Samsung One UI: A Custom Android Skin
Samsung One UI is a custom Android skin for Samsung smartphones and tablets. It is one of the most widely used software skins and is only available exclusively for Samsung devices. This article will examine what One UI is, how it evolved, and why it is worth sticking around for.
Samsung One UI: A Brief History
Samsung’s software has come a long way since the early TouchWiz and Samsung Experience days. TouchWiz was a standard skin for Samsung’s devices even before the company launched the first Galaxy S smartphone. Though TouchWiz was still updated, it was criticized by most for its cluttered design and slow performance. To address this, Samsung released their new software, Samsung Experience, which coincided with the launch of the Galaxy S8. However, despite the new design, the skin still had performance issues and suffered from bloating.
One UI was developed in 2018 after Samsung went back to the drawing board. It was a complete departure from its predecessors in terms of design, with a cleaner and more polished interface. This software was created with one-handed usage in mind since smartphones were getting larger. Since its debut, One UI has continued to evolve, with Samsung providing frequent updates with new features and UI improvements.
One UI 1.0
Samsung launched One UI 1.0, based on Android 9 Pie, in November 2018. It was available as an update for the Galaxy S8, Note 8, S9, and Note 9 models and was preinstalled on newer phones like the Galaxy S10 series, Galaxy A series, and the OG Galaxy Fold (known as One UI 1.1).
One UI 1.0 introduced dark mode, refined Always-On Display, introduced support for remapping the Bixby button, and gesture navigation.
One UI 2.0
In November 2019, Samsung launched the stable version of One UI 2.0 based on Android 10, which was rolled out to Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy Note 9, and Galaxy S9 series devices. Incremental versions like One UI 2.1 were launched with the Samsung Galaxy S20 series, while One UI 2.5 came with the Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Z Fold 2, and Galaxy S20 FE devices.
One UI 2.0 introduced enhanced Dark Mode, a built-in screen recorder, a trash folder within the Files app, and Dynamic Lock screen, which changes your lock screen wallpaper every time you turn on your display.
One UI 3.0
One UI 3.0 was released in December 2020, based on Android 11, for Galaxy S20 devices. According to Samsung, the software update improved the animations and transitions throughout the software and redesigned the homescreen widgets.
One UI 4.0
Samsung released One UI 4.0 based on Android 12 publicly in November 2021. The update focused more on customization and privacy with improved haptic feedback, rounded widgets, and enhanced location features.
One UI 5.0: The Latest Version of Samsung’s Skin
One UI 5.0, which is based on Android 13, was publicly released in October 2022. One UI 5.1, on the other hand, was released with redesigned palettes, improved camera features, and RAW integration. The update was well-received by users.
Use Your Samsung Phone to the Fullest
One UI is an experience that’s exclusive to Samsung Galaxy phones. If your Samsung device is eligible for the software update, it is recommended to take advantage of the new features by setting up a new homescreen and lock screen.
