of 13 languages
- Grade support – create summaries, custom templates and individual covers for notes in Samsung Notes.
- Navigation help – create online article summaries
- Interpreter – instant split-screen translation between two languages, allowing conversations between participants speaking different languages
- Instant slow motion – generates additional frames in an existing video to create a slow-motion version
- Photo extension– enlarge images beyond their original borders and use AI to fill in the gaps
- AI Wallpapers – choose from different categories for unique images and apply weather or portrait effects to the finished wallpapers
- Quick share – Fast merge and nearby share, 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, check out the Samsung blog.
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