One UI 5.0 Beta Hands-on: Key new features in Android 13 for Samsung devices [Video] – 9to5Google

After exclusively detailing a number of new functions and features in a One UI 5.0 beta, Samsung has quietly rolled out its Android 13 preview to a small group of countries. Here are all the biggest and most notable new additions.

Samsung isn’t known for making huge changes with One UI and while the look and feel are getting tweaks, it’s hard to tell exactly what’s changed at first glance. However, in typical Samsung fashion, there are tons of functional changes and additions. The Korean firm certainly knows how to add features without massively altering the “basic” experience. That said, a few features we’ve already seen on Google’s Pixel line with the recent Android 13 beta have made One UI 5.0.

Video – One UI 5.0 Beta: Key New Features

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Minor fingerprint animation tweaks

The on-screen fingerprint animation in One UI 5.0 Beta has an incredibly minor change from One UI 4.1. Instead of the steady outward ripple, when unlocking, the ripple has a faster “swirl” effect that releases as the ripple grows. This is more noticeable on lighter wallpapers, but is only a cosmetic change.

Improved support for Material You and Dynamic Color

A UI does not follow Material You design guidelines, but adopts many principles with a wallpaper-based device theme. The first beta of One UI 5.0 brought more changes to the Wallpaper and Style section with even more tonal options added to the Color Palette section.

The swatch style picker is also paired with a “Basic Colors” tab that lets you choose from eight solo color presets and four more two-tone options like on Pixel phones. Unlike Pixel, you can also completely disable the Dynamic Color/Color Palette feature if you prefer the default system settings. This will return everything to a standardized blue with all applications following stock tones and accents.

Google’s Material You-style permission request pop-ups are also now used in One UI with colored buttons and more obvious activation limits. This replaces the list-style permission popups in One UI 4.1 and earlier.

The excellent stackable widgets feature becomes even easier in the One UI 5.0 beta, as you can create fast-scrolling widgets just by long-pressing an existing widget on your home screen. In One UI 4.1 and earlier, you need to create a dedicated “Smart Widget” which can be edited in the same way.

You can also now set widgets in an auto-rotate stack based on your Galaxy screen orientation. A long press followed by a press on the “Edit stack” button opens other controls to adjust with a toggle that will allow you to activate the automatic rotation of widgets.

Call changes

Improved pop-up mini UI

When an incoming call comes in and you’re running an app, you’ll see an updated pop-up mini UI that includes more visual elements and a more obvious drop-down menu for quick actions. Reply and decline buttons are now moved to the side without text labels or animated icons.

Quick call notes

While on a call, you now have the option to quickly take notes by tapping the top right three-dot menu. Any notes you take are saved noting the caller but no details of the time or date it took place. It’s unclear if this is a feature limited to devices that support the S Pen.

Custom call backgrounds

You can also now fully customize the call background image contact by contact for the first time with the default Samsung dialer app. You’ll need to head to Contacts, then from the overflow menu in the “Edit” section, you can select a video wallpaper from four presets or add your own specific image.

Changes to the Camera app

Watermark

Samsung’s camera app remains one of the most robust on Android, and One UI 5.0 Beta brings even more features to an already packed experience. If you want to add an automatic watermark to your images, you can now do so natively for the first time on Samsung phones. You can almost completely customize the image watermarks with font and layout options, as well as, mimicking the multitude of Chinese smartphones, the ability to also brand your specific Galaxy model.

Pro mode tools

In Camera Pro mode, there are some significant usability additions. A histogram feature has been added to help you manage the light distribution in a scene that your camera system is pointing at. A quick icon lets you show or hide this from your viewfinder.

Each lens also includes an information panel with details of the most suitable shooting scenarios to use the colt length or lens in question. For novices, this could help improve their understanding of each objective while encouraging experimentation.

Quick settings changes

New presentation of notifications and adjustments

Samsung is adjusting the quick settings panel in the One UI 5.0 beta with a more pixel-like layout for incoming notifications. A larger app icon on the far left indicates where an app notification is coming from. If you receive multiple notifications from the same app, a stack of icons will indicate that multiple unread notifications are pending.

Rounded M3 buttons for deeper notification settings and quick clear function are also used when the quick setting panel is fully expanded.

Like on the Pixel, there’s an “Active apps” option, but to access it you’ll need to tap the kebab menu button in the top right. This section just shows which apps are running or using system resources in the background. You can disable or prevent these apps from running from the quick pop-up panel.

Sound changes

A revised version of the classic Over the Horizon ringtone has been added in One UI 5.0 Beta created by BTS member SUGA.

Parameter changes

Connected devices

There’s a dedicated “Connected devices” directly at the top of the Settings menu that lets you quickly manage any external connections you might have on your phone. This includes things like Samsung DeX, any previously connected headphones, Link to Windows, and more.

Guest Mode in Accounts & Backup

For some reason, One UI removed a multi-user mode and it’s seemed like a glaring omission on Samsung phones for quite some time. One UI 5.0 Beta restores a guest mode feature in accounts and backup settings. This lets you set up multiple people on one device with unique apps and accounts, making it ideal for work and personal accounts if you’d rather not use the Knox feature.

Android 13 easter egg

Samsung has added the emoji-laden Android 13 easter egg in One UI 5.0 Beta, accessible by heading to Settings > About phone > Software info > and tapping Android version. Now just adjust the clock time to 1 o’clock and you will be greeted with the Easter egg full of bubbles. A long press will change the bubbles to random Emoji. Unlike Pixel phones, the Samsung emoji style is favored, which gives the Easter egg a slightly odd feel.

Labs adds multitasking gestures

The Advanced Features section includes popular experimental labs. Samsung often adds a suite of early features and in One UI 5.0 Beta you can enable other multitasking gestures. You can swipe down from the top corner of an app to quickly activate pop-up mode, or a two-finger swipe up from the bottom of your screen will quickly enter split-screen mode. A pop-up window lets you quickly select the second app from a mini app drawer.

Security Center

Samsung adds or mimics the recently added security hub to Pixel devices. This new panel will notify you if there are any security issues and changes you can make to improve your overall security on the device. This also serves as a one-stop-shop for all security and privacy-related settings on Galaxy devices.

Improved About Phone section

The About Phone section in Settings now contains a preview image of your device, showing the correct color and model.

Now you can extract text from images and other places just by long pressing on photos with text or text input boxes. The Gallery app even includes a quick-detect “T” icon to extract text from images if recognized. If you’re using the default Samsung keyboard, there’s a new “Extract Text” option that will quickly launch the camera to extract text and type it directly into a text box.

What’s your favorite new feature of One UI 5.0 Beta?

Samsung has added a number of quality of life additions that are sure to come in handy and helpful to Galaxy owners. What do you think is the best new feature? Let us know in the comments section below.

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