Samsung Developers YouTube channel has recently published a video that elaborates a brief overview of the new One UI 4 design that is basically surrounded by focus, comfort, and self-expression. The video footage has a watermark of SDC21 that indicates Samsung Developer Conference 2021. To start with, One UI skin has really changed the way Samsung developers and users interact with the Galaxy devices for a couple of years after the Samsung Experience UI. The evolution of One UI 1.0 to One UI 4.0 depending on the respective Android OS version is literally beyond the imagination.
According to the head of the coryux group for Samsung Mobile, in recent years, users are getting an increased screen time ratio on Samsung Galaxy devices with One UI during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak across the globe. So, here comes the screen fatigue issue that seriously impacts users from the young age group to the older age group massively due to the increased use of devices. Samsung has literally found ways to help users to stay focused and comfortable over the long run with the Focus mode.
Samsung has also improved privacy concerns of the device system as well as the user data whatsoever. The latest One UI 4.0 (based on Android 12) which is still in the beta testing program for specific devices in selected regions, will allow users fun new ways to express themselves apart from the styling department.
1. Focus
According to Samsung, simplicity is the key because what you take out is as important as what you put in. That means reducing visual interactions and disturbances can make you stay focused on what you do. Whereas the built-in system color elements on the One UI 4 has 8 core colors, 6 functional colors, and 15 app primary colors under the scheme by segmenting green color for positive actions and red color for negative actions like rejecting calls. Developers have reduced the overall number of colors from the One UI 4 system to limit color usage within apps to keep things clear and focused.
While the bold text formats are visibly clear to the eyes indicating the heading properly that also differentiates from the normal texts or actions on the screen. Additionally, the fewer colors also help users to easily capture what exactly matters rather than a bunch of colorful messy UI elements. Samsung has also added more blur effects to the whole system and its applications to distinguish the important information from others and highlight prominently. Meanwhile, reducing notifications from the notification panel or the app info page is also a big thing to stay focused.
2. Comfort
Staying comfortable in the dark with the dark mode so that the app icons become darker to settle the visual experience in the dark background. It’s not just for Samsung apps but for every app for a consistent look and feel. One UI 4 also features extra dim mode-setting along with the shortcut menu beyond the standard brightness settings for those who want lower brightness in the dark. Samsung did also improve sound, animations, and haptics all combined to provide a fluid user experience.
Thanks to Android 12, the One UI 4 has now a wider and thicker brightness control slider on the notifications panel that’s now easier to swipe. So, these types of changes may seem small or negligible but they bring an overall improved user experience in daily life. Whenever an app is using the camera or the mic, the One UI 4 system will show an indicator on the top (status bar) real-time for the same so that you’ll understand which app is using the camera and mic & when.
Additionally, you can check out the permission dashboard to give app permissions manually whatever you required. The visibility enhancements have also been improved a lot on One UI 4 with high contrast themes, fonts, keyboard, buttons, color inversions, adjustments, etc.
3. Self-expression
Samsung has created a single entry point for the users to get into the images, stickers, and gifs right from your keyboard quite easily without searching them all over the place. Sometimes one emoji isn’t enough to showcase your feeling or expression. That’s why the One UI 4 brings a whole new set of emojis where you can combine two different emojis into one and send them to others. Similarly, you can also choose two different animations to create a combo and share it with others.
Another thing that One UI 4 users will become able to use more efficiently is the AR Emoji that has been improved a lot. One UI 4 also includes more ways to customize your home screen and lock screen from the default settings like choosing a background wallpaper and extracting the color schemes that you like to customize a different look on your device by applying as an overall theme. Samsung has also updated the home screen widgets on One UI 4 for a seamless user experience.
The best and final part of the video is that Samsung has just created an overall single experience by putting the One UI 4 skin on all their devices across platforms like Galaxy phone, Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Tablet, Samsung Galaxy Book to provide a similar environment.
