One UI 8.5 public beta for the first Samsung Galaxy is very close | Smartphones | Smartlife

Samsung has already prepared its next big step in the level of customization used by its Galaxy devices. After a time of rumors and leaks, everything points to an arrival One UI 8.5 It’s closer than ever. The South Korean company left quite clear clues: the first test firmware has already appeared on its serversindicating that the public beta program will launch soon.

One UI 8.5 real testing begins

According to the latest leaks, the rollout will happen in phases. The first will begin on December 8 and will be available in the United States, United Kingdom, South Korea, and Germany. India and Poland will be added later on December 22, along with a second update for the initial markets. The third beta is expected around January 5th and is designed to fix bugs before the stable release. This pattern matches what was seen last year with Samsung’s setup, which began its beta in December. The fact is that the appearance of firmware on servers is a unmistakable sign that the launch is very close.

A beta version will be released in the range Samsung Galaxy S25including standard models, Plus and Ultra models. It is expected that other models, such as the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Flip7, will gradually receive it later, which will join the program, while other previous flagships will have to wait their turn.

What to expect from the new update

So far, what has been known from One UI 8.5 should be pretty positive. Among the most notable new features is a visual redesign with Interface adjustments and a cleaner style. The settings menu has a compact design with a search bar at the bottom and floating buttons with shadows that create a sense of depth.

The shortcut bar will be customizable, allowing you to move, resize, and remove shortcuts according to user preferences. Native apps have received improvements, such as the Telephone app, which debuts tabs tablet (pill) and a shaded call button, while Device Care ditches the confusing icons and shows clearer progress indicators. In the photography section, Added Pro settings custom settings that allow you to save settings and quickly switch between them.

In addition, Galaxy AI is improved with features like Now Nudges, which offers context-based actions, and Auto Answer with AI, capable of automatically answering calls and deciphering messages. The smart notifications They prioritize important alerts and provide AI-generated summaries for groups of notifications. Security is also enhanced with private mode, anti-theft protection, advanced identity verification and detailed access control for important features.

On the other hand, it’s worth noting that Samsung follows the stable development approach that Google introduced with its quarterly updates. One UI 8.5 se It is built on Android 16 QPR2, which means it will include the improvements that Google recently added. These include an advanced and forced dark theme for icons, the ability to add third-party widgets to the lock screen, advanced touch control to adjust the intensity of vibrations, own PDF editing with annotationssupport for Eclipsa Audio (IAMF) for surround sound, manual brightness control in HDR and SDR, and enhanced security features such as secure locking and anti-theft.

Gradual entry to the market

Although the beta version will allow Samsung Galaxy S25 users first and others later to try the new features first, The final version is not expected until the launch of the Galaxy S26. Samsung wants its next flagship to be a showpiece, so a stable update for other models could arrive a few weeks after the official launch.