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Samsung is rumored to start the public Android 15 with One UI 7 update beta as soon as next week, and a few screenshots of the new Galaxy phone interface have leaked.
It is, well, rather different from what Samsung paints Android 14 over with, even in the latest One UI 6.1.1 that came with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 foldable phones.
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That is not to say that the One UI 6.1.1 update doesn't bring novel features with it, as we loved the new the audio volume normalization option, but are on the fence about making sideloading apps harder, and yet the One UI 7 screenshots that Smartprix has posted are really something else.
According to its source Chun Bhai, the One UI 7 interface won't just focus on new features and under-the-hood improvements, but will rather be a complete visual overhaul, including brand-new icons.
Samsung One UI and the Dynamic Island
First off, both the rumor that Samsung will introduce something similar to the iPhone's Dynamic Island in One UI 7, and the rumor's rebuttal, are partially correct. As you can see, what Samsung may be preparing is not without Dynamic Island inspiration, but at the same time something different and less ambitious in scale, too.
This pill-shaped info space carries a whiff of what Android interfaces are already doing when an ongoing phone or messaging app call has to be hidden out of sight to check something on the phone's screen and yet remain visible, so the user can continue interacting with the call afterward. It, however, expands not into the full app UI, but something more limited for a quicker interaction, so it looks like a hybrid solution by Samsung.
One UI 7 icons and rounded edges
The expanding pill-shaped interface element is not the only visual change in One UI 7, though. The Android 15 update for Samsung's Galaxy phones will apparently bring with it new icons with softer, more rounded edges, too, as well as new color schemes.
In One UI 7, Samsung is apparently drifting away from the flat, Material Design icons and interface elements of stock Android, and introducing less edgy ones that are easier on the eyes, similar to what Oppo does in its ColorOS, or to other rich Android overlays.
As a result, the Galaxy phones' Contacts, Settings, Dialer, Camera, Browser, Theme, Gallery, and other stock applications have new and redrawn icons that bring different eye candy than what's currently on the Galaxy S24 and even the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6. Not only the Settings app icon, but the menu iconography inside have been completely redrawn according to the new concept with softer edges, too.
Rounded icons, softer edges, the new One UI 7 interface | Image credit – Chun Bhai & Smartprix
One UI 7 camera interface
The camera app interface on Galaxy phones will receive a big revamp when Android 15 lands, too, as One UI 7 moves the photography mode switches and other quick controls like zoom shortcuts to the lower part of the screen.
This is apparently done so that the camera can more easily be operated with one hand, as so often happens these days, especially in portrait mode videos. Additional photography modes that are not as often used aren't buried in option ends now, but get a pop-up menu or go into a horizontal bar that is again much easier to access than before.
Notification panel toggles and Continuity
Swipe down from the top of the screen in a One UI 7 interface, and a new notification panel unfurls. One dropdown menu is reserved for actual notifications, and another for quick toggles, similar to iOS and a few other Android skins. This helps with the clutter, but might take some getting used to if it stays in the final Android 15 update builds for Galaxy phones.
In addition, Samsung will bring a Continuity option in One UI 7 that will allow continuing video calls on other nearby devices, and also share the camera with them, and even the phone's storage. There's plenty to look forward to with Android 15 and One UI 7 on Samsung Galaxy phones, apparently, so we can't wait for the first beta to hit the tape.
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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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