One UI 8 is already fixing things One UI 7 missed – just in time for the Galaxy Z Flip 7?

A new leak shows us little tweaks Samsung may be working on for One UI 8, including one that takes advantage of a Flip phone's cover screen.

One UI 7 is now rolling out after quite a lot of difficulties, delays, and confusion. And now, the South Korea-based tech giant, convinced it wants nothing similar for the rollout of One UI 8, is already at work with the new Android 16-based skin. Now, there's a new leak shedding light on what Samsung is planning with One UI 8, including a Now Bar optimization for Flip foldable phones.

X user Gamer Omega has now shared a video of what could be animations on One UI 8. Reportedly, the new OS skin no longer stops the app closing animation if you exit a few apps quickly.

In One UI 7, when you close an app while another one is closing, the previous animation just stops. This behavior seems improved with One UI 8. It's a relatively minor change, but one of these small tweaks that elevate the user experience - if you're one of the people to notice it to begin with.

Meanwhile, an even better improvement is a tweak to the Now Bar feature, aimed at the cover screen on flip foldables like the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 7.

Currently, the Now Bar is available on phones like the Galaxy Z Flip 6 only on the inner display. Basically, this fails to take advantage of why the Now Bar exists and why a foldable like the Flip would need it. The Now Bar basically shows you info at a glance and simple app controls, and it's ideal for the Flip's cover screen, the one you would use without opening the phone fully. Yep, for a quick glance, you know.


Well, One UI 7 didn't bring the Now Bar to the cover screen of the Z Flip 6, and if this leak is correct, Samsung is looking to quickly fix this oversight with One UI 8. Rumors say the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 7 may come with One UI 8 straight away, and if that's the case, at least the newest flip foldable will rock the useful Now Bar quick controls on its cover display.

If rumors are to be believed, we'll have our first official look at One UI 8 with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7. These two premium flagships are expected to come sometime in early July in a dedicated Unpacked event. The date has not been announced just yet, but leaks about the two phones have already started to show up.

For the Galaxy Z Flip 7, we expect a slightly bigger cover display, a similar design to its predecessor overall, and a Samsung-made Exynos 2500 chip. It is expected to get a battery size bump, while its charging speeds may remain the same.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is said to gain the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite to power it. It may be thinner than what was expected earlier and may upgrade its main camera to a nice 200MP one.

The two foldables will be entering a slightly "tired" foldable phone market which is expected to come back to life, according to analysts, next year. Towards the end of 2026, we even expect Apple to join the game with its first foldable iPhone, a Z Fold-like book-style foldable phonethat's recently made the headlines.

As for One UI 8, it would be the OS powering the Galaxy S26 series for sure. Rumors have said the new foldables may come with it ahead of Samsung's premium flagship line, maybe in an attempt to calm fans that got disappointed by getting Android 15 and One UI 7 so late after plenty of other phone makers have spread the update love already.

If Samsung doesn't manage to equip the two foldables with One UI 8, you can expect One UI 7 or a One UI 7.1 version for the upcoming bendy phones, potentially.