It’s that time of year again; Samsung is rolling out One UI 6.1, which is now confirmed to be available in North America, Europe, and India. The software first launched on the Galaxy S24 series and has been rolled out to some other models.
One of the biggest topics in One UI 6.1 is Galaxy AI. Samsung’s suite of AI tools and features uses Gemini Pro to add intelligence to its apps and mobile Gemini Nano to add intelligence to on-device LLM tools.
Thanks to this partnership, Galaxy AI offers many of the same features as the Pixel 8 Pro, such as generating AI wallpapers and circle search.
Samsung One UI 6.1: Release date
As of this writing, One UI 6.1 is rolling out in North America, Europe, and India. It is expected to launch in other markets in Asia and other regions soon.
The update size is approximately 3GB, and your carrier may force you to use a Wi-Fi connection to initiate the download. According to Samsung, the update is expected to appear on unlocked and carrier phones first, followed by an update for tablets in the first week of April.
Samsung On UI 6.1: Eligible devices
Currently, the One UI 6.1 update is confirmed for the following Samsung devices:
- Galaxy S23
- Galaxy S23+
- Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Galaxy S23 FE
- Galaxy Z Flip 5
- Galaxy Z Fold 5
- Galaxy Tab S9
- Galaxy Tab S9+
- Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
The update for these devices includes the full Galaxy AI suite, including features like chat assistance and real-time translation.
Samsung is also testing One UI 6.1 on older models. These include the Galaxy S22 series, Galaxy S21 series, Galaxy Z Fold 4, Galaxy Z Flip 4, Galaxy A54, and Galaxy A34.
There’s no official word yet on what features these older models will include.
SamsungOne UI 6
Samsung is a leader when it comes to timely software updates, and the Korean manufacturer has done an excellent job in this area over the past three years. It’s also the only brand other than Google to roll out monthly security updates, and what’s particularly impressive is that Samsung is giving the same level of attention to its mid-range Galaxy A series as it does to its flagship Galaxy S and Galaxy Z portfolio.
With Samsung guaranteeing four Android OS updates for its flagships and Galaxy A devices, the best Samsung phones from the past three years are eligible for the stable One UI 6 update.
Like last year, the stable version will roll out to the Galaxy S23 series, then the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5, then to last year’s flagships, and then the Galaxy A series. Here are the full details on the Samsung phones that will switch to Android 14-based One UI 6:
Galaxy Z series
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- Galaxy Z Fold 5
- Galaxy Z Flip 5
- Galaxy Z Fold 4
- Galaxy Z Flip 4
- Galaxy Z Fold 3
- Galaxy Z Flip 3
Galaxy S series
- Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Galaxy S23+
- Galaxy S23
- Galaxy S22 Ultra
- Galaxy S22+
- Galaxy S22
- Galaxy S21 Ultra
- Galaxy S21+
- Galaxy S21
- Galaxy S21 FE
Galaxy A series
- Galaxy A54
- Galaxy A34
- Galaxy A24
- Galaxy A14
- Galaxy A04s
- Galaxy A53
- Galaxy A73
- Galaxy A33
- Galaxy A23
- Galaxy A13
- Galaxy A72
- Galaxy A52s
- Galaxy A52 5G
- Galaxy A52 4G
Galaxy M series
- Galaxy M54
- Galaxy M34 5G
- Galaxy M53 5G
- Galaxy M33 5G
- Galaxy M23
Galaxy F series
- Galaxy F54
- Galaxy F34
- Galaxy F23
- Galaxy F14 5G
Galaxy Tab series
- Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
- Galaxy Tab S9+
- Galaxy Tab S9
- Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
- Galaxy Tab S8+
- Galaxy Tab S8
Samsung One UI 6: New features
One UI 6 beta is slowly opening up to more users, so if you’re interested in trying out the latest features before the official launch, now is the time to do so. That said, the beta is still rough, and I encountered a lot of bugs and crashes in my week with it. So if you’re considering using it on your primary phone, you should hold off until Samsung rolls out some updates.
As for new features, there’s a lot to talk about, and Samsung has made some changes to the visual design. Most noticeable is the notification pane, which now has two large switches for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, sitting above the rest of the quick switches. This makes it easy to access both radios, and while they’re chunky, they’re not as big as the Pixel.
I like this change, and the best part is that a dropdown menu can still show the six toggle buttons – you can only see the larger tiles with the shadows all the way down.
Here’s what Samsung has to say about it:
“One UI 6 makes a striking first impression with its beautiful simplicity. Many elements have been tweaked to create a more modern look and feel, such as the impactful new default fonts and Samsung Keyboard New emojis on. The Quick Panel has been revamped and the updated layout gives users easy access to the features they use most.”
“With the brightness control bar available by default in the compact Quick Panel, it’s easier than ever to adjust screen visibility. Additionally, the full Quick Panel has a new Instant Access option for faster access to settings with : Swipe down once on the upper right corner of the screen.”
Another key change is the ability to customize the lock screen based on patterns and routines, so you can set a different lock screen based on time and date. The lock screen itself has more customizability in terms of styles and fonts.
One UI 6 also comes with a new camera widget that lets you launch specific modes with the press of a button. So if you like taking portraits, just create a widget, place it on your home screen, and press the widget to launch the camera in that mode:
“One UI 6 is loaded with great new ways for users to tailor their Galaxy experience to their habits and preferences, so it feels more like an extension of themselves. For example, you can now set up a different lock screen if you want a specific mode. and routines, such as a calming photo of a forest in sleep mode. There’s also a new custom camera widget that allows users to pre-select camera modes and storage locations – such as portrait mode and folders just for avatars.
There’s also a new system-wide font that looks cleaner than its predecessor. The settings page still looks the same, but the battery section has been moved to its own submenu.
On the topic of visual changes, there’s a large media player card inside the notification shade, and like Pixels, it has a squiggly search bar and large album art.
These are just some of the changes currently in One UI 6; Samsung is sure to add more features to the Android 14-based version in the coming weeks.
Samsung One UI 6: When will your phone get the update?
Predicting when your phone will get the One UI 6 update depends on several factors, such as the duration of the beta program. Traditionally, Samsung only provides beta versions for a little over two months before rolling out stable updates, but with One UI 6, it’s too early to talk about a stable version.
As far as we know, Samsung is leaning towards rolling out stable updates to its Galaxy S and Galaxy Z phones before the end of the year, so you won’t have to wait too long to switch to Android 14-based One UI 6 on your phone. I’ll share more details once Samsung confirms plans for a stable version of One UI 6, but for now, if you have an eligible device, the best way to see all the new features is to install the One UI 6 beta.
Samsung’s best mid-range phone
The Galaxy A54 builds on the strengths of its predecessor to offer one of the best all-round packages in the mid-range category. With this phone becoming one of the first to ship with the One UI 6 beta, now is the perfect time to switch from older Galaxy devices.