After the accidental early announcement in early August, Samsung has now officially announced the One UI 6 Beta for its flagship phone lineup. This means that the One UI 6 official version will be available in about next two months. The first beta release brings significant UI changes and introduces several new features. If you’re a Samsung Galaxy phone owner, you might have a lot of questions about this update.
The One UI 6 is the Android 14 based custom OS for Samsung phones which will be available in the stable build soon. Here we will delve into all aspects of One UI 6: from its anticipated launch date and exciting new features to the list of eligible devices, along with other important news.
Google has recently launched the final beta version of Android 14, indicating that the official release for Pixel phones is imminent. But this release won’t matter for Samsung users as it depends on the One UI 6 availability which is in hands of Samsung.
One UI 6 Release Date
Samsung initiated internal testing of One UI 6 some time ago. The One UI 6 was expected to be available in the first half of July. But it was delayed and almost after a month of delay the update was finally released to the public for testing on August 11.
The One UI 6 Beta has begun for the Galaxy S23 series in limited regions. In coming weeks the One UI 6 beta will be available for a few more Galaxy devices and in multiple regions.
But we are here to talk about the official version of One UI 6. The One UI 6 will be available to the public in October or November. No there is no confirmation of a specific date or week but we can expect One UI 6 official version for Galaxy S23 in October or early November.
If Samsung continues the same form as last year, many devices will receive the Android 14 based One UI 6 this year. Yes, even many eligible mid range and budget phones will receive the update by this year.
One UI 6 Supported Devices
While the One UI 6 brings a range of enhancements, not all Samsung Galaxy phone users will receive this significant update. Similar to previous major One UI releases, certain devices currently running One UI 5 will not be eligible for the next major upgrade, One UI 6.
So anyone with a Samsung phone running One UI 5 will be having doubts whether their Galaxy phone will get the upcoming One UI 6 update or not. Well the company hasn’t revealed any official list or information, we did look at the Samsung update policy which gives enough information to guess the devices that can get One UI 6 update.
So here is the list of Samsung phones eligible for One UI 6:
- Galaxy Z Fold 5
- Galaxy Z Fold 4
- Galaxy Z Fold 3
- Galaxy Z Flip 5
- Galaxy Z Flip 4
- Galaxy Z Flip 3
- 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 M54
- Galaxy M53 5G
- Galaxy M33 5G
- Galaxy M23
- Galaxy F54
- Galaxy F23
- Galaxy F14 5G
- 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 Tab S9 Ultra
- Galaxy Tab S9+
- Galaxy Tab S9
- Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
- Galaxy Tab S8+
- Galaxy Tab S8
- Galaxy Xcover 6 Pro
One UI 6 Features
The main reason to be excited for One UI 6 or any other update for that matter, is the new set of features, improvements over last update, and bug fixes. And One UI 6 won’t be considered a major upgrade if it doesn’t bring major changes. So yes the One UI 6 comes with some new features including UI improvements.
Since only the first One UI 6 beta is out, there might be some other features that Samsung could add in upcoming betas. So the features here mentioned are based on available data. Yes we will be updating this information once more features are announced.
The One UI 6 is based on Android 14 which means it will have some common features of Android 14. But there will be Samsung exclusive features.
New Quick Settings Layout
The main big change on One UI 6 is the redesigned Quick Settings layout. Quick Settings on One UI 6 now follows the stock Android path. Some big toggles introduced just like Pixel phone quick settings that are easily accessible and so makes the interaction easy with the phone.
Quick settings background is blurred that gives a better view to quick settings. And it perfectly fits with the landscape mode as well. There are mixed reactions on the new layout. What’s your opinion on the new layout?
Change Background with Modes
One UI 6 has a new feature that allows users to set different background images for different Modes. For example, you can use different backgrounds for Sleep Mode and different backgrounds for other Modes. And when the specific Mode activates, the background will change accordingly. This feature is already available on iOS 17.
New Emojis
Samsung has also worked on redesigning emojis and so in the One UI 6 you will find some new emojis that are better than the previous emojis set. The crying emoji however doesn’t actually look like a crying one. But since it’s the first beta, Samsung could change it before the official One UI 6 release.
New Media Player
Another big change that comes with the One UI 6 is the new Media Player in the Notification panel and lock screen. Samsung finally adopts the stock Android 13 like Media Player design but with better improvements.
Last year Samsung didn’t bring the Android 13 AOSP style media player but finally brought the new design with Android 14 based One UI 6. The changes include the media player covered with song cover art and animated progress bar.
Improved Animations
One UI 6 also comes with some improved animation. Some users said they have noticed some improvements while some users didn’t find any improvements or find the degraded animation. Well since it’s only the first beta we can expect animation improvements in opening and closing apps, switching between apps, gesture input and more.
New screen on and off animation for AOD
There is a new animation which triggers when waking the screen from the AOD mode, and when the AOD mode kicks in. This may not qualify as a big change, but changes like this one makes the update bigger.
Change Clock Position in Lockscreen
Yes you read it correctly. You can finally change the position of the clock in the lock screen. On One UI 5 you can only set the clocks on only at predefined locations.
Having the clock position at the desired location will help with a clean and elegant look. So if you have a cool wallpaper but the clock is messing up with its look, you can shift the clock widget to a different location in the lockscreen.
These are not the only features that come with One UI 6, there are many other features and when we find new features we will add them on the list below. Here are the other features.
- Improvements in battery performance thanks to Android 14 behavior changes
- You can now enable a feature to detect unknown tags that are tracking you. This feature is available in Smart Things Find
- One UI 6 comes with Redesigned Weather App
- The battery usage dashboard in Settings has a new UI which is similar to Windows 11 battery tracking
- Redesigned Camera interface at least on Galaxy S23 series
How to Install One UI 6
As of now, the official version of One UI 6 is not available for any of the Samsung Galaxy Phones. But it will be available for the Samsung Galaxy phones starting October. However, the One UI 6 beta is now available and if your device is eligible, you can join and install One UI 6 beta following this guide.
But once the stable One UI 6 is available, you can easily upgrade your phone by going to Settings > Software Update > Download and Install. But first make sure to back up your device.
Also Check:
- Samsung Galaxy S23 FE early renders reveal familiar design
- How to Open any App using Side Key on Samsung Galaxy Phones
- List of Samsung Galaxy Phones eligible for Android 14 (One UI 6)
- How to Enable, Customize, and Disable Live Caption in Google Chrome
- How to Get Rid of ‘Moisture Detected’ on Samsung
