We tested One UI 8.5 on a Galaxy Z Fold 7, see what's new!

Samsung began developing the One UI 8.5 update for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 fairly recently, and we’ve now managed to access an early build and take it for a spin. So how does One UI 8.5 on the Fold 7 differ from the Galaxy S25 Ultra? Are there any foldable-specific tweaks or features?

Based on the short time we've spent with this early build, there isn’t a whole lot that’s new compared to the S25 Ultra, nor many changes tailored specifically for the foldable form factor. Still, we did notice at least two such additions.

In the Phone app, you can now open the keypad directly from the call logs screen, and it appears as a pop-up instead of switching to the full dialer. Samsung has also tweaked notification shade behavior: when you swipe down from the top of the screen, the shade now aligns to the left, center, or right depending on where you initiate the swipe.

Everything else seems identical to what’s available in One UI 8.5 on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Key highlights include a fully customizable quick panel, a redesigned navigation bar in apps like Phone and Gallery, and a bottom-placed search bar in apps such as Settings for easier one-handed access. You also get the redesigned software update screen where you see the One UI version in big, bold letters.

We’ll be digging deeper into this One UI 8.5 firmware to look for more changes and improvements. However, it likely doesn’t include everything Samsung plans to add to Galaxy devices eligible for the update, and some features will probably appear only in future builds. Those newer builds should also iron out the bugs affecting this one, such as the camera app crashing when you try to enable Flex mode.