Samsung's big One UI 8.5 upgrade could be arriving soon on Galaxy phones – here are 5 of the most exciting features

• Several Samsung One UI 8.5 features have leaked
• They cover cameras, AI, notifications, and more
• A beta program could launch in the coming weeks

Samsung One UI 8 (based on Android 16) has been rolling out to Galaxy devices over the last few months, but the next major software update is already on the horizon in the form of One UI 8.5 – and quite a few of its features have now leaked.

One UI 8.5 isn't yet official, but the expectations are that Samsung will launch a beta program before the end of the year, and then roll out the finished upgrade to its phones and tablets sometime in 2026.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 series will probably get the new software first, but as yet we don't know which other devices are going to be compatible. While we wait for One UI 8.5 to appear, here are five rumored features we've heard about.

1. Priority notifications

It looks as though One UI 8.5 is going to include extra features to prioritize certain notifications over others – something that may help sift through the avalanche of alerts that most of us get on our phones every day.

The team at SammyGuru has even been able to get the feature working via leaked One UI 8.5 code. Notifications can be prioritized on a per-app basis, and will be highlighted and stacked on top of other alerts you've got coming in from your apps.

2. Camera presets

There have been complaints that Samsung has been neglecting hardware camera upgrades on its flagship phones in recent years, but there are at least upgrades coming in One UI 8.5 to help mobile photographers: camera presets.

Android Authority has spotted references to these presets in a leaked build of the upcoming software, so you'll be able to configure specific settings for ISO, exposure, shutter speed and so on, and switch between them as needed.

3. Photo clean-up

From camera presets to image editing, and tipster @tarunvats33 has found that the Object Eraser tool is integrated right into the Generative Edit workflow in the Samsung Gallery app that comes preinstalled on Galaxy devices.

This isn't a huge change – it's not a new feature, it's just an existing feature being moved – but it means you'll be able to use the power of AI to remove an object in an image with fewer taps, via the Generative Edit button (the sparkling stars).

4. Adaptive Data Saver

Another feature discovered in leaked code by Android Authority is what's referred to as an Adaptive Data Saver feature. Going by the name and references in the code, it means social media videos won't load automatically, but only when you specifically select them.

That will be helpful to those on limited data plans or with a sketchy connection to the internet, though we'll have to wait and see exactly how this works. As per the code, the video speed and quality won't change in most cases.

5. Edge Panel landscape mode

The Edge Panel is a pop-out box of shortcuts available in One UI 8, and it looks as though the next software update is going to bring some added flexibility to this panel, according to the team over at SamMobile.

Specifically, the Edge Panel could support landscape orientation for the first time, making it easier to access and operate when the screen is rotated. As with all of these upgrades though, we'll have to wait and see if it makes the final cut.

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