Samsung’s latest One UI 8 is here, and it runs alongside Android 16. It debuted alongside the Galaxy foldable phones, and will soon come to other Samsung devices as well. So let’s dive straight into One UI 8 and see what’s new and what’s useful!
Samsung One UI 8: What’s New?
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Operating System | One UI 8 (Android 16) |
| Main Features | Split-Screen Mode (90/10), Now Bar with Live Updates, DeX (Android 16 Desktop Mode) |
| AI Features | Gemini Live, AI Select, Drawing Assist, Live Interpreter, Call Translation, Generative Edit |
| Multitasking | Edge Panel, Split Screen, Pop-Up View |
| Apps | Google, Microsoft, Samsung Apps |
| Security | Secure Folder (Separate Fingerprint), Privacy Dashboard |
| Gaming | Gaming Hub, In-Game Overlay |
| Others | Quick Share, Routines, Battery Settings |
Home Screen and UI Look
One UI 7 saw a big change, but this time Samsung has kept a chill vibe. The look and feel of the UI is almost the same – clean and familiar. The notification center and control center are separate, and the style of icons and widgets on the home screen is the same as before. Simple, but useful.
Widgets: Stack and Shortcuts
The widget system is the same – you can stack supported widgets and view them by swiping. One cool thing is the camera shortcut – you can create a widget for a specific shooting mode. Quick and handy!
Apps: Mix of Google, Microsoft, and Samsung
You get a full set of Google apps in the phone – Gmail, Maps, everything. There are Microsoft apps as well, like Word and Teams. And Samsung has its own apps – Notes, Gallery, etc. Everything in one place, ready to use.
App Drawer and Quick Actions
The app drawer is on by default in Samsung phones. Here you can long press on the app icons to take out quick actions – like quickly opening a specific feature of an app. Quite a time saver.
Multitasking: Split Screen And Pop-Up
The task switcher is not just for switching apps. You can long press and drag the app icons to open them in split screen or pop-up view. There is also an Edge Panel – shortcuts open by swiping from the side of the screen. It is easy to launch apps in split screen from here, and you can also save shortcuts to split screen pairs. One UI 8 has a new split-screen mode, where one app takes up 90% of the screen and the other is minimized to 10%. You can switch between them by tapping – OnePlus-like vibe, but quite useful.
File Manager: Download Sort
The file manager has a new feature – now you can filter downloaded files according to the app from which they were downloaded. A small thing, but useful when you have trouble finding files.
Now Bar: Updates on Lock Screen
There is a Now Bar on the lock screen, which shows sports scores, media playback, or quick updates. In One UI 8, it has been added along with the live updates feature of Android 16, so now the support for third-party apps has also increased. A small tweak, but handy.
DeX Mode: Desktop Vibes
Samsung DeX has also been updated. This feature gives a desktop-like experience by connecting the phone to an external monitor or PC. Earlier it used to run on Samsung’s own software, now it is based on Android 16’s native desktop mode. You can use it over cable or wireless connection – it’s quite smooth.
Quick Share: New Look
Quick Share’s interface has become bigger and full-screen. Sharing files is now easier and visually better.
Routines: Smart Automation
With Routines, you can set actions according to specific conditions. Now you can also trigger actions by taking information from the clock, calendar, or Notes app. Perfect for automating small things.
Secure Folder: Extra Safe
Secure Folder is back, but now there are more features. For this, you can set a separate fingerprint, and you can hide the Secure Folder icon with a toggle in the quick settings. A solid option for privacy.
AI Features: Same But Better
The AI features are more or less similar to One UI 7, but there are a few tweaks. Gemini Live now integrates not only with Google apps, but also with Samsung’s Calendar, Notes, and Reminders. It handles tasks by pulling info from the app – quite smart! Samsung Internet still has AI article summary, which gives a quick summary of web pages. There are video summaries too, but they are a bit basic and mostly seem to be title-based.
Natural Language Search makes it easy to search in Gallery and Settings. Now, Brief AI gives a quick readout of the weather and daily routine. Samsung Keyboard has a translator and writing tools that make typing smarter. AI Select analyses on-screen content – useful for capturing objects or creating GIFs from videos. This has become even faster and smoother in One UI 8. With Drawing Assist, you can create AI-generated images from sketches in the Notes app.
Live Interpreter translates conversations between two languages in real-time. Live Call Translation offers real-time call translation in the phone app, with many languages. Audio Transcription converts recorded conversations into text, with speaker labels, and gives a summary. With Generative Edit, you can edit photos in the Gallery – remove or resize objects, and this feature is better than its competitors. AI Noise Reduction cleans up the audio of video clips – small but useful stuff.
Gaming Hub and Overlay
Gaming Hub brings all the games and gaming options in one place. View real-time resource usage from the in-game overlay – CPU, GPU, everything. It is a very clean setup for gaming.
Security and Privacy
Everything is easily available in the settings from the Security and Privacy Dashboard. Privacy options are organized in one place, so it is easy to manage.
Battery Settings
The Battery Settings menu has options that extend battery life, like setting a custom charge limit. A small thing, but useful in the long term.
Conclusion
One UI 8 did not bring a big change, but it has made the features of One UI 7 better by polishing them and adding them with native features of Android 16. The new split-screen mode, DeX upgrade, and deeper integration of AI make it quite useful. If you like Samsung’s clean and smart UI, this is a solid update. Let me know in the comments which feature you liked the most?
