The One UI 8.5 Beta Proves Samsung Is Losing Focus On What Made It Special
We analyze the trajectory of Samsung’s software ecosystem with a critical eye, observing a distinct shift in priorities that alienates the core user base. The introduction of the One UI 8.5 beta serves as a definitive turning point, illustrating a departure from the practical, user-centric philosophy that originally set Samsung apart in the crowded Android landscape. For years, Samsung championed an interface designed for real-world usability, particularly on large devices. However, the current iteration suggests a pivot toward aesthetic homogenization and feature bloat, neglecting the foundational principles of accessibility and performance that built the brand’s reputation.
The Erosion of the One-Handed Interface Philosophy
The core promise of One UI was accessibility. It was an interface built around the reality that modern smartphones are unwieldy. The original design language placed key interactive elements within the reach of a thumb, creating a cohesive experience for single-handed usage. With One UI 8.5, we witness the systematic dismantling of this philosophy. The expansion of notification shades, lock screen widgets, and quick settings panels has pushed essential controls to the upper echelons of the display, areas inaccessible without shifting one’s grip.
This design regression is most apparent in the Quick Settings panel. In previous iterations, toggles were clustered efficiently. Now, the interface prioritizes visual spaciousness over functional density. We see larger touch targets that look modern but functionally require more precision to navigate due to their vertical dispersion. This contradicts the original One UI ethos where size equated to ease of use. The “one-handed” optimization is now treated as a legacy feature rather than the central design pillar.
Visual Clutter Over Usability
The aesthetic overhaul in the One UI 8.5 beta introduces visual elements that detract from immediate readability. We are witnessing an influx of translucent backgrounds, blurred effects, and excessive white space. While visually striking in marketing materials, these elements introduce cognitive load during daily operation. The Always On Display (AOD) and lock screen customization tools, while expansive, create a chaotic hierarchy of information.
We find that the prioritization of wallpaper depth effects and dynamic themes often obscures critical notification icons. The interface struggles to balance artistic expression with functional utility. In earlier versions, Samsung maintained a rigid adherence to a grid system that ensured icons and widgets remained aligned and predictable. The beta version relaxes these constraints, leading to a disjointed visual experience where alignment feels incidental rather than intentional. This shift prioritizes “looking new” over “working efficiently,” a trade-off that long-time users find unpalatable.
Performance Sacrifices for Aesthetic Gains
A beautiful interface is meaningless if it hampers the device’s responsiveness. We have conducted extensive observation on the One UI 8.5 beta performance profile, and the results indicate a worrying trend. The heavy reliance on transparency and real-time rendering effects has introduced micro-stutters in system animations. While the Snapdragon and Exynos chips powering recent Galaxy devices are powerful, they are not immune to the overhead of unoptimized software layers.
The introduction of complex lock screen widgets and interactive depth effects has increased the GPU load on the lock screen alone. We notice distinct frame drops when transitioning from the AOD to the active lock screen state. This was not an issue in the leaner One UI 6 and 7 iterations. The focus on visual flair has come at the cost of fluidity. Frame rate consistency is a metric Samsung previously excelled at, particularly with their “Smoothness” setting in developer options. The current beta struggles to maintain a locked 60fps (or 120fps) during routine UI interactions, such as pulling down the notification shade or scrolling through the settings menu.
Battery Optimization vs. Feature Creep
Battery life has historically been a strong suit for Samsung flagships, aided by aggressive background process management and adaptive battery features. The One UI 8.5 beta introduces system-level animations and background refresh services for new widgets that actively drain power. We observed a measurable increase in “Android System” and “One UI Home” battery usage during idle periods.
The “Feature Creep” is evident. Samsung is adding layers of functionality that overlap with existing features rather than refining core utilities. For instance, the integration of new AI-driven suggestions often requires constant sensor polling (accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity), which cumulatively impacts standby time. We argue that the optimization focus should be on extending battery longevity through efficient code, not adding visual bells and whistles that sap energy for marginal utility gains.
The Fragmentation of the Galaxy Ecosystem
Samsung’s strength lies in its ecosystem: the seamless integration between Galaxy Watch, Buds, Tabs, and Phones. The One UI 8.5 beta exposes cracks in this integration. The software updates appear to be developed in silos, with the tablet interface simply scaled up from the phone interface rather than optimized for the larger canvas. This is a regression from the early days of One UI, where tablet optimization was distinct and thoughtful.
We see the Galaxy Tab interface in One UI 8.5 feeling like an oversized phone app rather than a productivity powerhouse. Multi-window functionalities have become more cumbersome, buried deeper in gesture controls that conflict with standard navigation. The “Samsung DeX” experience, a flagship feature for productivity, suffers from instability under the new beta. Window management is sluggish, and the transition between DeX mode and standard tablet mode is jarring. This fragmentation suggests a rushed development cycle focused on pushing features to phones first, with tablets receiving a secondary, unpolished treatment.
Inconsistency in Design Language
We have tracked the evolution of Samsung’s design language, noting a significant divergence in One UI 8.5. The internal consistency of the interface is breaking down. We find rounded corners on some menus while others remain sharp; dynamic color extraction works in the Gallery app but fails to apply consistently to third-party launchers.
This inconsistency extends to the notification icons. The standardization of notification styles is abandoned in favor of varied shapes and sizes depending on the app. This visual cacophony makes it difficult to scan notifications quickly. A unified design language requires strict adherence to a grid and iconography standard. The current beta disregards this, embracing a “mix and match” approach that feels more like a skin overlay than a native OS interface. This lack of cohesive design principles erodes the premium feel that justifies the Galaxy price point.
Debilitating Bloatware and Redundant Applications
Samsung has long been criticized for pre-installed applications, but the One UI 8.5 beta takes this to new extremes. We analyzed the package list and found duplicate applications for nearly every core function: two browsers (Samsung Internet and Chrome), two app stores (Galaxy Store and Play Store), and redundant AI assistants (Bixby and Google Assistant). While we understand the strategic value of proprietary apps, forcing them onto users without the option to uninstall or even disable them is anti-consumer.
The integration of Samsung Global Goals and Samsung Free (or Samsung Daily) remains aggressive. These services run background processes and occupy screen real estate that many users prefer to keep clear. In the beta, the “Left Panel” on the home screen is harder to disable or customize, effectively holding screen space hostage for services that compete with superior third-party alternatives. This software bloat directly impacts storage speed and available RAM, contributing to the performance degradation we mentioned earlier.
The Galaxy Store and Ecosystem Lock-in
The Galaxy Store in One UI 8.5 pushes system-level updates that are increasingly difficult to manage. We see a trend where core UI components rely on updates delivered through the Galaxy Store rather than the main system update channel. This fragmentation of update sources creates confusion and security risks. The focus seems to be on driving engagement within the Samsung ecosystem—forcing users into Samsung accounts, Samsung cloud, and Samsung pay—rather than providing a clean, standalone Android experience. The “special” aspect of Samsung was its ability to enhance Android, not replace it with a walled garden that mimics Apple’s strategy but lacks the polish.
The Decline of Customization and Modularity
One of the pillars that made Samsung special was Good Lock, a suite of modules that allowed deep customization without rooting. We have found that One UI 8.5 breaks compatibility with several essential Good Lock modules. The “NavStar” module, which allows custom navigation gestures, struggles to overlay correctly on the new system UI. The “Keys Cafe” typing customization often crashes the Samsung Keyboard.
This regression alienates power users who rely on these tools to tailor their devices. Instead of expanding the modular capabilities of the OS, Samsung is locking down the UI, making it more rigid. The “Lock Star” and “Home Up” modules, which offer granular control over the lock screen and home screen, are unstable in the beta. It appears Samsung is moving toward a standardized look where system updates can override user customizations, a practice that undermines the Android philosophy of ownership and personalization.
AI Integration: More Gimmick Than Utility
The current tech landscape is obsessed with AI, and Samsung is no exception. However, the implementation in One UI 8.5 feels rushed and superficial. We are referring to features like “Circle to Search” and “Bixby Text Call.” While Circle to Search is a genuine innovation co-developed with Google, other AI features are redundant or poorly executed.
The AI-generated wallpapers and “Sketch to Image” tools consume significant processing power for results that are often inconsistent. The “AI Select” feature in the Edge Panel attempts to predict user intent but frequently offers irrelevant options, cluttering the menu. We observe a distinct lack of practical, on-device AI processing. Many features send data to the cloud for processing, raising privacy concerns and introducing latency. A truly special OS would leverage the NPU (Neural Processing Unit) for on-device tasks that enhance privacy and speed, not rely on server-side gimmicks.
Privacy Implications of New Features
With the expansion of widgets and background AI processing in One UI 8.5, the surface area for data collection has increased. We analyzed the permission requests of new system apps in the beta. Many request access to precise location, microphone, and usage statistics under the guise of providing “contextual awareness.” While Samsung’s privacy dashboard has improved, the sheer number of active sensors required for the new UI features makes it difficult for average users to audit their privacy settings effectively. The “special” feeling of a secure device is diminished when the OS itself feels like it is constantly watching and learning, without a clear benefit to the user.
The Impact on Older Devices
We must address the hardware compatibility of One UI 8.5. While the beta is currently limited to the latest flagships, the design choices indicate a direction that will likely cripple older devices. Samsung’s commitment to extended software support is commendable, but pushing heavy, unoptimized interfaces to older hardware is a disservice.
We have seen this pattern before: an OS update that slows down a device, prompting users to upgrade. The reliance on transparency and live effects in One UI 8.5 requires significant graphical overhead. Devices with older GPUs or less RAM will struggle. We fear that the “One UI” that made Samsung special—a lightweight, responsive overlay—will be lost, replaced by a heavy, resource-intensive skin that necessitates frequent hardware upgrades. This moves Samsung away from the value proposition that won them the mid-range market.
Conclusion: A Call for Refocusing
The evidence provided by the One UI 8.5 beta is compelling. We are witnessing a brand losing touch with the foundational elements that created its software identity. The abandonment of one-handed optimization, the introduction of performance-hindering aesthetics, the expansion of bloatware, and the instability of customization tools all point to a development process driven by marketing checklists rather than user experience excellence.
Samsung had achieved a near-perfect balance with One UI 5 and 6, blending utility with style. The current trajectory prioritizes novelty over stability and visual noise over clarity. For the platform to regain its “special” status, Samsung must pause the feature injection and refocus on the core tenets: speed, battery efficiency, and one-handed ergonomics. Until then, the One UI 8.5 beta stands not as an upgrade, but as a cautionary tale of a software experience losing its way.