Samsung One UI 8 On Test Ahead Of One UI 7 Rollout

Is Samsung going back to its older ways again? Will Samsung phones be synonymous with delayed OS updates again, especially after earning a repute for beating Google to a new release of Android?

While we are still exploring the answers, Samsung’s software development video is busy testing the next version of Android. A test build of Samsung’s One UI 8 was spotted on Samsung’s servers, thus hinting that Samsung has got things going for the next iteration of its OS update. One UI 8 is apparently assigned to Android 16 and will be accessible to testers on the latest Galaxy S25 series. 

But why does Samsung need to start testing One UI 8 so early when the One UI 7 release has been consistently delayed?

One UI 8 on test: What does it look like?

Based on information from Tarun Vats, an influencer on X, Samsung’s early One UI 8 build seems to focus on establishing a solid base on Android 16 – Google’s newest version of Android that’s also on test. Sadly, One UI 8 is just a new name at this point and has nothing to show up as far as features or design are concerned. 

Hence, the initial builds of One UI 8 are likely to focus on establishing a solid base on Android 16 for a variety of Galaxy devices across Samsung’s stable. Since Galaxy AI was a big part of One UI 7, you can expect Samsung to double down on Galaxy AI features and possibly integrate them better with the core OS. There have been rumours of Bixby’s return to the voice assistant scene, enriched with the power of generative AI. What remains to be seen is whether One UI 8 brings back an AI-enhanced Bixby to the table. 

You can also expect Samsung to tweak the UI design for One UI 8 in the hope for smartly integrating more features in the interface. 

Will One UI 8 come out early?

With no sight of One UI 7 yet for last year’s Galaxy S24 series yet, it seems that Samsung Galaxy S users might have to wait further for getting their hands on One UI 8. This is concerning considering how Google wants to push out newer builds of Android faster than before. Google is in the mood to release two major Android builds in a year so as to make the Android platform more up-to-date and brimming with features. 

Samsung, however, wants to make One UI a more polished experience than ever and hence, it wants to take as much time as possible to ensure a smooth update rollout experience.