This is our clearest look yet at Samsung’s big One UI makeover coming to Galaxy phones

Samsung’s next major software update — One UI 8.5 — is starting to take shape, and we can now see how it’s coming together thanks to a new hands-on video posted by folks over at Sammobile. While we’ve also leaked several upcoming One UI 8.5 features exclusively, like the new Privacy Display, NFC-based Quick Share, Automatic Call Screening, and more, and this hands-on doesn’t show any of them, it gives us our clearest look yet at some big UI changes Galaxy users can expect from the update when it arrives.

Installed on a Galaxy S25 Ultra for the hands-on, the leaked One UI 8.5 firmware shows Samsung is planning visual changes in One UI that are visible across settings and Samsung’s core apps. The firmware is still buggy and incomplete, but it hints at the company’s design direction ahead of the expected official rollout of the software alongside the Galaxy S26 series early next year. Here are some notable changes spotted in the One UI 8.5 hands-on:

A new design language

The Settings menu gets a softer look with more rounded corners, extra spacing, and a relocated search bar at the bottom of the screen. While no new features have been spotted here yet, the design changes suggest Samsung is pushing toward a cleaner layout.

The battery indicator is also changing. In the leaked build, the traditional icon disappears in favor of a simple percentage readout. However, tipsters like Max Jambor note that users may eventually be able to customize this with a background highlight in the settings.

The most striking upgrade is the redesigned quick settings panel, which we also saw in previous leaks. It is now fully customizable and users can arrange toggles vertically or horizontally, move them around freely, or remove them entirely.

Some subtle but meaningful app updates

Several core Samsung apps are also getting a new look and some new features. These include:

• Phone app: A refreshed bottom bar design, plus new features like Direct Voicemail and Transcript Assist.
• Gallery app: A bottom navigation pill with swiping icons for Pictures, Albums, Stories, and Menu replaces existing text labels. A redesigned menu includes new options like Shot Types, while Gallery Labs now houses a mysterious Collections feature.
• My Files app: Visual tweaks bring rounded icons, pill-shaped containers, and a bottom-positioned search bar.
• Camera app: Mostly unchanged, but video settings are reorganized with clearer sections like “Video format.” Users also get a new option to save video directly to external storage, along with a dual recording mode.

Beyond this video, leakers and tipsters have also posted some more visual changes coming to Galaxy phones with One UI 8.5. For instance, One UI 8.5 brings a blurred notifications background to the lock screen.

While this early build doesn’t represent the final software, and as we said, it doesn’t showcase a number of new features we’re expecting to see in One UI 8.5, it gives us a good preview of where the software is headed. Samsung seems to be unifying the look and feel of its apps with a cleaner, more modern visual language, reminiscent of Google’s Material 3 Expressive refresh and even some iOS 26 influences. We expect to see more features added as the update develops.