One UI 8 on Galaxy Tabs Brings Improvements, But You’ll Miss Classic DeX

Samsung’s tablet lineup has some very strong hardware backing it, with the likes of the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra being ultimate powerhouses. But they’re often criticized for being held back by their software. Will One UI 8 solve those woes? Let’s find out.

One UI 8 brings much-needed tablet optimizations

One UI 7’s tablet version was greeted by much criticism, even from us at SammyGuru. But has Samsung addressed those concerns with One UI 8? Reliable tipster Toprak installed an internal build of One UI 8 on his Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, and shared many notable changes with the update.

The Quick Settings and Notification Panel have received a huge facelift, now blurring a small section of the screen, where the content actually lives, instead of blurring the entire screen. As before, swiping down from the right side opens the Quick Settings, and anywhere else shows the notifications.

We were the first to break this development, along with other changes. Read more about it here. 

The new quick panel looks nice (Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra One UI 8) pic.twitter.com/XSCom4mvQV

— Toprak (@Topraks9plus) July 3, 2025

The favourites bar, or dock, on the home screen now shows recently used apps on the side. This matches similar behavior of the taskbar, as well as other Android tablet skins.

There is now a section on the home screen where we can see recently used applications (Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra / One UI 8) pic.twitter.com/iLbdDyMkSf

— Toprak (@Topraks9plus) July 3, 2025

Classic DeX is now gone with One UI 8

The biggest change so far: the classic DeX experience on Galaxy tablets is no longer available. The new DeX interface, introduced with One UI 6 and now refined in One UI 8, has taken over. Now, your tablet’s home screen stays the same, but with a compact taskbar and apps opening in floating windows by default.

However, there is one positive new change here: multiple desktops. This is a feature similar to desktop operating systems that separates apps into different workspaces. Think one for music, one for work, etc.

The old DeX is gone now. This is how the new DeX works. It’s still buggy (Tab S9 Ultra / One UI 8) pic.twitter.com/8zHzJ3rSb0

— Toprak (@Topraks9plus) July 3, 2025

One UI 8 on Galaxy Tab is a huge step in the right direction. There’s still work to do, but these changes, both big and small, do shape up to be something huge.