App Icons: One UI 7 vs One UI 6 – What’s New

One UI 7 comes with a major redesign, visible throughout the user interface and app icons stand in the center of this new look. There are plenty of additions to the list and we’ve a comparison for you to see the difference between One UI 7 and 6.

Samsung introduced One UI with flat UI and over the past years, its icons have received several color and style optimizations. However, the latest version has brought them a new graphical interface that aligns with their labels and features.

For example, the camera app in One UI 6 shows a flat icon comprised of shapes and colors. On the other hand, the One UI 7 camera app has a new camera icon, which resembles a modernized camera. This new icon is more visible and easy to find among other apps.

This is only one example, Samsung has ensured that these icons should redefine the home screen experience by choosing different icons for each use case.

Another example of this change would be Expert Raw, a pro-mode camera app, which uses a DSLR icon. In One UI 6, the camera and expert RAW are almost identical.

Calendar, Clock, Contacts, Store, Find, Digital Wellbeing, Messages, and other apps also have similar changes in their shapes and inside elements that distinct their features and become easy to spot at first glance.

One UI 7 App icons (Credit – Sammyfans)

Depth

Each new icon design uses an improved gradient. For example, the Messages app has a light blue tone on the top left and dark blue on the bottom right. The same combination is applied in One UI 7 with increased intensity.

This color correction enhances the appearance, you will notice that these icons are now aesthetic rich, unlike formers with only shape and colors.

Samsung One UI 7 vs One UI 6 App icons (Credit – Sammyfans)

Shape

New icons are using more inside space. In that case, take a look at the clock app, and notice the change in icon size and its expansion within the background shape.

I’ve found that the size and width of both icons are identical but the internal icon expansion has improved the entire outlook.

Samsung One UI 7 vs One UI 6 App icons (Credit – Sammyfans)

Visibility

All things come down to this. The size, shape, and colors are coordinated to improve visibility and give you, the user, a spot-on view of installed apps.

Below you can check the complete list of icons that have upgraded to One UI 7.

• Bixby Vision
• Calendar
• Camera
• Clock
• Contacts
• Calculator
• Device Care
• Digital Wellbeing
• Expert Raw
• Find
• Galaxy Store
• Gallery
• Gaming Hub
• Messages
• Modes and Routines
• My Files
• Reminder
• Cloud
• Health
• Internet
• Kids
• Members
• Notes
• Pass
• Wallet
• Secure Folder
• Smart Switch
• SmartThings
• Studio
• Tips
• Voice Recorder
• Weather
• Wear

Note – We’ve only added key apps and services to this list.

Colored icons

Besides regular mode, the Korean phone maker has also optimized new app icons for color palettes. Therefore, these are no longer just flat white lines on top of a dominant color.

The reason for that is the multi-layer structure with solid white and diffused greys. The best examples of this difference are the camera and the gallery app.

One UI 7 vs One UI 6 colored app icons

Dark mode

The dark mode doesn’t have any major changes in the regular mode as it only applies a slim dark tint. However, this situation changes in colored mode.

The icons are completely blacked out and a dark shade of the selected color is applied to the background.

This is a dynamic change to the dark mode colored icons compared to One UI 6, which swaps the internal icon shape with the background color and darkens the background shape.

One UI 7 vs One UI 6 colored app icons in dark mode

Conclusion

The home screen is all about wallpapers and icons, allowing you to launch an app with a tap of your finger but an improved graphical interface enables you to catch the right fish in the pond. That’s what happened with One UI 7, it has opened the door to visibility unlike One UI 6 and previous releases.