Exclusive: Your First Look at Samsung One UI 8.5

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One UI 8 has officially started rolling out to users globally. But work never stops with Samsung’s software development team. We previously reported that One UI 8.5 development was officially underway, with the very first build uploaded to the test servers. Now, we can give you our very first look at One UI 8.5.

Here is your very first look at One UI 8.5

Courtesy of One UI port developer devcore on Telegram, we have a sneak peek of the UI changes One UI 8.5 will bring to Galaxy devices. These visuals are from the same build that was leaked for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but modified to boot on the developer’s Galaxy S21+.

Here, we see the Settings app with several fundamental UI differences. The home page uses more compact menu items, removing the subtitle text. The search bar is moved to the bottom, and there is an overflow gradient on both the top and bottom edges. There are also drop shadows on all the containers and the search bar. The expanded search page got a minor change, now showing the different categories in a three-column grid.

The most interesting change, however, is when you enter a menu. Here, you can spot a couple of major changes. First, the back button, when shrunk, is now contained with a drop shadow and floats above the content. It looks eerily similar to iOS 26. Additionally, the containers get drop shadows on the top and bottom edges, making them seem elevated. They also get the gradient overflow effect.

This may seem like a relatively minor change, but it’s pretty fundamental to how Samsung’s UI design looks and functions, and will eventually spread to all first-party apps.

This is a developing story, and more details are to come. So help us out, add us as a preferred source on Google by clicking the button below. And also take a look at our mystery box program for the Galaxy S26 series, as this update will ship on those devices first.

Written by

Josh Skinner

Josh is a freelance writer, graphic and user interface designer, and content creator. He has a sizable following on Twitter/X, with his deep insights, extensive knowledge and design skills attracting audiences. He also loves lego, video games and tech as a whole.

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