One UI 8 is here already – but only if you have one of these Galaxy phones

One UI 8 has started rolling out to select Samsung Galaxy smartphones in beta form.

X user Tarun Vats (via Android Authority) has spotted that the One UI 8 Beta Program is now live for Samsung Galaxy S25 users in the company’s native South Korea. It’s also rolling out to eligible Samsung Galaxy S25+ and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra users signed up to the beta programme.

Separately to this, X user Nathanial Bowling reports that the One UI 8 beta is also rolling out in the US. Both users have supplied screenshot evidence of the new software downloading and installing.

This early version of the UI – which is based on Google’s brand new (and hitherto unreleased) Android 16 OS – takes up 3.38GB of storage space, and comes accompanied by the May 1, 2025 security patch.

What to expect from One UI 8

As you might expect given the fast turn-around, early hands-on impressions with One UI 8 suggest that it doesn’t introduce any major changes to Samsung’s skin.

Expect enhanced animations, the ability to adjust regional preferences independently from your phone’s language settings, more adaptive wallpapers, and Google’s enhanced Live Updates through the Now Bar.

We still don’t have a firm release date for One UI 8, but we’ve known for a while that it’s going to come sooner than initially expected.

Following Google’s decision to bring Android 16 forward to June, Samsung VP and Head of Smartphone Planning Minseok Kang revealed that “This summer, the all new Android 16 will be coming to Samsung devices”.

It indicates a welcome swift turnaround for Samsung following the halting rollout of One UI 7, which experienced delays on older and lesser Galaxy devices, not to mention reports of excessive battery drain.