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One UI 6.1 is here! Here's what's new

By Preslav Kateliev

Published: Jan 17, 2024, 1:52 PM

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Samsung has just revealed its heavy-hitters for 2024 — the Galaxy S24 phones! And with them, we get an updated version of the One UI software that Sammy has been developing over the years.

Well, it's a slight update if anything — up until now, we were at One UI 6.0. Now, we get One UI 6.1 on the Galaxy S24 series. So, what's new about it?

Mostly AI tricks — Samsung's new focus for 2024. So, while we didn't get to see new interface elements or major settings switched around, we get a list of AI-assisted features, some of which are a first for any smartphone.

$376 off (26%)

The S24 Ultra is available at Amazon. You can get it at Amazon for $376 off its original price. This is the 512GB model.

Buy at Amazon

$271 off (24%)

The Galaxy S24+ is also available on Amazon. At the moment, the exciting Samsung device with 512GB of storage is 24% off at the merchant. This is the Onyx Black colorway.

Buy at Amazon

The Samsung Galaxy S24 with 256GB of storage is currently available at Amazon. Limited colors are available in new condition.

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$669 ⁹⁹

$1419 ⁹⁹

You can purchase a fully unlocked Galaxy S24 Ultra via the official Samsung store. The almighty AI genius sells for up to $750 off with eligible trade-ins. Select colorways are available right now.

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$619 ⁹⁹

$1119 ⁹⁹

If you don't care much for the latest and greatest flagship model from Samsung, consider the S24+. The middle member of the S24 family is currently up to $500 off at the Samsung Store. Only the 512GB model in Onyx Black is in stock.

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$299 ⁹⁹

$699 ⁹⁹

$400 off (57%)

The S24 arrives at Samsung as well. Right now, there are no discounts available before trade-ins, but you can trade in an eligible device to save up to $400.

Buy at Samsung

New features in One UI 6.1

Live translate during a phone call

And there's the first we are talking about. The Galaxy S24 phones will be able to translate speech during a live call. One person speaks, the AI translates, the other person speaks. It's all happening on-device and will support 13 languages at launch.

Chat Assist in Samsung Keyboard

In the same spirit, Samsung Keyboard itself will have new AI functions, helping you translate to different languages, proof-read, or rephrase your text. Since it's a feature baked in the keyboard, you should be able to use it in any app — be it email, social media, or texting.

Generative photo editing

Same as we saw with Google's Magic Editor, the generative photo edit will let you move or remove objects from a photo — even subtle ones like reflections or shadows —, and have the AI reconstruct the background based on prediction and pattern recognition.

Transform any video to slow motion

Watching a video — any video — within the Gallery app, you can just long-press on it. Galaxy AI will generate frames between the existing frames and slow the footage down. So, you instantly get smooth slow motion from any clip — as if it was shot in slowmo in the first place!

Circle to Search with Google

Any image you see on your screen, from any app or feed, will be searchable. Just hold down on the home button and tap or circle the item in question. The phone should, in theory recognize whether it's a building, landmark, animal, or any other object, and pull up appropriate Google Search results.

Some questions here — a) how well will it work, sure. But also b) how do we do this if we don't have a home button (if gesture navigation is enabled)?

Recorder Transcribe

Another feature we first saw with the Google Pixel 8 Pro December Feature Drop. The S24 family will be able to transcribe voice recordings of, say, long meetings. Then, it can even generate a short summary with bulletpoints and such.

Note Assist for Samsung Notes

In the same spirit, the Galaxy S24 Ultra will be able to sift through your long (and maybe messy) notes to summarize them and pull out or highlight the most important information. It will also be able to create predictive templates and order your notes based on usage patterns. We are quite curious how exactly that would work.

Android Auto assists

When in Android Auto mode, the AI will work to keep you informed without spamming you with multiple messages. If there's a chat going on, the AI will summarize it and deliver the most important information at a glance. It will also offer contextual buttons for quick replying, setting your navigation location, or sharing your ETA with your close ones — all contextual and based on what messages were sent to your prior.

Is my phone getting One UI 6.1?

Is One UI 6.1 coming to older Samsung phones? Is the Galaxy S23 Ultra or the Galaxy Z Fold 5 going to get the new AI features? Great questions! Unfortunately, Samsung is being a bit tight-lipped on those particulars at this very moment.

Our best guess is that yes, some of these features should trickle down (or back, if you will), because we don't think all of them require the super-smart Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 to work properly. Plus, if you have a 1-year Samsung flagship, it would only be fair — these things aren't cheap and your purchase is still quite fresh.

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Preslav, a member of the PhoneArena team since 2014, is a mobile technology enthusiast with a penchant for integrating tech into his hobbies and work. Whether it's writing articles on an iPad Pro, recording band rehearsals with multiple phones, or exploring the potential of mobile gaming through services like GeForce Now and Steam Link, Preslav's approach is hands-on and innovative. His balanced perspective allows him to appreciate both Android and iOS ecosystems, focusing on performance, camera quality, and user experience over brand loyalty.