Samsung's next operating system just leaked – new design and features

Samsung is one of the top phone manufacturers in the world, the most popular Android brand as well as being behind some of the best phones you can buy. Any change in the software, therefore, has a big impact on a large number of people.

We’ve known for some time that Android 15 will be launching on Samsung phones along with a number of changes ushered in by One UI 7. It’s not just about updating to a new version of Android, it’s a chance to usher in new features and give the design a refresh as well. Thanks to Android Headlines, we can now have a good look at what One UI 7 will offer.

Starting at the top, Samsung is giving its icons a refresh with more detail. They’re not going to change dramatically and this is only for Samsung’s own apps – which you might not use the full selection of because they often duplicate core Google app functions.

We’ve previously seen that Samsung will be offering a combined or separated Quick Settings and Notifications area, but now we’re getting to hear about a full range of features too. There are more parental controls that include site access controls and location monitoring, although it’s worth noting that this is already accessible through Google Family.

To also help kids will be Circle to Search for homework, so you can circle an equation for example and get an answer, along with all the workings. This is again powered by Google and was announced at Google I/O earlier in 2024.

There will be new camera features, allowing portrait restyling, AI-powered artistic effects, AI Zoom and an expansion of Sketch to Image that made its debut on the Galaxy Z Flip 6, so you can start any image from scratch and have that rendered in a number of different styles.

The Energy Score feature we saw launch alongside the Galaxy Watch 7 is getting updated too, including tips to help you improve your score.

Android 15 isn’t the biggest update that we’ve seen in the history of Android: in fact, you’d be forgiven for barely noticing any changes if my Pixel phone is anything to go by. But there are changes behind the scenes, many of which will come with One UI 7. The important thing for Samsung users is that the company is adding in new features too, so there’s definitely something to look forward to.

The exact date that One UI 7 will land is currently unknown, but a beta is expected before the end of 2024 and the first updates in early 2025 – we suspect it will be timed nicely to coordinate with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S25 series.