Samsung’s One UI 8.5 beta has moved out of its early test markets and into more hands — and the latest build is as much about polishing glitches as it is about previewing where Samsung wants its software to go next.
Beta 2 lands in India and Poland (and brings a long bug list)
A second One UI 8.5 beta, shipped with firmware that ends in ZYLH, is rolling out beyond the initial countries. India and Poland were added to the program, joining South Korea, Germany, the US and the UK. Depending on the region, users report the update weighing anywhere from about 1.1GB to more than 4GB; it also bundles the December 2025 security patch in some builds.
This build reads like a bug‑fix sprint. The release notes — circulated by insiders — list a variety of stability and usability repairs: intermittent quick‑panel initialization on boot, spacing and icon placement problems in the quick panel, gallery folder ordering fixes, call UI stutter when using “More View,” and several fixes for intermittent reboots and scenarios where volume or Bluetooth call audio failed. The update also aims to reduce force‑closes in third‑party apps and stabilize camera reliability.
If you’re enrolled in the Samsung Members beta, expect the update to arrive through that channel. For everyone else, think of this as Samsung iterating quickly ahead of a wider One UI 8.5 release early next year.
Little changes, big implications: camera modes move out of sight
One UI 8.5 also resurrects two fan‑favorite camera modes — Dual Rec and Single Take — but not in the way users might expect. Instead of appearing by default in the camera Modes selector, they now live behind the Camera Assistant app’s "Additional modes" toggle. Download Camera Assistant from the Galaxy Store, enable the options at the bottom, and the modes return.
It’s a subtle UX shift that speaks to priorities. Samsung may be trimming the default modes list to reduce clutter, or it may be testing whether niche features belong in an optional companion app rather than the core camera UI. Either way, the functionality isn’t gone — just relocated — and that matters for anyone who relied on those capture styles.
What One UI 8.5 actually brings
Under the hood, One UI 8.5 sits on Android 16 and the Android QPR2 platform release, which gives Samsung a fresh foundation to extend with its own tweaks. Highlights Samsung has teased and that beta testers are already poking at include:
- Expanded lock‑screen clock customizations
- A new design language across some stock apps
- Improved Galaxy AI tools for on‑device image editing
- Bluetooth Auracast refinements
- Storage Share and Quick Share suggestions
- A redesigned Samsung Internet and Theft Protection improvements
These features are a mix of cosmetic and functional work: a more personalized lock screen here, tighter AI editing there. The important thing is that Samsung is leaning into device‑side smarts without ignoring polish.
The S26 question: why AI might force tougher memory management
The One UI 8.5 beta is partly a testing ground for AI features Samsung plans to integrate more deeply in future flagships. That has opened a debate among developers and power users: to run sophisticated models locally, phones need memory and predictable resources. A recent rumor claims the upcoming Galaxy S26 series will aggressively kill background apps to free RAM for an on‑device Gauss model and related AI features.
If true, this would be a meaningful tradeoff. On‑device AI reduces latency and dependence on servers, and it unlocks features when you’re offline. But aggressive background process termination can break multitasking, background uploads, music playback, navigation handoffs, and any app that expects to run quietly in the background. App developers aren’t likely to cheer a harder OS policy that interrupts their workflows.
Samsung’s approach mirrors a broader industry tension: how to balance rich, local AI experiences with the expectations of a multi‑tasking smartphone. You can get a sense of where the company might be headed in our earlier Galaxy S26 coverage, which explores design and software priorities for the next flagship Galaxy S26 Preview. There’s also an experimental spirit in Samsung’s foldable work that hints at how the company thinks about bold software tradeoffs: see the recent Samsung tri‑fold prototype for an example of pushing boundaries and accepting compromises.
Why this matters now
One UI 8.5 is more than a cosmetic update. It’s a staging ground for AI features Samsung plans to ship broadly in 2026. The beta’s bug fixes show Samsung is serious about stability ahead of that push. But the whispers about on‑device models and memory policies are a reminder: better AI may come with new expectations of how phones manage resources.
If you’re curious about the next wave of Galaxy software, join the beta or follow changelogs closely. Expect more iterative updates over the next few weeks as Samsung smooths rough edges and teases the behaviors it thinks users will accept in return for faster, smarter on‑device AI.