What you need to know
- Samsung has confirmed that the Android 12-based One UI 4.0 beta program will begin in September.
- The One UI 4.0 beta program will initially be limited to owners of Samsung's Galaxy S21 series phones.
- You can expect the stable One UI 4.0 update to hit the Galaxy S21 series before the end of the year.
Earlier today, a Samsung community manager accidentally posted a banner for the the company's Android 12-based One UI 4.0 beta program. The banner suggested that the first One UI 4.0 beta for the Galaxy S21 series is "coming soon." However, the company has now clarified that the One UI 4.0 beta program will only begin "around September and October" (via TizenHelp).
This means that the stable Android 12-based One UI 4.0 update could begin rolling out to the company's best Android phones sometime in the fourth quarter of the year. It took roughly two months for One UI 3.0 to go from beta to stable for the Galaxy S20 series last year. Samsung had launched the Android 11-based One UI 3.0 beta program for the Galaxy S20 series in early October.
The One UI 4.0 beta program is likely to expand to Samsung's 2020 Android flagships — including the Galaxy S20 and Note 20 series a few weeks after the Galaxy S21 series. Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3, and Galaxy S21 FE are also expected to be part of the One UI 4.0 beta program.
According to Chun (@chunvn8888), Samsung's One UI 4.0 update will bring some major changes to app icons and the overall color scheme. The tipster also suggests Samsung will adopt Android 12's Material You design language for the next major version of One UI.
Samsung Galaxy S21
The Galaxy S21 offers better value than Samsung's top-end Galaxy S21 Ultra and also happens to be a lot more compact. While it doesn't have a 108MP camera or S Pen support, you still get a great flagship experience.
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