Samsung rolled out the first One UI 5.0 beta firmware for the Galaxy S22 series yesterday. The firmware has been made available in limited markets so far. In the coming days, we can expect it to be available for more devices in more markets. These are the Samsung devices eligible for the One UI 5.0 beta and here's how you join the program.
We've put together a handy video of the One UI 5.0 beta vs One UI 4.1, the current stable software version for the Galaxy S22. It'll help you understand easily all of the new features that the beta version brings to the table.
One UI 5.0 beta vs One UI 4.1 video comparison
There's a lot to unpack with One UI 5.0. It brings quite a few cosmetic changes. The color palette feature has been improved to provide you with more options to personalize the look and feel of the UI. Widgets have been considerably improved as well. You can now create stacked widgets of your favorite apps whereas One UI 4.1 was limited to smart widgets for a handful of apps only.
Samsung has also simplified the caller ID pop-up. When you're in an app, the pop-up now has a send message button as a drop-down icon with the pickup and decline buttons on the right. One UI 5.0 also lets you change the call background for individual contacts, enabling you to see at a glance who's calling.
The first One UI 5.0 beta also includes several other features, including a new multitasking swipe gesture and Bixby Vision OCR on steroids. Check out the video below to learn more about all of the features that this beta brings.
Samsung is yet to confirm when it intends to release One UI 5.0 and Android 13 to the public. It was previously expected that the company is aiming for an October release. Given Samsung's impressive pace with updates recently, it wouldn't be surprising if it wraps up the beta program quickly and starts rolling out this much-awaited update to the public in the next couple of months.