As part of Samsung’s continued commitment to providing extended software support, it has announced a select number of older Galaxy devices will be receiving the latest One UI 4.1 software update. All flagship phones up to three years old are included in the upgrade programme.
Late last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 are among the first devices to receive the update. They will be followed by the Galaxy S21 series and Galaxy Tab S7 FE. After that, the update will roll out to Galaxy S20 series, Z Fold series, Z Flip series, Note20 series, and S10 series. Surprisingly, Samsung currently lists the Galaxy Note10+ as the sole variant of the Note 10 series to receive the update, when even the relatively older Galaxy S10 series gets the update for all its variants.
Moving along, the Galaxy A series and Tab S series are also mentioned in the upgrade programme, but Samsung has yet to specify the exact models.
The big deal with One UI 4.1 is that it will introduce a host of new features from the Galaxy S22 series on these older Galaxy devices. Now, there is a laundry list of features included, but here are some highlights.
Right off the bat, photos in RAW format can now be edited directly in the Gallery app thanks to the addition of an Expert RAW photo editor. This eliminates the need for third-party photo editors or having to export the photos to a PC to edit. If you’re using a Galaxy S22 series, S21 Ultra, S20 Ultra, Note20 Ultra, Z Fold3 or Z Fold2, you can download the Expert RAW photo editor from the Galaxy Apps store to enable the function.
Next, Samsung’s Magic Eraser feature is getting added functionality. Essentially, this feature allows you to digitally remove any unwanted objects in your photo. But now, it can remove shadows or reflections in your photo. I use the word or because you can’t remove shadows and reflections simultaneously. So, you will have to edit the photo twice if you wish to remove both shadows and reflections in the photo.
Night-time photography for older Galaxy devices gets a welcome upgrade with Night Portraits. It works with the selfie camera and the primary rear camera. Your bokeh photos will now look brighter in low-light conditions. Additionally, portrait mode in general will now be able to blur the background around animal fur more smoothly.
Sticking with the theme of images, sharing them will now be more seamless. Before an image is shared, you will be presented with editing suggestions. For instance, when sharing a screenshot, the phone will suggest cropping out the notification bar at the top. If you agree, the necessary edits will be automatically applied before the image is shared.
Elsewhere, One UI 4.1 also brings enhancements to Google Duo in the form of Live Sharing. This allows you to share photos, notes and watch videos on YouTube together while on a video call with friends and family. Although Google Duo is available for all Android devices, Live Sharing at the moment, is only exclusive to Samsung devices.
Last but not least, Grammarly, a software that suggests writing improvements, will be integrated into the Samsung keyboard. Other than fixing typos, Grammarly will also suggest alternative words or restructure a sentence to make it concise. The latter is only available on the paid premium version, but eligible users can try Grammarly premium free for 90 days according to Samsung. By default this feature is turned off, so you will need to enable it on a per-app basis under the keyboard settings.
It’s nice to see new features introduced with the Galaxy S22 series trickle down to older Galaxy devices. Doing this not only keeps the older devices up to date but also gives the user more value out of their device, especially for those who are still rocking the three-year-old Galaxy S10 series.
As mentioned during the launch of the Galaxy S22 series, Samsung has committed to delivering 5 years of security updates and 4 major Android OS upgrades. This is a significant step-up to provide longer support for customers who wish to hold on to their devices for an extended period of time. Their commitment even puts Google’s very own Pixel 6 series to shame which is only guaranteed with up to 3 major Android OS upgrades.
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