Samsung's newest high-end phones—Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra—are the first phones to run One UI 6.1. The newer version of One UI brings several new features to the devices. Most of those features are powered by the AI and the newer processor. They also get improved screens that are brighter, more responsive, and more power-efficient.
The screens on the three new phones support an improved version of AoD (Always-on Mode) that's more customizable.
Galaxy S24 supports wallpapers and widgets in AoD mode
The Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra feature an upgraded version of AoD mode that supports not only clock and notification icons but also wallpapers and widgets. It means when you lock your Galaxy S24, the lockscreen wallpaper will get dimmer, and information from widgets will continue to be displayed, along with the usual clock widget, music player, and notification icons. When you turn the screen on/off, there is an amazing animation for the wallpaper. You can see how the feature looks and works in our video below.
Only a few widgets are supported in AoD mode, though, and they are limited to stock apps. The list of widgets includes Calendar (Schedule), Clock (Upcoming Alarm), Reminder (Today's Reminder), Samsung Health (Daily Activity), System (Battery Status), and Weather (Air Quality, Chance of rain, Current temperature, Lunar phase, Sunrise/sunset times, and UV). Of course, you can enable or disable this feature, depending on whether you want wallpapers and widgets to show up in AoD.
This improved version of AoD is likely possible due to the newer-generation OLED panel that supports a refresh rate of as low as 1Hz. Such a low refresh rate means the screen won't consume too much power while displaying wallpaper. Samsung was the first smartphone brand to introduce AoD, and it debuted back in 2016 with the Galaxy S7. However, it didn't improve the feature at a fast pace, and Apple was the first to bring wallpaper and widgets support in 2022 with the iPhone 14 Pro.
Watch our in-depth video below that explains all the new features that One UI 6.1 brings to the Galaxy S24 series.
