Samsung has just released One UI 8 Beta 4, and this update brings some new features, bug fixes, and a smoother experience. It is based on Android 16, and there is a lot in it that can excite you. Let’s talk in detail about the lock screen, home screen, settings, and performance of this update, and see what this update has brought and what is still lacking in it.

Samsung One UI 8 Beta 4 Update:

Build and Size

The build number of One UI 8 Beta 4 is ZYGB, and it is a 1.33GB OTA update that upgrades from ZYFA. It also includes the security patch of 1 July 2025. This update is currently rolling out in the US, India, Germany, and Korea, and will come to other countries soon. This is a significant update in terms of size, which brings a lot of improvements for performance and stability.

Lock Screen Changes

There are many new changes in the lock screen that improve the user experience. First of all, the wallpaper section of the lock screen editing page has been redesigned. Now you get quick access to recent photos, favorites, videos, and downloaded images. There is also a carousel that gives wallpaper suggestions from the gallery, and tapping shows the full list in grid view. This feature is quite intuitive to use.

The other change is to the clock. The clock is now smaller in size, which is a bit odd when compared to One UI 7. When you reposition the clock, a new placeholder appears that tells you where notifications will appear. Haptic feedback is also more noticeable now when you switch between lock screen items, which is much better than the subtle feedback of One UI 7. Media controls have also seen a slight change – the like and shuffle buttons have been swapped.

Home Screen Updates

Some tweaks have been made to the home screen as well. Widgets are now smaller in size than in earlier versions of One UI 8, but slightly larger than One UI 7. This seems to be a balanced approach. The previews of expandable widgets like the battery widget are also narrower now, which makes the UI look a little cleaner. These small changes refine the UI, but are not a major feature addition.

Settings and New Features

There is an interesting addition in the Settings – the Linux Terminal option under Developer Options. This feature is called “Run Linux Terminal on Android”, and requires a download of 525MB of data. But, this feature is not fully functional yet. After downloading, I got a message “failed to recover from an error”, and the reset or recovery options also did not work. This is a little disappointing, but will probably be fixed in the stable release.

Another minor change is in the notification pop-up style. Now a new description has been added for “lighting effect color by keyword”, which tells about a new way to customize notifications.

Changelog Highlights

According to the official changelog, this update fixes a lot of bugs and brings one key feature:

Samsung IMS Service Emergency Update: This feature supports high-quality voice, video, and enhanced chat services. A notification or pop-up may come for this which asks for consent for service update and restart.

Full-Screen Video in DeX: Earlier in DeX, the app header and taskbar were visible during video playback, which was distracting. Now with Beta 4, videos play in full-screen, which is a big improvement.

Bug fixes include:

• Fix operational issue with Galaxy AI Reply Suggestions
• Fix loading issue with voice trigger of Bixby routine commands
• Fix Quick launch icon area display issue
• Fix editing issue with Navi dash cam videos in Gallery app
• Fix lock screen error with fingerprint sensor not responding
• Fix swipe-to-call issue when TalkBack is enabled
• Fix flickering of vertical/horizontal level indicator during camera switching
• Software stability improved with updates to multiple apps

Performance Improvements

In terms of performance, One UI 8 Beta 4 is much better than previous betas. Animations are smooth, there are no glitches, and the overall experience is fluid. I did a quick Geekbench test, and the results were quite impressive – 9,888 multi-core and 3,126 single-core scores, which are much better than the June scores (9,300 multi-core, 2,960 single-core). This shows that Samsung has worked hard on performance optimization.

Issues to Note

There is one big issue for S Pen users of Galaxy S25 Ultra. Beta 4 has broken the Air Command feature, which does not pop-up when the S Pen is ejected. This issue could be related to the Pentastic app of Good Lock, and Samsung is working on it. This could delay the stable release.

One UI 8 Beta 4 Update

Conclusion

One UI 8 Beta 4 is a solid update that brings a lot of improvements in performance and stability. Lock screen customization, DeX video playback, and bug fixes make it appealing, but the S Pen Air Command issue is a big problem. If you are ready for beta testing, you can try this update, but S Pen users should wait a bit.