Samsung One UI Custom Android Skin – From TouchWiz to Today

Samsung consists of the most advanced yet innovative custom Android skin, the One UI, which is highly customizable and offers the most commendable properties to its customers. This is the reason why Samsung’s One UI has always been under the spotlight. Meanwhile, due to its highly customizable functionalities, it is designed to offer an enhanced multitasking experience to Galaxy users. Unlike other custom Android skins, Samsung’s One UI is still considered the best among all due to its innovative interface. 

Samsung One UI Android-based Custom Skin

Here you will go through the entire journey of Samsung’s One UI, including how it started and how it’s going. 

Years ago, Samsung designed a highly customizable user interface for its Galaxy phones and tablets so that users could have more options to significantly overhaul their devices, from themes and app icons to home and lock screen layouts. However, Samsung has performed a major overhaul to its One UI, and people have witnessed some big as well as small yet relevant tweaks and enhancements within the functionalities and other features of the One UI. 

Samsung has always been committed to making its One UI the most advanced UI for its Galaxy devices. Since its arrival, the brand has undergone several changes in order to make it much better, improved, and highly interactive for the users. With every iteration, the One UI has been consistently aimed at refining the experience of Galaxy users. Here’s all about every OneUI iteration. 

One UI 1

Samsung introduced the first iteration of its custom Android skin, the One UI 1.0, back in December 2018 along with the Android 9 Pie OS, while the first phone to get its courtesy was the Galaxy S8, followed by the Note 8 and Note 9, respectively. Later on, Samsung provided the next version, the One UI 1.1, as a pre-installed update on the Galaxy S10 and A lineup, along with the foldable Z Fold. 

However, as it was the first version of the One UI skin, it arrived with some minor upgrades and enhancements, including optimizations within cameras, authentication methods, and some other performance optimizations as well. In addition, the One UI 1.5 version, pre-installed on the Galaxy Note 10, also added Link to Windows support.

One UI 2

In November 2019, Galaxy users witnessed a new stable version, the One UI 2.0, which was significantly based on Android 9 out of the box. This stable version brought up some significant enhancements within certain functionalities, including the Dark mode, a dynamic lock screen that allows the phone’s wallpaper to change each time the display is turned on, the Files app’s trash folder, and a built-in screen recorder. The One UI 2.1 brought Quick Share functionality, and the One UI 2.5 introduced Samsung DeX for PC and TV. 

The brand provided this build to the Galaxy Note 9, Note 10, S9, and S10 lineups, respectively. However, this build already arrived pre-installed on the Galaxy S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite models. Moreover, other versions, including the One UI 2.1, debuted with the S20 lineup, while the next One UI 2.5 build arrived with the Galaxy Note 20, Z Fold 2, and S20 FE models, respectively. 

One UI 3

The third One UI iteration was the One UI 3.0, which arrived in December 2020, while the Galaxy S20 models were the first to get the courtesy of this One UI iteration. This iteration arrived with a translucent notification panel and Samsung Free. Also, the One UI 3.0 came with some animation and transition improvements, along with some revamped home screen widgets. However, the next version, One UI 3.1, introduced no new yet noticeable tweaks and functions but brought some improvements within the camera system. Samsung pre-installed One UI 3.1 on the Galaxy S21 lineup, while the third-generation foldables, the Z Fold3 and Flip3, significantly arrived with the One UI 3.1.1 build. 

One UI 4

Launched publicly to every Galaxy user, Samsung unveiled its next One UI iteration, the One UI 4.0, in November 2021, which was significantly based on Android 12. The aim of One UI 4.0 is to offer several irrelevant customizations and privacy capabilities with enhanced haptic feedback, round-shaped widgets, and better location features. 

The Galaxy S21 models were the first to get this build, while it came pre-installed on the Galaxy S22 series, while the Galaxy Tab S8 got the courtesy of the One UI 4.1 that brought some noticeable changes and upgrades, including night mode portraits, an enhanced calendar, and a revamped palette picker. However, the One UI 4.1 arrival was followed by the One UI 4.1.1 build, which was based on Android 12, and significantly arrived for the Galaxy foldables, Z Flip4 and Fold4, Tab S6 and Tab S7, as well as the Tab S8 series, respectively. 

One UI 5

Now was the turn of the next One UI iteration, One UI 5.0, which was released in October 2022 and was based on Android 13. With the One UI 5.0 build, Galaxy users witnessed some significant yet noticeable revamps, and Samsung overhauled its custom Android skin with the One UI 5.0 version, making it smoother among all the aforementioned One UI iterations. It introduces the proper Material You integration, which certainly allows users to apply the changes within the color palette to the entire UI. 

Debuted with the Galaxy S22 series models, the One UI 5.0 update introduced much-improved stacked widgets, along with the ability to add numerous users while also including the guest profile. Moreover, Samsung also unveiled the next version, the One UI 5.1, which brought up a revamped gallery, the latest battery widget, and the integration of expert RAW to the Galaxy S22 and the Z Fold4, while Samsung released the One UI 5.1 with the Galaxy S23 series under the hood. Moreover, the next build version was One UI 5.1.1, which significantly arrived with the Galaxy foldables Z Fold4 and Flip4 along with the Galaxy Tab S8. 

One UI 6 

Meanwhile, here comes the latest One UI iteration, the One UI 6.0, which is still in the limelight, as Samsung has overhauled this latest One UI version with some commendable features and upgrades. The One UI 6.0 is based on Android 14 and debuted with the Galaxy S23 lineup in August 2023, followed by a stable release at the end of October. 

Indeed, Samsung’s One UI 6.0 is still the most improved build so far, as it arrived with some significant enhancements and functionalities, including the addition of the camera widget to the home screen, allowing users to choose their desired camera mode right from the widget without having to open the camera app for choosing the specific camera mode. 

Basically, it revamped the Galaxy Camera system, with the camera hardware of the flagships reaching 200 MP. Moreover, this build also revamped the Quick Settings tile and brought up some simple arrangements for certain options, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Airplane mode. There is an option added for lock screen customization with the capability to move the clock as desired, while also adding several fonts and design options for the clock.

After the One UI 6.0 update, Samsung introduced a new build, the One UI 6.1, which is considered the biggest One UI overhaul and is still in the spotlight due to its commendable functionalities that brought up some of the best possible AI features, dubbed Galaxy AI. Debuted with the current flagship series, the Samsung Galaxy S24 lineup, this new One UI 6.1 introduces several AI-powered features, including the Circle to Search by Google, Live Translate, Chat Assist, Note Assist, Generative Edit, Generative Wallpaper, Interpreter, and Transcription, along with several other Galaxy enhancements and relevant upgrades. 

However, this build will be followed by the next version, the One UI 6.1.1, which has not arrived officially, but several leaked reports state that the One UI 6.1.1 might introduce some more AI functionalities such as the Video AI feature and other improvements to its upcoming foldables and tablets. 

One UI 7

Samsung will launch the next One UI iteration, One UI 7.0, which will be based on the upcoming Android 15 out of the box. Although Android 15 is still under development, it could be presumed that Samsung has already begun working on the next One UI build, One UI 7.0. Soon after Google will introduce the Android 15 version, Samsung will launch the One UI 7.0 build for all of its upcoming Galaxy devices. Also, it’s expected that this latest and upcoming build will go through some significant overhauls and introduce certain improvements within the functionality of the Galaxy UI.