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Samsung brings some of the Galaxy S20 magic to the Galaxy S10 and Note 10 series with One UI 2.1

Published: Mar 25, 2020, 4:15 AM

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Samsung brings some of the Galaxy S20 magic to the Galaxy S10 and Note 10 series with One UI 2.1

Unveiled less than 18 months ago as a replacement for Samsung's proprietary TouchWiz user interface released all the way back in 2010, the One UI Android skin quickly garnered popularity among the company's passionate fanbase after officially rolling out to the Galaxy Note 9, S9, and S9+.

Instead of cluttering Android Pie with unnecessary bells and whistles, the first One UI iteration managed to strike a great balance between functionality and design while vastly improving one-handed operation. One UI 2.0 then made its debut on top of Android 10 for Galaxy S10 and Note 10-series devices, rapidly expanding to Samsung's 2018 flagships and even a number of respectable mid-rangers with an increased focus on "everyday simplicity."

In other words, the update was more about subtle changes and overall performance improvements than a radical effort to redesign an already popular UI from the ground up. Despite what the version number suggests, One UI 2.1 came with plenty of exciting new features for the Galaxy S20 family, and as expected, the incremental update is now spreading its wings to the Galaxy Note 10 and S10 lineups.

A surprisingly early start... in some places

Technically, we were only expecting this fresh batch of software enhancements to arrive on the Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e, Note 10, and Note 10+ in April, but Samsung has reportedly kicked off the rollout a little early in select European markets including Germany and Switzerland. While it's not always easy to predict the progress rate of these things, recent history suggests a worldwide expansion is right around the corner.

That could even include most US carrier-specific variants of the aforementioned 2019 flagships, although it might be wise to keep your expectations relatively low on that front and don't hold your breath for nationwide over-the-air delivery earlier than a couple of weeks down the line.

The Single Take feature in action on the Galaxy S10 (left) and Note 10 (right)

For its part, Samsung has only confirmed the March start of this substantial update without going into too much detail about regional timelines. Reportedly tipping the scales at an absolutely massive 1.5GB, the One UI 2.1 collection of software goodies impressively comes with April security patches... in March alongside a whole bunch of camera enhancements.

The Single Take feature is one of the update's highlights, employing AI technology to select and recommend the best shot from a cluster of photos and videos captured simultaneously. With Custom Filter, meanwhile, you can basically create your own filters from scratch, using specific photos as inspiration and easily transferring colors and styles to new snapshots.

But wait, there's more

The low-light imaging performance of the Galaxy S10 series is enhanced with both an upgraded Night Mode and an entirely new Night Hyperlapse feature, the latter of which will also be added to the Note 10 and Note 10+ but not the Note 10 Lite. Pro Video is another welcome addition to the camera software arsenal of both S10 and Note 10-series devices, allowing "aspiring filmmakers" to gain more control over their content with adjustable settings for things like ISO, shutter speed, and exposure level.

Here's how Quick Crop works on the Galaxy S10 (left) and Note 10 (right

Of course, organizing your content can sometimes be as important as actually producing it, and to that end, Samsung is also bringing a "variety of gallery features" to make it easy to group together similar shots and quickly crop photos to different sizes.

Last but certainly not least, worldwide Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e, Note 10, and Note 10+ users will soon be able to share photos, videos, and even large files with multiple people by taking advantage of the cool new Quick Share functionality. Oh, and Music Share is coming too, letting nearby friends play music on your connected Bluetooth speaker with minimal effort.

The Quick Share and Music Share features are easy to use and easy to access

By the way, there are no words on exactly when to expect the Galaxy Note 9, S9, and S9+ to follow suit and make their own leaps from One UI 2.0 to version 2.1, but that will definitely happen and could well happen relatively soon.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.