Samsung did a fantastic job with the One UI 3.1 update based on Android 11 to most phones in its portfolio, and with Android 12, it is aiming to outdo itself. Samsung's Android 12 update is One UI 4.0, and it comes with a slate of new features and a UI refresh.
While the design itself isn't too different to the current One UI 3.1, there's a lot to be excited about — Samsung is using a version of the colorful Material You design aesthetic called Dynamic Color to offer much better customization, and there are 60 new features in total.
The One UI 4.0 stable update started rolling out to the Galaxy S21 series back in November 2021, with Samsung delivering the update just a month after Google released the Pixel 6 series.
The update is now available for most Samsung phones released in 2021, 2020, and 2019, and is installed out of the box on Samsung's 2022 phones.
Samsung is now rolling out the One UI 4.1 update with a few extra additions that include a smart calendar, better widgets, redesigned color picker for Android 12, camera tweaks, and more.
We'll go into a little more detail around One UI 4.1 further below, but for now, here's a high-level overview of what Samsung has to offer with its Android 12-based skin, and a look at all the new features.
One UI 4.0 is now available for most Samsung phones
On September 14, 2021, Samsung announced the first One UI 4 public beta for the Galaxy S21 series. Like previous years, the beta was limited to the latest Galaxy S flagship, giving owners of the Galaxy S21, S21+, or S21 Ultra an early look at the changes.
Samsung rolled out the second Android 12 beta on October 5, bringing Google's Material You's color extractor feature and bug fixes. The third and fourth betas were made available in subsequent weeks with bug fixes.
After two months of testing, Samsung started rolling out the stable One UI 4 build from November 15. The Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra were the first to get the stable build, followed by the Galaxy Z series, older Galaxy S flagships, and Note devices.
Samsung is ahead of its One UI 4.0 rollout schedule, already delivering the update to its flagship and mid-range phones from the last two years. It is now rolling out the Android 12-based update to its budget phones in the Galaxy A series.
Samsung makes the best Android phones you can buy today, and the fact that it rolled out the Android 12 stable build just a month after Google shows just how much the Korean manufacturer has changed in this particular area over the last three years.
These Samsung phones will get the One UI 4.0/4.1 update
Samsung is the brand to beat when it comes to long-term updates, with the manufacturer now offering four Android OS updates to its flagships and mid-range phones.
As for the One UI 4.0 update, Samsung has guaranteed Android 12 going back to the 2019 Galaxy S10 series. These devices have switched to One UI 4.0 at the start of 2022, and are now getting the One UI 4.1 update.
Samsung will deliver the Android 12-based One UI 4 update to all of its 2020 and 2021 phones, and there are a lot of phones on that list. Here's the full list of Galaxy phones and tablets that are eligible for the One UI 4 update:
Galaxy S series phones getting One UI 4.0/4.1
- Galaxy S21 5G
- Galaxy S21+ 5G
- Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
- Galaxy S20 / S20 5G
- Galaxy S20+ / S20+ 5G
- Galaxy S20 Ultra / S20 Ultra 5G
- Galaxy S20 FE / FE 5G
- Galaxy S10 / S10 5G
- Galaxy S10+
- Galaxy S10e
- Galaxy S10 Lite
Galaxy Note series phones getting One UI 4.0/4.1
- Galaxy Note 20 / Note 20 5G
- Galaxy Note 20 Ultra / Note 20 Ultra 5G
- Galaxy Note 10 / Note 10 5G
- Galaxy Note 10+ / Note 10+ 5G
- Galaxy Note 10 Lite
Galaxy Z series phones getting One UI 4.0/4.1
- Galaxy Z Fold 3
- Galaxy Z Flip 3
- Galaxy Z Fold 2 / Z Fold 2 5G
- Galaxy Z Flip / Z Flip 5G
- Galaxy Fold / Fold 5G
Galaxy A series phones getting One UI 4.0/4.1
- Galaxy A52s 5G
- Galaxy A72
- Galaxy A52 / A52 5G
- Galaxy A42 / A42 5G
- Galaxy A32 / A32 5G
- Galaxy A22 / A22 5G
- Galaxy A12
- Galaxy A02s
- Galaxy A02
- Galaxy A71 / A71 5G
- Galaxy A51 / A51 5G
- Galaxy A41
- Galaxy A31
- Galaxy A21s
- Galaxy A21
- Galaxy A11
- Galaxy A03s
- Galaxy A Quantum
Galaxy Tab series tablets getting One UI 4.0/4.1
- Galaxy Tab A7 Lite
- Galaxy Tab S7 FE
- Galaxy Tab A7 10.4
- Galaxy Tab S7+ / S7+ 5G
- Galaxy Tab S7 / S7 5G
- Galaxy Tab A 8.4
- Galaxy Tab S6 Lite
- Galaxy Tab S6 / S6 5G
- Galaxy Tab Active 3
Galaxy M series phones getting One UI 4.0/4.1
- Galaxy M62
- Galaxy M42 / M42 5G
- Galaxy M32
- Galaxy M12
- Galaxy M02s
- Galaxy M02
- Galaxy M51
- Galaxy M31s
- Galaxy M31 Prime
- Galaxy M21s
- Galaxy M21
- Galaxy M11
- Galaxy M01s
- Galaxy M01
Galaxy F series phones getting One UI 4.0/4.1
- Galaxy F62
- Galaxy F52 5G
- Galaxy F22
- Galaxy F12
- Galaxy F02s
- Galaxy F41
Galaxy XCover series getting One UI 4.0/4.1
- Galaxy XCover 5
- Galaxy XCover Pro
Here's when your Galaxy phone will get the One UI 4.0/4.1 update
Samsung has shared the official Android 12 rollout schedule for its Galaxy devices in the U.S., and the list is a great indicator as to when other devices in the manufacturer's portfolio will make the switch to the Android 12-based One UI 4.0.
One point to note here is that the update timelines vary by region, and in countries like India where Samsung sells a lot of budget phones, you're looking at a lengthy wait for the One UI 4.0/4.1 update. This list is just for the U.S. market, and I'll add more details once we have a clearer idea about the update situation in other markets. That said, here's the update schedule for the U.S.:
November
- Galaxy S21 series
December
- Galaxy Z Fold 3
- Galaxy Z Flip 3
January
- Galaxy S20+/Ultra/FE
- Galaxy Note 10 series
- Galaxy Note 20 series
- Galaxy Z Flip/5G
- Galaxy Z Fold/2
February
- Galaxy S20
- Galaxy S10 series
- Galaxy A52 5G
- Galaxy Tab S7/Plus/Plus 5G
March
- Galaxy Tab S7 FE
April
- Galaxy A51/5G
- Galaxy A71 5G
- Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G
- Galaxy Tab S6 Lite
May
- Galaxy A32 5G
- Galaxy A42 5G
- Galaxy Tab S6
- Galaxy Tab A7 (2020)
- Galaxy Tab Active3
June
- Galaxy XCover Pro
- Galaxy Tab A7 Lite
July
- Galaxy A21
- Galaxy A12
August
- Galaxy A02s
- Galaxy A01
- Galaxy A11
One UI 4.0 has a lot of new features
With One UI 4.0, Samsung is introducing a host of new features and updating the interface. While One UI 3.1 featured a few refinements over One UI 2.0, the interface was left largely unchanged, so we are due for an update in this area.
Samsung took the best bits of Android 12 from Google and added its own flavor.
One UI 4 beta 2 gave us a first look at these changes, featuring a Material You color picker that lets you select system colors based on your phone's background. It is a really cool addition, and while the effect isn't as extreme as what you'll find on Google's own devices, it is still an interesting new feature that will get a lot of usage.
There are exciting changes elsewhere; the brightness slider on the notification pane is larger than before, making it easier to use. It is thankfully not as oversized as the one on the Pixels, with Samsung maintaining the right balance. One UI 4.0 also enables eSIM for Galaxy S21 models in the U.S.
In terms of privacy and security, One UI 4 gets a nifty permission usage history that lets you see what permissions have been accessed. The location permissions window has a new interface that's similar to what you'll find on Android 12, and like the Pixels, you get the ability to turn off camera or mic access system-wide with a single toggle.
And Samsung also added a green recording indicator whenever your camera is in use, ensuring no errant service in the background enables access without you knowing about it.
As for interface changes One UI 4.0 has a new widget picker, cleaner design for toast notifications, and a new interface for disabling notifications directly from the pane. And a useful accessibility feature is the ability to set custom colors for each individual app's notifications. You can set an AR emoji as your profile photo for your Samsung account.
The camera is also getting an overhaul with One UI 4.0, with Samsung offering a cleaner design, video recording that starts the moment you press the Record button, tweaks to the Single Take feature and Pro mode, and zoom levels on the lens icons.
Samsung confirmed at the end of 2021 that it will get rid of ads within One UI, and it is starting to do that right now. Another major feature in One UI 4.0 has to do with under-the-hood tweaks, with Samsung optimizing the UI to take full advantage of high-end hardware like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Exynos 2200.
Samsung has done much better in this regard in the last two years, and with its flagships and most of its mid-range devices now offering 120Hz panels, any UI optimizations will make a noticeable difference.
What's new in One UI 4.1?
Samsung's 2022 flagship Galaxy S22 series came with One UI 4.1 out of the box, with this particular version including a few additional features over the standard One UI 4.0 build.
As such, Samsung is now updating older phones directly to One UI 4.1, similar to what it did with One UI 3.1 last year.
One UI 4.1 comes with a virtual RAM feature that uses a paging file to boost available memory on your phone. This is a feature that most manufacturers offer, and based on your device, you can choose up to 8GB of additional RAM as needed.
Another key highlight is the redesigned color picker for Android 12. The One UI 4.1 version includes a vertical preview bar that gives you a better overview of the colors you're selecting, and looks cleaner.
Samsung is bringing its version of stackable widgets with Smart Widgets. You get the option to stack several widgets and switch between them with swipe gestures. For productivity, there's a smart calendar that lets you easily create events within Samsung Calendar directly from a messaging platform.
There are a few camera features as well: you can now use Night mode for portrait shots, and use the Pro mode on all the lenses. And finally, One UI 4.1 lets you create custom vibration patterns.
The One UI 4.1 build has made its way to 2021 and 2020 flagships, and is on its way to older Samsung phones.
The Galaxy S22+ is the best Android phone you can buy today. You get a sublime 120Hz AMOLED screen, insanely powerful hardware, amazing cameras, all-day battery life, and highly customizable software with four guaranteed Android OS updates.
