Next One UI 8.5 beta could bring big performance upgrades

Samsung has released three One UI 8.5 beta updates until now, and it is expected to release the fourth beta update next week. Besides bug fixes and stability improvements, the next One UI 8.5 beta update could bring improved performance to the Galaxy S25 series.

Tipster @UniverseIce claims that the current under-development One UI 8.5 build, which has a firmware version ending in ZZAA, has a newer version of the kernel. This build upgrades the kernel version from 6.6.77 to 6.6.98. That is a jump of 21 versions in one go. This is the first time since Samsung has upgraded the kernel since the start of One UI 8.5 development for the Galaxy S25 series.

In Android devices, the kernel is the bridge between the software and the hardware components. Kernel upgrades could bring improvements to security, performance, memory optimization, and file system. It could also bring updated drivers for the hardware components, which could improve their performance and reliability.

@UniverseIce claims that the Galaxy S25 Ultra, running the upgraded kernel with the fourth One UI 8.5 beta update, feels smoother and more responsive. They also claim that their phone seems to have better animations, overall fluidity, and touch response than earlier models. However, things will only get clear when the fourth One UI 8.5 beta update is actually released.