Samsung One UI 5.1: The top features and improvements you’ll want to try
TheSamsung Galaxy S23 seriesmade its debut at the Samsung Unpacked event in February 2023. The trio pack impressive hardware and an excellent suite of software features. Based onAndroid 13, One UI 5.1 powers the Galaxy S23 and is a minor bump overOne UI 5that rolled out to all Samsung flagships in 2022. The latest version of the company’s skin packs some important usability changes and improvements. Below is a look at all the new features and enhancements in One UI 5.1.
Improved Setup Wizard
The new Setup Wizard in One UI 5.1 uses on Fast Pair to automatically import your Wi-Fi network along with your several accounts to yourSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultraor its smaller siblings. Simply scan a QR code to start the transfer process. This also means you won’t have to connect the two devices using a USB cable.
A Smarter Samsung Gallery app
Thefeature-rich Samsung Gallery appgets even better with One UI 5.1 with new features and usability enhancements. Viewing the EXIF data of a photo or video is easier than before, as a simple swipe-up on the media reveals all the details. Previously, you had to tap the file name that appeared after swiping up to view the EXIF data.
Another improvement in the Gallery app is the ability to search for multiple objects or people at once. Plus, the Gallery app now recognizes faces in photos and automatically prompts you to add them to a shared album.
Taking a cue fromiOS 16, Samsung also added object recognition and separation capabilities to its Gallery app. Long press on an object or person in a photo. If that object or person is recognized, you can copy, share, or save it as a separate image.
Multi control gives Apple’s Universal Control some major competition
Multi control is Samsung’s take onApple’s Universal Control featurefor Macs and iPads. If you own a Galaxy Book, you can use its keyboard and mouse to control your Galaxy smartphone and seamlessly drag and drop files between the two devices. The feature does not require the two devices to be connected to each other. They only need to be on the same Wi-Fi network, have Bluetooth and Multi control enabled, and be logged in to the same Samsung account.
New Battery widget
One UI 5.1 introduces new 4x1 and 4x2 homescreen battery widgets that can display the remaining juice of the phone, S Pen, and other accessories connected like theGalaxy Buds 2 ProandSamsung Galaxy Watch 5.
The Weather widget has also been improved with new animations.
Expert RAW integration
Samsung’s excellentExpert RAWapp has been available as a separate download from the Galaxy Store. That’s changing with One UI 5.1, as the app has been integrated with the built-in camera app. You’ll find a dedicated Expert RAW mode under the More tab in the Galaxy S23’s camera app. This integration is still a shortcut, as when you first tap Expert RAW inside the camera app, it downloads the app in the background.
Another weird limitation is that you cannot move the Expert RAW app to the mode switcher tab at the bottom for quick access.
Even more Modes and Routines (FKA Bixby Modes) improvements in One UI 5.1
Samsung renamed Bixby Routines to Modes and Routines in One UI 5. With the new version of its Android skin, the company is further improving the feature by adding new actions and triggers. You can assign different wallpapers for different modes, so your Work mode can have a different wallpaper than your Sleep mode.1
Support for new actions includes controlling Quick Share, changing the ringtone, and adjusting the touch sensitivity. Actions can also be triggered when you turn on airplane mode, toggle a mobile hotspot, and more.
Change the screenshots folder
By default, Samsung saves screenshots inside the DCIM/Screenshots folder in One UI 5. This led to all screenshots being backed up toGoogle Photossince it automatically backs up the content inside the DCIM directory. In One UI 5.1, you can change this location to any folder. This allows you to prevent Google Photos from backing up your screenshots to its servers.
DeX improvements
One UI 5.1 brings some minor improvements to DeX that improve the multitasking experience. While running apps in split screen mode, you can resize both app windows using the split bar in the middle of the display. Another minor change is the ability to drag an app window to a corner of the screen, which resizes to occupy only a quarter of the display.
One UI 5.1 is coming soon to your Samsung Galaxy phone
Samsung is using the Galaxy S23 series as the launch vehicle for One UI 5.1. However, the company’s latest skin will also be available for its other recent flagship devices, including theGalaxy S21, Galaxy S22,Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, andGalaxy Flip 4. Until then, check out thebest way to set up One UI 5 on your Samsung smartphone.
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The Galaxy S23 offers the best that Samsung has — from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset to a high-class camera system led by an impressive 50MP sensor — at just the right size with a vibrant and “palmable” 6.1-inch display. The phone also brings a larger battery than the S22’s, plus a sector-leading five years of monthly security updates. That’s all for the same price as last year.
The Galaxy S23+ is built to provide a top-notch Android experience in 2023 for those who like to live just a little larger. The 6.6" AMOLED display runs smooth, the 45W wired charging should allow for longer days with shorter breaks plugged in, and there’s also more room to run around with, thanks to the 256GB and 512GB options. Backed by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, it’s about as much phone as you can get right on that $1,000 mark.
If you’re looking for the best of the best out of Android in 2023, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is it. It’s the only one in the S23 lineup to feature the company’s flagship 200MP ISOCELL HP2 camera sensor, the only one with a 5,000mAh battery, and the only one to push the storage envelope up to 1TB. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy should run fast and easily. Everything on that 6.8" Dynamic AMOLED 2x display (the only one in the series with adaptive refresh rates between 1 and 120Hz) should look smooth and beautiful. And who can forget about all the note-taking features and the added convenience the S Pen brings? This is Samsung’s all-out effort for the Galaxy S nameplate.
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