Samsung Galaxy One UI 7 update: South Korean giant throws the gauntlet at Apple with smarter AI, pro-video tools, and a sleek design

Samsung has confirmed that its long-awaited and latest software update, One UI 7, will hit global smartphones from April 7 onwards. The new update brings a fresh design, enhanced personalisation options, and powerful AI-driven features.

One UI 7, built upon Android 15, will first reach the Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy Z Fold6, and Galaxy Z Flip6, before extending to older Samsung models in the following weeks.

Revamped Design and Smarter Customisation

One UI 7 introduces a cleaner, more streamlined design aimed at improving user experience. The home screen and widgets have been redesigned to create a more unified look and feel. The lock screen too has been overhauled, offering greater customisation options to suit individual preferences.

A key highlight is the new Now Bar, which delivers real-time updates directly on the lock screen. This gives the user greater flexibility: Users can now check workout progress, see which song is playing on their Galaxy Buds, or track a food delivery — all without unlocking their phone.

The Now Bar also provides live weather updates and other contextual information at a glance, enhancing day-to-day convenience.

The notification panel and quick settings have been redesigned for easier navigation, with a focus on improving accessibility and user control. Samsung has also made the Edge Panel more responsive, allowing quicker access to frequently used apps and functions.

AI-Powered Tools for Seamless Interaction

One UI 7 takes advantage of AI to simplify everyday tasks and enhance productivity. A standout feature is AI Select, which allows users to interact with on-screen content more efficiently. For instance, users can swipe the Edge Panel and activate AI Select to extract and save clips from videos as GIFs.

Writing Assist helps with automatic text formatting, grammar correction, and summarisation, streamlining communication across apps. Drawing Assist enables users to create digital sketches by combining text prompts with images, making creative expression more intuitive.

Audio Eraser is another notable addition, allowing users to remove background noise from videos for cleaner sound quality. Samsung has also enhanced the integration of Google Gemini in One UI 7, enabling voice-activated commands for tasks like finding nearby cafes or checking transit schedules. The settings menu now supports natural language queries, so users can type phrases like "My eyes are tired" to receive suggestions such as adjusting screen brightness or enabling Eye Comfort Shield.

Pro-Grade Video Recording with LOG Support

The One UI 7 is noteworthy also because Samsung is reportedly introducing advanced video recording capabilities with One UI 7, bringing professional-level tools to the Galaxy S24 series. The update adds support for LOG (logarithmic) video capture across the Galaxy S24, S24+, and S24 Ultra models.

LOG recording preserves a wider dynamic range, capturing more detail in both bright and dark areas. This format provides greater flexibility during post-production, allowing for precise adjustments to colour tones, highlights, and shadows. Samsung's LOG recording uses a 10-bit HEVC codec, ensuring high-quality footage with improved colour accuracy and compatibility with professional editing software.

While LOG video capture debuted with the Galaxy S25 series in January, One UI 7 extends this feature to the Galaxy S24 lineup, making it more accessible to content creators. Samsung claims that this upgrade reduces production time while improving creative control.

Performance Enhancements and Bug Fixes

One UI 7 also addresses several user-reported issues, improving overall system stability. The update fixes an intermittent display error with the Now Bar controller and resolves problems where icons appeared too small in the widget settings screen. Issues with the Gallery Edit button and font-image overlap have also been corrected.

Media playback notifications have been refined to reflect real-time updates more accurately. The quick action menu’s spacing has been improved, and an issue with notification history errors has been resolved. These changes aim to create a smoother, more reliable user experience.

Gradual Rollout Across Samsung Devices

Following its initial release on the Galaxy S24 series and the latest foldable models, One UI 7 will gradually roll out to older devices, including the Galaxy S24 FE, Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy Z Fold5, Galaxy Z Flip5, Galaxy Tab S10 series, and Galaxy Tab S9 series.

Samsung plans to complete the rollout over the coming weeks, with the update expected to deliver a more refined interface, smarter AI capabilities, and advanced video recording tools to a wider range of Samsung smartphones and tablets.