Mario Bautista
Key Takeaways
- Hands-on videos of One UI 7 from Samsung’s developer conference show off the redesigned Camera app and other UI changes.
- Samsung will take inspiration from iOS 18 for One UI 7’s notification and Quick Settings panel.
- One UI 7 beta should go live before the end of the year, and a stable build will be available next year.
Leaks surrounding Samsung’s Android 15-based One UI 7 skin emerged as early as July 2024. Rumors suggested the One UI 7 beta program would go live in August, but that did not happen. At its annual developer conference, Samsung announced that a stable One UI 7 build will only drop alongside the Galaxy S25 series in early 2025, with a beta coming later in the year. It also talked about One UI 7’s new design philosophy but did not officially showcase any design changes. Thankfully, some hands-on videos from the events have popped up online, showing the UI changes.
A quick hands-on video from SamMobile of a Galaxy S24 Ultra running One UI 7 at the Samsung Developer Conference reveals the notification panel’s iPhone-inspired design with rounded corners. Another hands-on video shows the revamped Camera app with updated and cleaner icons. The layout also appears to have been optimized for one-handed usage.
A separate and more detailed video from YouTuber Jeff Springer shows the Finder search bar moving to the bottom of One UI 7’s app drawer. This change is in line with the skin’s focus on one-handed usability. The Recent apps screen will get some design tweaks as well, with fluid new animations.
Towards the end of the video, you can see the new Quick Settings panel, which seems inspired by iOS 18’s revamped Control Center. As previous leaks indicated, Samsung will purportedly separate the notification and Quick Settings panels like on the iPhone and some Chinese Android skins from Xiaomi and Vivo.
Like on the iPhone, swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen in One UI 7 will bring up the Quick Settings panel. You must swipe down from the screen’s left side to access the notification panel.
One UI 7 is shaping up to be a big upgrade
From the videos above, you can make out that One UI 7 will use smoother new system animations for a more fluid experience. Many system icons also sport a revamped, cleaner look.
It appears Samsung is overhauling its Android skin massively with One UI 7. This explains why the company has not yet commenced a beta program for its next Android skin and why the stable build won’t drop before early next year.
Based on all the changes leaked and revealed by the videos, the wait might be worth it, with One UI 7 promising to deliver a radically better experience.
