Samsung’s Galaxy S23 series are flagships in the truest sense, and deserve a spot on our list of thebest Android phones. However, they stick to the conventional definition of a glass sandwich smartphone, with most of the innovation on display in the Galaxy Z series comprising theZ Fold 5andZ Flip 5. Since these are the latest flagship models, Samsung puts them higher on its priority list of software updates. A recent report suggests the South Korean company could make the latestOne UI 6 betaavailable to the Z Fold 5 and Flip 5 sometime this week.
The latest crop of Samsung’s foldables shipped withOne UI 5.1.1based on Android 13. Since Google is on the verge of releasing Android 14 to the stable channel Pixel users, Samsung is also rolling out the One UI 6 beta based on Android 14 to beta testers. TheGalaxy S23 series was first in line, receiving the update last week in China, Germany, India, Korea, Poland, the US, and the UK. The One UI 6 beta alsoreached the midrange Galaxy A34. Citing unnamed sources,SamMobilereports The Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5 are next in line for the beta update.
The One UI 6 beta should roll out to these phones sometime this week, but it isn’t clear if it would be available in all the markets where the S23 has received the update. Besides cupping the Android version from 13 to 14, the One UI 6 beta will bring several cool features to the foldables, such as a revamped Quick settings panel which includes a redesigned menu for editing the settings toggles and a completely redone suite of bright emoji and new UI font.
The One UI 6 media player notification in action
In our time toying with the beta on the Galaxy S23, we spotted several changes, like theneat media player notificationwhich shows the audio waveform in the playback progress bar, but still differs from Google’s squiggly seekbar. This media player notification also remembers whether you left it in the expanded or collapsed state, resetting to the latter only when you visit the home screen or lock your device. Such functionality can be indispensable on the cover screens of the Z Fold 5 and Flip 5.
One UI 6 also lets you choose thesystem apps which are updatedalongside every new system update. There are severalother minor changeswe have collated. We hope the list grows with cool foldable-specific additions when the beta goes live on the Fold 5 and Flip 5. That said, a slight chance for delays is omnipresent, just like Google’sAndroid 14 stable releaseis two months late and expected in October now. However, we are hopeful the One UI 6 beta release will be smooth.
