I’d been refreshing the Software Update menu on my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra for a few days, expectantly waiting for One UI 7 to arrive. Then, on the morning of April 10, it was suddenly available and I eagerly installed it. Samsung’s One UI 7 software over Android 15 on the Galaxy S25 Ultra is a big success, but what would it be like on 2024’s flagship Galaxy phone?
Not a massive update?
To my surprise, the One UI 7 update on the Galaxy S24 Ultra is modestly sized, and took less than three minutes to download and install on my phone. It did so without any issue too, and aside from a few setup screens to navigate through — one for accessing Google Gemini, and another showing the new Galaxy AI features — my phone was operational again in moments.
For reference, if you’re waiting for the One UI 7 update, I’m using an unlocked Galaxy S24 Ultra in the U.K., and Samsung is likely staggering the launch to ensure it runs smoothly. My Galaxy Z Flip 5 is still waiting for the update, for example, despite also being an unlocked U.K. phone. There’s no way to prompt the update, outside of checking the software update option under Settings until it arrives.
The size and time spent updating the phone doesn’t do it much justice, as it’s packed with new features and changes to the way One UI appears and functions. If you’ve read our review of the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, Galaxy S25 Ultra, and the Galaxy A56, you’ll already be aware of how highly we regard One UI 7, which ranks up there with OnePlus’s OxygenOS 15 as the best current interpretations of Android 15 on a smartphone.
What should you try out?
Because One UI 7 is such a substantial update, we want to highlight a few features we suggest you try out first.
Now Bar
The Now Bar appears at the bottom of the lock screen, and provides real-time information along with a selection of quick access buttons for selected features, including Google Maps, Samsung Notes, and media playback. It looks great, its position at the bottom of the screen is convenient, and it works really well. Make sure you give it a try, but be aware its functionality is limited at the moment.
New lock screen and always-on screen styles
The Now Bar is only one of the excellent lock screen-related changes in One UI 7. Under the Edit Lock Screen option there are multiple widgets available, from the voice recorder to the calendar, plus the ability to change the clock style, font size and weight, and the colors too. Make sure you tap the shortcut icons in the bottom corners too, as each can be changed to any feature found in the Quick Settings menu.
Split pull down menu
This One UI 7 feature will split opinion, no pun intended, but it’s a notable change over previous versions of the software. It works by splitting the pull-down menu into two sides, with notifications accessed from the left-hand side of the screen, and Quick Settings from the right. Whether you like it or not depends on your own preferences, but everything from muscle memory to hand size will impact whether it works for you or not. It’s an option though, so you don’t have to use it.
New photo filters
One of the best new photo features in One UI 7 are the extensive photo filters and editing suite. Tap the Filter option in the Gallery app’s editing suite and there are multiple new filters, each with their own distinct look. But what’s cool is how each filter can be edited, which is done using a series of clever slider bars. It’s not only satisfying, but each genuinely changes the look of your photos.
There’s something missing
This is just a small taster of what’s available in One UI 7 for the Galaxy S24 series. It’s well worth exploring. I really like One UI 7’s overall smoothness, the logical menu design, and the many new features it brings to last year’s Galaxy S24 series. I’ll stop short of saying it transforms the phone, but it certainly brings it right up to date and feel like new again. It’s also yet another reason there’s little point in upgrading from the S24 Ultra to the S25 Ultra.
However, Samsung has held something back: Now Brief. The much-trumpeted Galaxy AI feature Samsung promises will help you better organize your life as it grows and learns with you remains a Galaxy S25-only feature. It’s hard to imagine Now Brief can’t operate on the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s hardware, particularly as so many other Galaxy AI features are present, and other brands including Nothing have complex AI functions running through a less capable processor.
It’s likely Now Brief’s exclusive status is a business decision, and will be dangled in front of Galaxy S24 owners as an upgrade-shaped carrot. Should you be tempted? It depends on your lifestyle. Now Brief is only useful if your life is very busy and you use your phone to organize it, from multiple calendar entries to meetings in different places, and a lot of travel. If your life is less complicated, then Now Brief may not be of much benefit.
Now Brief aside, One UI 7’s arrival on the Galaxy S24 is a win for us all. It’s Samsung’s best software package yet, modernizing an already superb smartphone, and because it freshens the phone so effectively, it should banish those nagging final thoughts of upgrading from it to the Galaxy S25 completely.
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