It’s only been five months since the official launch of Android 10, and the world has already started to talk about its successor, Android 11. Usually, we get over seven months to savor the newest stable release, but Google has decided to pre-pone the release of Android, already rolling out the developer preview of Android 11.
South Korean tech giant, Samsung, rolled out Android 10 sooner than anticipated, releasing 10-based One UI 2 on November 28th for the Galaxy S10 trio. It may not seem like much, but putting a highly-customized skin on top of Google’s product and releasing it almost on time is certainly commendable.
With the release of Android 11 developer preview, enthusiasts have already started speculating about Samsung’s take on the OS. In this piece, we’ll take a look at One UI 2’s successor — presumably called One UI 3 — and give you a hint of what to expect. So, without further ado, let’s get to it.
What is One UI 3?
As mentioned earlier, Samsung uses a highly-customized skin on top of Google’s ‘vanilla’ Android called One UI. One UI, which was first introduced in 2018 with Android Pie, not only packs all the best features of Google’s stock Android but also adds some Samsung goodness into the mix.
Samsung’s current OS, One UI 2, is based on Android 10 and brings all of 10’s highly-celebrated features. The South Korean OEM hasn’t talked about One UI 2’s successor yet, but we feel Samsung is likely to stay faithful to the One UI moniker and name its next release — based on Android 11 — One UI 3.
When will One UI 3 release?
The leading smartphone manufacturer in the world may lead the race in bringing cutting-edge devices to users, but it’s not the fastest when it comes to releasing the latest software. It’s been only three months since Samsung rolled out the stable build of One UI 2 to the Galaxy S10 family. So, it’s safe to say there is some wait involved — and while it’s not surprising Samsung hasn’t revealed any plans as regards Android 11 and the next One UI, we think they will do so when the stable Android 11 update comes around.
Google has bumped up the Android 11 release timeline with the unveiling of Android 11 Developer Preview last week. Considering how competitive the market has become, it won’t be a surprise if other OEMs also try to keep up with Google and release their take on Android 11 sooner than anticipated.
Samsung released One UI 2 beta almost five weeks (October 2019) prior to the stable rollout. If Google actually ends up releasing Android 11 sooner than anticipated, One UI 3, too, could roll out one or two months early. We don’t have a tentative date yet, but we could see the beta rolling out by the end of September 2020.
To know more about Samsung’s Android 11-based One UI 3, have a look at our dedicated Samsung Android 11 page.
Which devices will get One UI 3?
Over the years, Samsung has established a clear and concise pecking order when it comes to software updates. The company’s current S-series and Note-series flagships get the update ahead of any other device. Next, flagships from the previous year get the update next. And finally, some fortunate mid-range and upper mid-range devices get the taste of Google’s newest release.
Samsung has recently launched the Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra. These are successors to the much-celebrated Galaxy S10 family and are already turning heads thanks to their impressive spec-sheet and standout features. Later this year, Samsung will release Note 10s successors, but you can bet they won’t come with Android 11 out of the box. If not, Samsung is expected to release Android 11-based One UI 3 to the latest Note-series devices shortly after the rollout for the S20 lineup.
Last year’s Galaxy S10 and Note 10 devices will also get One UI 3, but it could be over a month after the OS is released for this year’s flagships. Sadly, the Galaxy S9 sets and Note 9 sets are no longer eligible for Android 11 based One UI 3 given they have already received two major updates in Android 9 and Android 10.
What’s new is expected in One UI 3?
Since One UI 3 hasn’t been officially announced, it’s hard to say which features would make their way into the final product. However, rest assured that we’ll keep this section up to date with all the leaks and rumors that come to light over the next few months.
Though, we don’t think we will see a major UI overhaul in One UI 3 as the new UI is still fresh and right up to the mark. Sure, few features could be added but it’s hard to envisage the 3rd iteration of One UI to be a game-changing one.
