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We are approaching the next Unpacked event, and as usual, all the smartphone surprises that Samsung harbored have been spoiled by leaks. Granted, it’s a bit shaky to put all your faith in leaks. But what about some unceremonious web upload from one of the world’s top accessories brands?
Well, that just transpired on Dbrand’s website. The notoriously outspoken company haslisteddozens ofrendersdepicting the Galaxy S25 series smartphones, draped in avarietyof skins available for enthusiasts.
Of course,the design is familiar. A little too familiar, I’d say. The vanilla Galaxy S25 and its Plus trim look identical to each other. And also to their respective Galaxy S24 series counterparts. And their Galaxy S23 series iterations. Plus, a whole bunch of Galaxy A and M series phones.
One of them is the Plus. (Hint: It’s the bigger one. Thanks, Samsung!)
Theonly refinement is reserved for the Ultra version, which loses its signature sharp corners and goes with a slightly rounded approach. It’s not quite the dramatic corner radius that Apple has maintained across iPhones, iPads, and Macs over the years, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra still stands out.
What doesn’t stand out is the camera lens design, the display aesthetics, and the port-button profile. The saving grace could be a splash of new colors on the rear glass.What about the magnetically-driven Qi 2 wireless charging perk?Well, leaks are split on that convenience.
Among the new color options should be a dusty blue tone, as per leakerIceUniverse. If that turns out to be true, this is what it would look like on the Galaxy S25 series phones.
A lot can be written about Samsung’s conservative design. I am being pretty lenient here, but there are a few strong opinions in the Samsung fandom. And by fandom, I mean Reddit subs discussing Samsung Galaxy phones and Samsung’s official community forum.
“At least Samsung is not copying you know who, like everybody else.” That’s an argument rooted in factual accuracy, at least. “Why should they? Not everyone can afford or wants to pay for a flagship,” says one comment in a heated Redditdebateabout Samsung’s design approach.
But not everyone can buy into it. A healthy few also want a design that stands out and doesn’t make their thousand-dollar phone look like a $250 midranger with a near-identical design formula.
“I can’t speak for others, but I want a unique and good-looking phone, not just a powerful glass rectangle (especially for flagship prices),” claims one such Reddit argument.
I am siding with the second argument. I would rather have a flagship phone look the part than just go with slightly premium material. A case can be made about, well, cases, which are eventually going to hide all the snazz and jazz of your shiny new phone.
But that argument beats the whole purpose of spending top dollars on a high-end Galaxy S series phone. If performance is all you seek, you can get the same — and more — from a device like theRed Magic 10 Pro, which also blesses buyers with a ginormous battery.
Alternatively, if cameras are the only consideration, maybe a Google Pixel Pro series phone or the iPhone would also suffice. You are buying a premium Samsung phone, knowing all its strengths and willing to live with its weaknesses.
This phone costs half as much as a Galaxy Ultra series device. But it’s faster. And it looks terrific.
The least it can do is give you the satisfaction of unique, top-tier engineering every time you pick it up. I am hoping that Samsung comes up with some interesting shades and doesn’t keep most of the good ones limited to its online store the way it has done for the past few years.
Wishing for a change won’t change anything, of course, as the phones have been in production for a while now. But if the leaked Dbrand assets are anything to go by, I would pay for a two-tone Galaxy S25 series phone rather than a repetitive glass-and-metal chassis with a matching frame with a luster.
You’ve done it before, Samsung. Do it again, maybe.
Hopefully we’ll have more than a single compatible model by this time next year.
Android phones have been the first to feature a bunch of notable standards. They were the first to support 4G, 5G, USB-C (way back in 2015 no less) and in-screen fingerprint sensors. And when it comes to wireless charging, you can trace that lineage all the way back to the Samsung Galaxy S3 from 2012 (though the webOS-poweered Palm Pre and its Touchstone charger is the true OG). Unfortunately, when it came to adding support for the Qi2 wireless charging standard to devices in 2024, it feels like Android phone makers were stuck on outdated patch notes.
The Qi2 standard was officially announced in early 2023 during CES. We even gave it an award, as the spec looked to bring 15-watt wireless charging (and possibly more in future revisions), improved safety and critically the introduction of Magnetic Power Profiles that make it a cinch to align and attach compatible charging pads. In essence, Qi2 was set to bring the simplicity and ease of use iPhone owners enjoy with MagSafe products to the Android ecosystem.
Not a single phone from any of the top three Android phone makers in the US (Samsung, Google and Motorola) offered support for Qi2 in 2024.
Even more surprising is that in a rare move for a company that likes keeping its tech siloed neatly inside the walls of its ecosystem, Apple shared core parts of the MagSafe spec with other members of theWireless Power Consortium(which is the governing body that oversees the Qi and Qi2 standards) to speed up development and interoperability. So you’d think after seeing the convenience and popularity of MagSafe accessories among iPhone users, Android phone makers would have rushed out to add Qi2 to as many devices as possible. But nearly two full years after the spec was finalized, the grand total of Android handsets that support Qi2 stands at one:the HMD Skyline.
At this point, you might be saying that product development cycles are multi-year processes that are difficult to change prior to launch. And in most cases, you’d probably be right. But let’s be honest, it’s not like Samsung, Google, Lenovo and others didn’t see this coming. Like Apple, practically all of the big Android phone makers are also members of the WPC, so they would have known about the development of Qi2 long before it was officially announced. On top of that, the first iPhone with MagSafe was the iPhone 12, which came out four years ago. So even if we assume that the first time Samsung, Google et al were presented with the idea of a magnetic wireless charging system was during Apple’s keynote in the fall of 2020, you’d imagine that’s still more than enough time to engineer similar technology for use on today’s Galaxy and Pixel handsets.
The HMD Skyline was the only Android phone to feature Qi2 this year.
For manufacturers, another concern when adopting a new standard is that there may not be enough accessories and other compatible peripherals on sale to make implementation of new tech worth it. We’ve seen this in the past with modular phones like theLG G5andMoto Z Forceline and the funky palm-reading tech on theLG G8. However, because Qi2 and MagSafe gadgets arelargely interchangeable, there’s already a huge market of options likeAnker’s MagGo lineof power banks, which are some of my current favorite portable battery packs.
Another annoyance is that some phones like theRazr PlusandPixel 9 Pro Foldwill evenstick magneticallyto some Qi2 accessories and may even suck down a tiny bit of juice. Unfortunately, this is more of a coincidence caused by the magnets used to help keep foldables open or closed, rather than an intentional use case. This means that even though these devices may appear to support Qi2 at first glance, accessories don’t maintain a firm grip and often slide off even in what appear to be ideal circumstances. Even cases that claim to add support for Qi2 are hit or miss, resulting in a poor experience for Android phone owners hoping to recreate the magic of MagSafe on their own. It’s really a shame, because it almost feels like with a few small tweaks Google, Moto and others could unlocked Qi2 support on a wider range of devices without a ton of extra effort or cost.
The lack of Qi2 support on Android phones is preventing users from enjoying a huge range of handy charging accessories.
Unfortunately, while many Chinese phone makers have avoided Qi2 up until this point, that’s sort of to be expected with manufacturers like Oppo often favoring proprietary tech like its65-watt AirVOOC wirelesscharging instead of more widely accessible industry standard. And because the Galaxy S24 family came out at the very beginning of 2024, Samsung didn’t have quite as much time to add Qi2 to its current flagship lineup as Google, which launched the Pixel 9 series just a few months ago. Regardless, this still doesn’t explain the general reluctance of OEMs to adopt what I’d argue is one of the most meaningful upgrades in accessibility and general usability you can add to a smartphone today.
But the most frustrating thing is that six months ago, our friends at batterymappondered why we hadyet to see any Qi2 Android phones. And as we’re nearing the end of the year, there’s still only a single model trying to spark hope that 2025 will be different. So kudos to HMD for doing what Samsung, Google et al. couldn’t be bothered to figure out. Now I’m just worried that if things don’t change next year, one of the most promising standards could end up in the graveyard (at least for Android phones) before ever getting a chance to thrive.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is the best Android watch of 2024. We’ll help you decide if keeping the Watch 6 or upgrading to the Watch Ultra is better.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is one of the best Android watches of the year, and with the year winding down, you may be deciding whether to grab one as a last-minute holiday gift, whether to yourself or someone else — or if you should choose an alternative like the Pixel Watch 3 or OnePlus Watch 2.
OurGalaxy Watch 7 reviewlargely had a healthy range of positives and only a couple of nitpicky complaints, saying it lacked “pizazz.” You might be bored of its appearance without a Galaxy Watch 7 Classic or Pro as an alternative. But you can be assured that it’s a very good smartwatch.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7: Price, availability, and models
The Galaxy Watch 7 was announced on July 10 and shipped to customers on July 24; you can order it from Samsung.com, Amazon, Best Buy, and select U.S. carriers. TheGalaxy Ring and Galaxy Watch Ultra shipped out on the same date.
After the Galaxy Watch 5 and 6 both got minor price bumps, the Galaxy Watch 7 remains at the same price point as last year: $299 for the 40mm Watch 7 and $329 for the 44mm Watch 7. Samsung lets you upgrade to an LTE version for $50 extra.
Both Galaxy Watch 7 sizes ship in Green. The 40mm Watch 7 also has a Cream option, while the 44mm Watch 7 has a Silver option. You can choose a Sport, Fabric, or Athleisure watch band as your default option.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7: Specs and sensors
Category
Galaxy Watch 7 40mm
Galaxy Watch 7 44mm
Display
1.3-inch Super AMOLED, 432 x 432 resolution, sapphire crystal
1.5-inch Super AMOLED, 480 x 480 resolution, sapphire crystal
The Exynos W1000 is Samsung’s first 3-nanometer CPU used in a smartwatch, built with five cores instead of the usual dual-core design: one Arm Cortex-A78 and four Cortex-A55 clocked at 1.6GHz. Samsung promises it loads apps 2.7x faster than the Exynos W930 in the Galaxy Watch 6, while outperforming it in single-core and multicore benchmarks by “3.4x and 3.7x, respectively.”
Samsung told us that much of that extra processing power goes into the revamped health sensor array. Although the Galaxy Watch 7 tracks the exact same data as theGalaxy Watch 5or Watch 6, the bottom sensor has 13 LEDs for heart rate and blood oxygen readings instead of four LEDs. Samsung says this new “multi-optical path” gives the Watch 7 94% accuracy during high-intensity workouts, compared to 88% on the last generation.
OurGalaxy Watch Ultra fitness testshowed real-world improvements in heart rate accuracy during workouts, and the Galaxy Watch 7 has the same sensor array, so this health & fitness reliability applies to both watches.
Most smartwatches have red, green, and infrared LEDs for capturing your health data, but Samsung addedblue, yellow, violet, and ultraviolet LEDsto the Galaxy Watch 7 to “pursue unexplored aspects of health monitoring on wearables.” The Watch 7 and Ultra launched with an experimental metric called AGEs Index that Samsung says is “one of the many new advanced features planned” with these LEDs.
Unfortunately, the new metric isn’t especially useful — we found that Samsung gave everyone near-identical AGEs Index scores regardless of differences in health — and we don’t know what to expect from future health metrics yet.
A more exciting upgrade is dual-band GPS, which triangulates your position from multiple satellite angles to avoid obstacles like buildings, foliage, or mountains. It’s vital for accurate outdoor workout results, and it’s rare to find in affordable smartwatches. Thankfully, this new GPS system did excellently in our fitness test, living up to Samsung’s promises.
Samsung also gave the Galaxy Watch 7 32GB of storage. That might sound like overkill, but we noticed that the Galaxy Watch 6’s 16GB of storage was closer to 6GB thanks to the default OS. With extra storage, you’ll have plenty of space for large music playlists or podcasts, if you like to leave your phone at home during walks or workouts. It also leaves room for all thebest Wear OS appsyou could want.
All of the recent Galaxy Watches have or will receive One UI 6 Watch soon, based on the latestWear OS 5update. So these features aren’t necessarilyspecificto the Galaxy Watch 7, but they’re worth explaining for anyone unfamiliar withWear OS watchesor considering another brand like thePixel Watch 3with “stock” Wear OS software.
The Galaxy Watch 7 offers an Energy Score, calculated by Galaxy AI algorithms based on your recent sleep, stress, and activity data, indicating if your poor sleep or hard activities are impacting your body, and tracking new metrics like movement during sleep or sleep latency.
Galaxy AI also takes your Watch 7 data and generates wellness tips for how to improve your health, tracking specific metrics like your resting heart rate over time to help you judge your progress. Plus, the Watch 7 has FDA-approved sleep apnea detection.
Another new Galaxy AI feature is AI-powered suggested replies, making it potentially easier to respond to your Google or Samsung Messages without having to pull out your phone or type on the small QWERTY keyboard. You’ll need a Galaxy phone to use these, however.
While past Galaxy Watches had shortcut gestures like double-tap in the accessibility menu, One UI 6 Watch makes those gestures more readily available to all users.
As for the biggest changes, we’ve already noted how the new Exynos W1000 beats the Exynos W930. However, our Galaxy Watch 7 reviewer noted that, while “this is the zippiest smartwatch I’ve ever used,” she’s “not seeing” the 2.7x boost over the Galaxy Watch 6 that Samsung promises. “In the day-to-day, it’s faster, but not noticeably.”
We think the Exynos W1000’s biggest impact is its efficiency; despite having the same battery capacity as the Watch 6, the Watch 7 consistently lasts about two days per charge, while the Watch 6 falls closer to 1 to 1.5 days. We suspect the Watch 7 will stand the test of time a little better.
As we said above, the Galaxy Watch 7 will deliver more accurate heart rate and GPS results. OurGalaxy Watch 6 fitness testdisappointed us, so we welcomed these upgrades, but if you’re not much of an athlete or just don’t need exact results, then you don’t necessarily need the Galaxy Watch 7.
The Galaxy Watch 7 launched withWear OS 5and the One UI 6 Watch skin and will get consistent software updates through summer 2028. Theofficial Wear OS 5 rolloutbegan on November 19 for the Galaxy Watch 6 series, with older models receiving it by early December.
As mentioned above, the Galaxy Watch 7 has more HR LEDs and LEDcolorsthan the Watch 6. Although Samsung’s first use of these sensors — the AGEs Index — didn’t impress us, their team has promised future health metrics using this data, which the Galaxy Watch 6 won’t be able to access. It’s a vague reason to upgrade, but still worth mentioning.
The Watch 6 and 7 have nearly identical weights—the Watch 7 40mm and 44mm weigh 0.1g and 0.5g less, respectively—but Samsung notes that the newer watch is 0.7mm thicker, and its measurement doesn’t include the sensor array. The extra LEDs make the Watch 7 sensor bump more dome-like, so it “sits slightly higher on your wrist” than the Watch 6, according to our reviewer.
Galaxy Watch 7 vs. Watch Ultra
Despite the $350 price gap between the Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra, the two watches aren’t all that different, aside from the obvious design differences.
The Watch 7 Ultra uses titanium grade 4 instead of aluminum, with a 47mm case that weighs 60.5g without the strap (26.7g more than the larger Watch 7). It feels significantly heavierandmeasures 2.4mm thicker; while you can wear the Galaxy Watch 7 for sleep tracking relatively comfortably, that won’t apply to the Watch Ultra.
Both the Galaxy Watch Ultra and Watch 7 44mm have 1.5-inch, 480×480 AMOLED displays, so there’s no visual upgrade except for a brightness boost from 2,000 to 3,000 nits on the flagship watch.
Like the Watch 7, the Watch Ultra has a digital bezel along the display edge. Unfortunately, while the Ultra’s side button is a crown,it’s inactiveso you can’t scroll through menus. On the other hand, the Quick Button lets you pause and restart workouts quickly instead of having to swipe through menus with sweaty fingertips.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra has the same 590mAh battery as theWatch 5 Pro, or 165mAh extra capacity compared to the Watch 7 44mm. On paper, Samsung says the Ultra lasts 60 hours with AOD, but our reviewer found it lasts closer to 48 hours with it. Still, that matches what the Watch 7 hitswithoutAOD; for the most battery life possible, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is the clear choice.
Like the Watch 7, it has 2GB/32GB memory and an Exynos W1000 CPU, plus the same sensors. The upgraded LEDs and dual-band GPS are the same, too. The Galaxy Watch Ultra has LTE capabilities built in, while you must pay extra for it on the Watch 7.
Mainly, you’re paying for some serious ruggedness. The Galaxy Watch Ultra passes the ISO22810 diving standard for 10 minutes in water at 100-meter depth. It has an 85-decibel siren and Samsung’s promise that it can survive elevations up to 29,527 feet or temperatures between -4°F and 131°F (-20ºC to 55ºC).
Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7?
The main reasons to buy the Galaxy Watch 7 if you have a Watch 6 are the faster processor, more accurate health data, pinpointed GPS, and extra storage. Admittedly, the last three are more niche features that some users won’t need; the Exynos chip is the key upgrade, giving the watch more compute headroom that’ll make future Wear OS updates run more smoothly.
If you don’t like certain aspects of the Watch 6 like the design or digital bezel, that hasn’t changed with the Watch 7. Unless you want to hold out for theGalaxy Watch 8(which is rumored to switch to a squircle) or pay double the price for the Watch Ultra, your only other option is to look into the otherbest Android smartwatcheson the market.
We’ve seen reports of”ghost notifications” on the Galaxy Watch 7in recent weeks. We hope that Samsung will find the source of these and fix them, as it’s a bad look for this Wear OS watch to buzz users constantly with nonexistent notifications. Otherwise, most users have had few complaints about the Galaxy Watch 7’s software.
In the last year, I’ve taken up a new, rewarding hobby with astrophotography. Today’sbest phonesmake it easier than ever before to get breathtaking shots of the night sky, which is why I want to share my favorite shots from each of the flagship phones I’ve tested throughout the year.
These include theiPhone 16 Pro Max,Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra,Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, andOnePlus 12— many of which top batterymap’sbest camera phonesguide. They’re there for many reasons, but I will agree that the quality of images for astrophotography requires more than just the physical hardware. Plus, there’s a certain level of patience needed to get just the right images.
Most people don’t even know that these flagship phones are capable of capturing stuff besides the moon, stars, and constellations. As you’ll see, I’ve been able to image other deep space objects with their telephoto cameras — like nebulas and even some galaxies. Here’s all of my favorite shots.
Before I dive into it, I captured all the astrophotography images with each phone on separate occasions. Since astrophotography requires the phones to be extremely still with their long exposure, often upwards of 30 seconds, it’s not feasible for me to capture the same targets with each device. That’s why the images are from different days.
Secondly, it’s worth investing in a tripod and phone holder to capture astrophotography with phones. I’d recommend keeping them as close to the ground as possible because sometimes a slight gust of wind can ruin a shot. And finally, you’ll want to use the timer function to eliminate any shake when you’re hitting the shutter button.
Once you master these techniques, you simply need to switch to their respective night modes and select the longest exposure time.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
If you’re going to shoot astrophotography with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, I’d recommend switching to its Pro Mode and manually setting the shutter speed and ISO. In the first shot of the gallery below, I do like how the overall image is brightened to see the details in the tree’s branches, but the sky itself is a bit overexposed given how dark it looks in real life. Still, I love all the twinkling stars it’s able to capture.
In the second astrophotography image with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, I used Pro Mode to try and capture M42: The Great Orion Nebula. This is one of my favorite shots because the night sky is properly exposed, with less of the banding effect of the night shot one. And since I used a longer exposure, it manages to keep the noise down by shooting at a lower ISO.
And finally, there’s the last closeup shot of the Great Orion Nebula with the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s 50MP telephoto with 5x zoom. While I could’ve maxed it out 100x zoom, I chose not to in order to preserve the details. I think it does an excellent job of defining the gases that are coming from the nebula, which with the naked eye just looks like an ordinary twinkling star — but the S24 Ultra captures it in greater detail.
Apple’s flagship is a low light beast, and these astrophotography snapshots I captured with the iPhone 16 Pro Max proves that. Starting with its 48MP main camera, it’s the only flagship phone I’ve tested this year that can capture a galaxy. With it pointed straight up into the air, I was able to capture M31 Andromeda Galaxy — complete with its wispy trails. You’ll have to look very close in the first image below, but it’s there.
Next up, I want to point out how it captures The Great Orion Nebula with its 12MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom. I surmise that the clearer skies above me that evening attributed to what’s arguably my favorite astrophotography shot with these flagships, mainly because the nebula is better defined.
For my last pick, it’s the shot of M45 The Pleiades — which on that night was right above my garage. There’s a lot I love about this photo because not only are the seven main stars of the cluster visible with the main camera, but the colors of the leaves on the tree remain true-to-life.
OnePlus 12
Even though its flagships have often underperformed against its main rivals in the low light department, I will admit that the OnePlus 12 can get some respectable looking astrophotography images. The first one I tried getting of Jupiter in the night sky is a perfect example, especially when I was contending against the strong moonlight from the Moon. The overall shot may look underexposed compared to the brighter captures of the other phones here, but enough to give it a realistic look.
The second image in the gallery below is of M45 The Pleiades, which initially I thought was captured by its 64MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. But for some reason it stuck with the 50MP main camera, which I suspect is simply due to the low light conditions. Given how effective OnePlus leverages pixel binning here, I think it still pulls off an excellent shot.
Going back to M42 The Great Orion Nebula, the OnePlus 12’s main camera again captures an image that’s more underexposed, but it doesn’t have the banding effect that I tend to see with the night modes on other phones.
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
There’s a reason why I saved the Pixel 9 Pro XL for last. Out of all the phones I’ve tested, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is my favorite for astrophotography. Not only does it have an excellent 48MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom, but there’s a dedicated astrophotography mode that pushes the exposure to 4 minutes — resulting in a neat timelapse video to complement the image it captures. The first shot of M45 The Pleiades below shows a few rolling clouds overhead, while still showing the movement of M45.
With an unobstructed view of Jupiter, I love how this shot from the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s main camera also manages to expose some of the nearby stars. If you look to the south-east, there’s the Great Orion Nebula — while the seven stars of The Pleiades are visible to the north-east.
In order to better show off its telephoto capabilities with astrophotography, I pointed the Pixel 9 Pro XL towards the Great Orion Nebula and used its 5x optical zoom for a closer look. Needless to say that I’m astounded by what it sees, unlike my own eyes that merely see the famous star cluster as a smudgy blob in the sky. Not only is Orion’s Belt clearly captured in the 5x zoom photo, but I really love how the nebula itself is exposed.
An image of what looks like the Chinese version of the Galaxy S25 Plus has leaked online. It shows off a redesigned camera module and what looks like a capacitive camera button, but in reality is a mm Wave 5G radio.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus is tipped to arrive with minor design tweaks (image source: @Jukanlosreve on X)
Hands-on images of theSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultrahave shown up more than once, and they even gave us a glimpse at Samsung’s next major OS upgrade:One UI 7.0. As anticipated, the phone’s camera module gets a minor redesign. A new leak says that will trickle down to the Galaxy S25 Plus. It isn’t exactly a secret, as it was revealed byCAD rendersfrom earlier this year.
X leaker@Jukanlosrevehas shown off Samsung’s middle-of-the-pack offering via some real-world images. Here, we can see the vertically aligned (and slightly thicker) camera modules covered with masking tape. At the front, there appears to be a notch-like structure, which is, once again, likely masking tape. An image of the phone’s Settings app confirms it is indeed a Galaxy S25 Plus (SM-S936U).The ‘U’ in its name confirms the Galaxy S25 Plus will be powered by aSnapdragon 8 Elite, and not anExynos 2500as previously suggested by multipleGeekbench listings.
While Samsung still hasn’t abandoned its next-gen Exynos chip, it will only debut in thelatter half of 2025alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 7. Beneath the power button and volume rocker, we see an intriguing patch of metal that, at first glance, resembles a capacitive camera slider like the one found on Apple’siPhone 16series. However, the leaker says the Galaxy S25 Plus will sport no such feature, and that is instead a mm Wave radio.
As far as its internals are concerned, the Galaxy S25 Plus will offer largely incremental upgrades over theGalaxy S24 Plus. The 120 Hz 1440p screen is tipped to remain the same,maximum RAMstill caps out at 12 GB, and the battery capacityremains stagnant. Thankfully, a corresponding price increase isnot on the cards, at least in one market.
One UI 7 is a shiny new update making Samsung phones feel fresh and new again.
The Samsung One UI 7 beta program is fully underway, having justreleased its second betathat’s filled with bug fixes for all eligible Samsung Galaxy phones. I’ve been using it on my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and am already convinced this is the best version of One UI Samsung has made in a very long time.
The latest beta is all about fixing bugs, but there are so many new features in One UI 7 that it’s hard not to sift through them all to find my new favorites. Samsung is doing a lot to cater to long-time fans and folks who dislike One UI by doing what it does best: offering options for every imaginable preference.
So, what’s it like to use One UI 7? Exceptional in most ways, thankfully.
Right off the bat, seasoned Samsung users — and there are a lot of you out there — will immediately notice that Samsung has split the notification shade by default. This means that pulling down on the right side of the status bar brings up a full screen of quick toggle buttons and sliders while swiping down on the left side of the status bar brings up notifications. It’s exactly like an iPhone.
I can see a lot of people getting really frustrated with this new default behavior, and I’m not sure it’s my favorite decision ever. On the bright side, you can quickly move between the two panels with a horizontal swipe, so it doesn’t take much effort if muscle memory kicks in and you need to get to the other panel.
Thankfully, you can change it back to the original single-panel behavior, but you’ll need to hit the pencil button in the quick toggles pane and swap back over. It’s a little bit hidden, and I think Samsung needs to surface it a bit more. I tried the new split pane for a while, but I really don’t like it, so I made the switch back to the Android-style behavior.
Finally! A vertical app drawer by default!
The next thing you’ll likely notice is the vertical app drawer. Ironically, while Samsung is copying Apple with the default split notification pane, it’s going with a more Android-like experience with the default app drawer layout. If you don’t like this, you can switch back by choosing the “custom” sort order. It’s a weird wording choice and I think Samsung needs to just change it to “vertical” or “horizontal” to avoid confusion.
The new vertical drawer is wonderful, though, and even has a scroll bar on the right for quickly moving between apps, all sorted alphabetically by default. The vertical app drawer is a massive improvement that makes One UI instantly feel like it was developed in the 2020s rather than the 2000s.
The new multitasking UI is SO MUCH BETTER than Google’s awful default design in Android.
The third huge thing you’ll notice is the new multitasking UI, which finally lets you see more than one app tile at a time. Instead of spacing tiles out horizontally and making the middle one take up most space, Samsung now arranges tiles in a 3D carousel so you can peek behind and easily see apps ahead as you scroll through the list.
The active app immediately moves to the right of the screen so you can quickly juggle between multiple apps. Of course, this design is nearly identical to the iOS style of multitasking that has existed on iPhones for over a decade, and it’s about time, too.
Google launched the old horrendous layout with Android 9, and I never understood why the company kept it for as long as it did. It’s not a multitasking UI if you can only see one app at a time. This at least does a lot to fix that, even if it’s a blatant iOS ripoff.
Good Lock isn’t ready yet, so what you see is what you get until then.
If you want any of the other multitasking styles, you’ll have to wait until Good Lock’s Home Up module gets updated for One UI 7 compatibility, likely after the final OS launch, which is expected in January.
Other refreshes around the OS include new icons, updated fonts, a new battery indicator that looks super swanky, and plenty of new widgets you’ll definitely want to play around with. I particularly love the countdown widget, which lets you pick a specific date on the calendar and drop it on your home screen to build anticipation.
While the new UI changes are mostly positive with a few controversial decisions, the “feeling” you get is something of a non-measurable category. If I compare One UI to something likeOxygenOS 15, for instance, Samsung’s user experience still doesn’t feel like the best of the best.
Haptics, for instance, still feel weak and are often missing in important places and it makes the experience feel so vacant compared to my OnePlus 12. Moving the brightness slider or clearing notifications on a OnePlus phone delivers satisfying haptics that make them feel like physical buttons or sliders, while Samsung’s UI doesn’t vibrate or feel responsive at all.
Animations in One UI 7 aren’t anywhere near the caliber of OxygenOS 15 on the OnePlus 12. For instance, when you set a timer and swipe home on OnePlus’s OxygenOS 15, the app will “minimize” to the status bar in a super slick way. When you click the timer, it then warps and enlarges into the app when you click it. This is better shown in motion, which you can see below.
Samsung’s new animations still aren’t the same caliber that can be found in OxygenOS 15, and haptics in One UI 7 still feel vacant and hollow.
However, in One UI 7, the app just slides down and away without any pomp. Clicking the live notification timer in the status bar just opens the app in the standard way. No pizazz. Nothing fun is happening at all.
What I will say is that Samsung’s new Live Notifications are a great riff off of the iPhone’s Dynamic Islandthat I’ve been craving. But instead of just copying Apple, Samsung improved on the concept by making the notification “pill” appear at the bottom of the display where it’s most clickable.
You’ll see this new pill on the always-on display or the lock screen, making it easy to quickly pause that timer or take actionable information for a supported app. Otherwise, the little pill lives in the status bar on top, so you can see it at all times without it taking up any more room than the status bar ever does. Bravo, Samsung.
Ten thousand features
As you might expect from Samsung, the new features list for One UI 7 is a mile long. While some belovedfeatures were removed, the new OS version is packed full of things you might only use a handful of times but, ultimately, will find useful when you get the chance to use them.
There’s something here for everyone, even if you only find yourself using it once in a blue moon.
One example is moving all calendar entries to a new calendar instead of having to do it one by one. If you’re sharing a file over Quick Share and it fails, you’ll now be offered the option to transfer it using an internet connection instead of having to redo the transfer.
Notifications will also stack when an app gives you a bunch at a time. This is handy for when you have multiple Gmail accounts, for instance, as you’ll get one instance of Gmail in the notification shade but can easily swipe down on it to see everything.
Even the camera got some love, although I’m not super crazy about everything. The camera has a 2x zoom button right on the viewfinder, adding to the list of .6, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10x zoom options to instantly get where you want without having to scroll. Samsung even added fun new effects for live photos so you can quickly turn them into a Boomerang or slow-motion preview of your photo.
Still a work in progress
One UI 7 isn’t perfect, but I think it’s a huge step in the right direction for Samsung. One UI has felt a bit dated for a while now and needed some updating to feel modern again. I’m glad to see Samsung not only taking feedback but also being willing to make much-needed changes for UI elements that have been around for way too long, like that terrible horizontal app drawer.
This is only the second beta release for One UI 7, and the next release of the beta is expected to fix more bugs that’ll likely crop up; plus, it could make a few tweaks based on user feedback in the beta program. Most likely, we’ll see the next beta update pop up before the year ends.
Another Samsung Galaxy Watch is getting the Wear OS 5 treatment
One UI 6 Watch is rolling out to the Galaxy Watch 4 range
It comes with new AI fitness features, watch faces, and more
After a slow, gradual rollout of Wear OS 5 to its Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 5 models,Samsunghas confirmed that the Galaxy Watch 4 is now also receiving the free upgrade, as One UI 6 Watch rolls out to users.
It’s a major milestone for Samsung, as its entire Wear OS smartwatch range now supports the latest software, despite a fairly clunky and disjointed rollout.
Samsung has confirmedthat it’s now rolling out the One UI 6 Watch (Samsung’s skin for Wear OS 5) upgrade for its Galaxy Watch 4 range. So what’s new in the One UI 6 upgrade for 2024?
As with the Wear OS 5 updates for the Galaxy Watch 5 and 6, the new software brings a host of upgrades, tweaks, and improvements.
Galaxy Watch 4 owners will get new watch faces and visual improvements to the interface, with a new default font, buttons, and toggles. Tile graphics have also been upgraded to make things look better.
Under the hood, new health metrics and improvements bring Samsung’s AI-powered energy score, showing you your physical and mental condition based on your sleep and exercise, with advice to help you stay on top of your wellbeing.
There are also more detailed sleep insights, custom workout routines, and the new double-pinch gesture to make navigation easier.
There’s also a new power-saving mode that limits some health features and extends battery life.
First released in August 2021, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 marked the return of Wear OS to the Galaxy Watch lineup, but it’s possible that this year will be the last major software update the aging model gets.
All of Samsung’s Wear OS smartwatch models have now started receiving One UI 6 Watch in at least one region.
What you need to know
The last stage of Samsung’s One UI 6 Watch rollout appears to be underway, with users in Korea seeing the update become available for the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.
The move comes as Samsung has updated the Galaxy Watch 6 series, Galaxy Watch 5 series, and Galaxy Watch FE to Wear OS 5 in recent days and weeks.
The updates, beginning abroad, will eventually come to the US and North America at a later date.
Samsung is reaching the final stage of itslengthy One UI 6 Watch rollout, which brings Wear OS 5 to all the company’s Wear OS smartwatches. As of today, users in Korea started seeing the One UI 6 Watch update become available for the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, according to aposton Samsung’s community forums. The update is currently available for only the Bluetooth models of theGalaxy Watch 4 series, and only in Korea — for now.
The company launched One UI 6 Watch alongside theGalaxy Watch Ultraand Galaxy Watch 7, released in July. It made its way to the Galaxy Watch 6 series late last month. Just yesterday, Dec. 3,Samsung brought the Wear OS 5 upgrade to the Galaxy Watch 5 series and the Galaxy Watch FE.
That means all of Samsung’s Wear OS watches, from the oldest Galaxy Watch 4 to the cheapestGalaxy Watch FE, are beginning to get the boost to One UI 6 Watch. As is typically the case, Bluetooth models of the Galaxy Watch will receive the upgrade in a few regions to start. Then, over the coming days and weeks, LTE-equipped models will become eligible to upgrade, and it’ll arrive in more regions. North American units are often towards the end of the line when it comes to receiving One UI 6 Watch upgrades.
(Image credit: Samsung)
A core part of the One UI 6 Watch update are health-related feature additions. Samsung is banking on the combination of Samsung Health and Galaxy AI, aiming to use it to help wearers improve their fitness and health. Energy Score is like Samsung’s rendition of Garmin’s Body Battery, and Sleep Analysis aims to let you know how well you slept. These features were exclusive to newer Galaxy Watch models at first, but are making their way to older ones now.
Samsung initially promised up to four years of software updates for the Galaxy Watch 4, which isn’t much of a concrete guarantee. However, it appears that old smartwatch may be nearing the end of its software support.Wear OS 5.1looks like a minor update, based onAndroid 15, so the chances of the Galaxy Watch 4 making it to the eventual Wear OS 6 are slim.
Still, the first-generation of any product line typically receives poor software support, but that hasn’t been the case with the Galaxy Watch 4 (which is a first-gen product in the sense that it was Samsung’s first Wear OS watch). It’s had a great run with software upgrades, starting with Wear OS 3 and now supporting Wear OS 5.
According to a new report, Samsung has no plans to introduce its first-generation tri-fold smartphone next year. Nonetheless, a renowned display analyst has offered an insight into the device’s global availability.
Huawei stole a march on Samsung earlier this year with the Mate XT. (Image source: Huawei)
Samsung has not officially confirmed that it is working on a new type of foldable yet. Nonetheless, rumours have been flying around in recent weeks about the company’s plans to challenge theHuawei Mate XTwith its own version. Now, Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC)has offered insightsinto the state of Samsung’s first ‘tri-fold’ smartphone.
In short, it appears that the company’s foray into a new foldable form factor will not be ready in time for its 2025 hardware refresh. For reference, successors to theGalaxy Z Flip6andGalaxy Z Fold6are anticipated, as well as the so-called Galaxy Z Flip6 FE. Incidentally, Young has also disclosed new information about a new Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition too, details of which we have covered separately.
While Samsung’s first-generation tri-fold will not be with us next year, Young expects it to arrive in ‘early 2026’. As it stands, the company is believed to have adopted the form factor that Samsung Display showcased a few years ago with theFlex Grather than theFlex Swraparound alternative that Huawei offers with theMate XT.
Samsung’s first tri-fold may look like the Flex G on the right. (Image source: Samsung Display)
We don’t expect this device to actually see the light of day.
What you need to know
Samsung has filed a patent for a foldable gaming handheld console.
Based on the included patent drawings, the handheld would be somewhat similar to the Galaxy Z Flip 6, but includes space for gaming controls.
The patent was originally filed in 2022 but was just granted on November 11.
It’s not all that often that we cover patents, but Samsung might be cooking up something rather exciting. As of November 11, Samsung was granted a patent for an “electronic games console,” as the91mobilesspotted a listing that appeared on the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) website.
According to thelisting, Samsung Display Co., Ltd. filed for the patent in September 2022, and it was registered as of November 12. Unsurprisingly, there aren’t any other specifics about the internals of this handheld.
However, there are a variety of patent drawings that were published, giving us an idea of how it might work. At first glance, this handheld looks pretty similar to theGalaxy Z Flip 6, with a couple of major differences.
The first of which is that the screen faces outward, a concept that we have yet to see Samsung implement outside of some concept designs to showcase at various trade shows. In fact, the only companies to really venture down that path have been Huawei and Honor, as theHonor V Pursewas released in 2023, whileHuawei’s Mate XTtri-foldable phone was revealed in September.
Durability concerns likely play a big part in why we haven’t seen outward-folding phones, making this potential gaming handheld even more intriguing. Adding to the intrigue is how you interpret the patent drawings. On one hand, it looks like it features one screen, but a couple of the drawings indicate that there might actually be two different screens that join together when unfolded.
Then again, we could be looking at two differentgaming handhelds, with one that folds, and another one that doesn’t. If it is indeed two different handhelds, it would help explain the differences in controls when looking at Figure 2 and Figure 3.
While it’s easy to get excited about Samsung potentially releasing a gaming handheld, we have to take this with a massive grain of salt. For one, it’s only a patent, and we know that companies file patents for devices that never see the light of day.
Then, there’s the whole concern about what the future holds for Samsung’s current crop of foldable phones.Rumors suggestthat Samsung sold less than 300,000Galaxy Z Fold 6devices in the first two weeks, falling far short of the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
In October, the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition was released in South Korea,reportedly selling throughall three batches of pre-orders. While that might be the case, there’s no way of knowing how many devices Samsung actually manufactured for release, especially since it was limited to certain regions.
On top of that, rumors continue to swirl around Samsung potentially releasing a tri-foldable competitor to the Mate XT. However, if sales are as bad as reports make it seem, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Samsung decided to cut its losses and dropfoldable phonesfor good.
Let’s hope that’s not the case, and that this newly-discovered foldable gaming handheld actually comes to fruition.
