In the world of smartphone software, big changes and flashy new features often make the news. But for Samsung’s next big update, users should expect small improvements instead of big changes, according to trusted sources close to the company.

Our trusted Samsung insider, who previously told us about the release dates for upcoming One UI versions (which other news sites later confirmed), has shared exclusive details about Samsung’s plans for One UI 8, the next version of its Android software.

“One UI 8 won’t be what most would call a major update,” our source told us, asking to remain unnamed because they’re not allowed to talk about products that haven’t been released yet. “The team is focusing on making what’s already there better, not starting from scratch.”

This careful approach is a change for Samsung, which usually uses its yearly updates to bring big visual and feature changes. Instead, the upcoming One UI 8 will focus on making small improvements, better performance, and slight tweaks to features you already use.

“So far, we haven’t seen anything like the big jump users got with One UI 7,” our source confirmed. “The changes are smaller – things users will like when using their phone every day”

This isn’t bad news for Samsung users. The current One UI 7 has been liked by many for its good features and performance. By focusing on making things better rather than changing everything, Samsung seems to be listening to users who want reliable phones more than they want brand-new features.

This makes sense, as phones have improved over the years. Big changes to how phones work aren’t as needed now that people are used to how their devices work. For everyday Samsung users, this means switching to One UI 8 will probably feel easier than past updates. Features you’re used to should stay mostly the same, just faster and smoother.

This fits with Samsung’s recent push to support its phones with software for a longer time. Since people are keeping their phones longer before buying new ones, small, steady improvements might be better than big redesigns that force users to learn new ways of doing things.

Our source couldn’t tell us exactly what new features will come with One UI 8, saying that work is still happening and plans might change before release. But they did say that making phones run faster and improving battery life are still big priorities for the team.

Samsung usually shows off new One UI updates when they release new flagship phones or soon after, so we’ll probably get our first real look at One UI 8 later this year, most likely with the Galaxy Z Fold7 devices. Until then, Samsung users can relax knowing their next big update probably won’t be hard to get used to.

What’s the bottom line? Samsung seems to be following the “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” idea for One UI 8, choosing to make small improvements rather than big changes.

Samsung is expanding its AI home appliance care to provide real-time phone alerts and auto repair booking. The company today announced that it is enhancing the home appliance subscription care business with the “AI Proactive Care Notification” service.

The new talk of the town, the AI Proactive Care Notification service, aims to notify customers by phone when anomalies are detected in subscribed Samsung home appliance products and arrange on-site repair bookings.

Samsung’s AI Proactive Care Notification service leverages AI to analyze data collected by the remote diagnostics system. It then sends push notifications to users when anomalies are detected, followed by a phone call to explain the diagnosis.

The “AI Proactive Care Notification,” handled by Samsung Service’s dedicated consultants, provides:

• Explanation of AI diagnosis results
• Device status checks
• On-site repair scheduling

Samsung has introduced this service for 10 subscribed product categories: ACs, washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, kimchi refrigerators, dishwashers, induction cooktops, ovens, robot vacuums, and air dressers.

It can diagnose 24 different symptoms, including:

• Predicted low refrigerant in air conditioners
• Abnormal high temperatures in refrigerator compartments
• Inspection of washing machine communication modules

Interestingly, the company offers the “AI Proactive Care Notification” service to subscription care customers at no additional cost, with plans to expand the range of supported products and detectable symptoms in the future.

“AI Subscription Club” customers also receive a “Monthly Care Report” once a month, detailing:

• Device diagnosis results
• Usage patterns
• Energy consumption

Samsung’s Ocean Mode camera feature in the Galaxy S24 Ultra just hit a major milestone in marine conservation. The company announced that its “Coral in Focus” has achieved remarkable results over the past year.

Thanks to the Ocean Mode in Galaxy S24 Ultra, Samsung, in collaboration with SeaTrees, has restored 10,705 square meters of coral reefs. The company highlights that it’s an area equivalent to 25 basketball courts.

S24 Ultra’s Ocean Mode enables close-up photography, which helps in crafting 3D coral reef restoration maps. 17 such maps have been generated from photos taken using this mode that are crucial for understanding reef conditions.

It’s worth noting that the Korean tech giant has tailored an Ocean Mode feature. It is optimized for underwater photography of coral reefs. At present, the feature is available on Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra flagship.

This mode has been provided to local activity groups working in major coral reef habitats, including Florida, USA; Bali, Indonesia; and Viti Levu, Fiji. These groups use phones to capture coral reefs to simplify monitoring and restoration.

Galaxy S24 Ultra Ocean Mode helps marine conservation

(Via)

Canalys just published its analysis on the India smartphone market in Q1 2025. The overall smartphone shipments declined 8% year on year in early 2025, with the country shipping 32.4 million smartphones.

Vivo led the smartphone market, beating Samsung in Q1 2025 in India. Xiaomi, Oppo, and Realme retained their third, fourth, and fifth ranks on the chart. The remaining brands shipped 8.9 million devices, totalling a 27% market share.

Vivo surpassed Samsung by selling 7 million units in Q1 2025. The company has recorded an annual growth of 13%, pushing the overall market share to 22% in 2025 from 18% in 2024.

Samsung’s market in India declined 23% year on year. The company shipped 5.1 million phones, recording a 16% market share, while a negative growth of 23% brought it to 16% from 19% in 2024.

Xiaomi followed with 4.0 million units, securing third place with a 12% market share. OPPO (excluding OnePlus) and realme shipped 3.9 million and 3.5 million units, respectively.

“In Q1 2025, vivo extended its lead with a balanced portfolio and sharp channel execution” – Canalys highlights.

Galaxy S25 vs Galaxy S24 sales in India

Despite starting the quarter with elevated inventory and a 23% year-on-year drop in total shipments, Samsung witnessed 5% annual growth in its Galaxy S25 series versus S24 in Q1 2024, driven by premium momentum and conversational AI features.

Also check –

Samsung beats Apple in IDC’s Q1 2025 rankings, Counterpoint disagrees

Samsung could soon deploy hologram tech to ramp up 2.5D chip packaging yield. The company’s DS Division has recently completed qualification tests for hologram equipment from Cubicsell on its mass production line.

Optical equipment firm Cubicsell will soon supply the hologram equipment to be deployed at the Samsung Cheonan facility; it’s the fabrication facility where the company has its 2.5D packaging line for chip inspection.

A report suggests that Samsung adopted hologram technology to meet the rising demand for 2.5D packaging. Holograms are 3D images created with light, which allow for depth analysis from various angles, unlike photographs.

Modern semiconductor products combine multiple chips for enhanced functionality, such as Nvidia’s AI chip “Blackwell,” which integrates a GPU and multiple high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips on a single substrate.

TSMC has secured significant 2.5D packaging orders from Nvidia, Intel, and AMD, dominating the high-end chip market. With hologram tech, Samsung aims to ramp up its Foundry contract manufacturing and secure orders from major tech firms.

A key semiconductor equipment industry source stated, “Samsung is making various attempts to improve foundry front-end and packaging yields, particularly focusing on capturing the high-performance chip market in China.”