The features that impressed me in the new Samsung One UI interface

For me, Samsung’s TouchWiz interface (which was later renamed to Samsung Experience) was one of the best modified Android interfaces ever. Apart from the heavy resource consumption, it offered a unique Android user experience. I have tried MIUI interface from Xiaomi, EMUI interface from Huawei, and even stock Android interface. I liked the latter a lot, but not as much as Samsung’s interface, which is characterized by extreme simplicity. Now Samsung is rolling out its new interface, One UI, to most of its smartphones, which of course I was extremely impressed by. I recently got the Note 9 and tested the interface in real life. After a long exploration of the new features, let me share with you the top 5 features of this interface.

While everyone is waiting for Android 10 support (coming in 2019) for night mode, Samsung has already added this feature with its new One UI, which is a modified version of Android 9. Simply put, this mode turns almost everything to black or dark gray throughout the system, including the quick settings panel, call log, messages, and even the Samsung Internet browser and web pages. This is a great feature, especially with Samsung’s stunning Super AMOLED screens, making nighttime phone use less straining on the eyes. I recommend activating this mode as soon as you get the opportunity to experience the new One UI interface.

As mentioned earlier, I own a Note 9 with a large screen (6.4 inches) that is not wide but elongated [you can notice that from the screenshots attached in the image above]. Before the One UI update, there was a struggle with using the phone with one hand – I had to use my left hand to hold the phone and my right hand to control it, making Samsung Experience interface not suitable at all.

But after the update, the difference was very clear. There were no issues with using the phone with one hand, which is what the One UI interface aims for by bringing a very familiar display and control method, with the viewing area at the top and the interaction area at the bottom. This makes it very easy to interact with the screen using just one hand, such as navigating within apps, activating features from the quick settings panel, or going to any section within “Settings.” I consider this a great feature of the new Samsung interface, as most modified Android interfaces do not offer this ease of one-handed use.

Essentially, this feature is not Samsung’s invention, as it exists in iOS system and is called Raise to Wake. But it’s good to see it in the Android system as well, specifically in the One UI interface, allowing the screen to activate automatically when you lift the phone off the table or a flat surface. You don’t need to press the Power button or any button, as there is an internal sensor that wakes the screen immediately when the phone’s position changes. With iris and face recognition technologies activated, usage becomes very intuitive.

As you know, the navigation bar at the bottom takes up a small portion of the screen, which means you don’t fully utilize the screen size except when watching videos, where this bar disappears. But what if you want it to disappear permanently to make full use of the screen size? That’s exactly what you can do in the new One UI interface. We are not talking about temporarily hiding the bar and showing it when needed, but permanently, with control later through gestures. After activating the Full Screen gestures option from settings, you will see 3 signals at the bottom instead of icons, each signal performing its function when dragged upward. For example, if you drag the signal in the middle upwards, you will go directly to the home page.

There is an option called Gesture hints, which, when activated, will hide these signals as well, and there will be no trace of the navigation bar. When you need to go back, go to the home page, or view recently opened apps, you need to swipe up from the black edge at the bottom of the phone. For me, this alternative was perfect, although it was difficult to adapt to at first, but after some time, you will get used to gestures and use them effortlessly.

This feature may not be new in the Android system because many phones already have it, but it’s good to find it in Samsung phones in particular. For me, it is one of the best features of the new One UI interface. The feature involves keeping deleted photos for a certain period of time before permanently deleting them, by moving any deleted photos to the Recycle Bin. If you ever want to restore these photos, you can do so with a single click on Restore. The feature is called “Trash” and is found in the Samsung Gallery app. When you delete any picture, it is kept in the Recycle Bin for 15 days before being permanently deleted.