One UI 8.5's app drawer looks more polished, thank to the new search bar

The app drawer in One UI 8.5 offers a search bar with a new design, which looks cleaner and more polished.

Samsung’s upcoming OS customisation for Galaxy smartphones and tablets, One UI 8.5, which is based on Android 16, leaked last month for the Galaxy S25 Ultra. We demonstrated all the major changes it offers in a video, which you can check out below. Well, newer builds of the software are bringing more upgrades. One of them is a new search bar in the app drawer.

The latest build of One UI 8.5 offers a search bar with a new design in the app drawer (via Tarun Vats). As you can see in the image below, while the previous search bar was wide and adopted the color of the wallpaper, the new search bar is narrower, has a white tint, and floats on top of the app drawer. The change makes the app drawer look more polished and modern.

One UI 8.0 App Drawer

One UI 8.5 App Drawer

Earlier today, we talked about the new build of One UI 8.5 offering icons with a more pronounced 3D look, as well as icons in the status bar now being black. These small changes improve the overall look and feel of the software.

Samsung is expected to debut One UI 8.5 with the Galaxy S26 series in February 2026. We have made a list of all the Galaxy smartphones and tablets eligible for the update. You can check it out here.

Abid Iqbal Shaik - Writer

First Samsung device: Galaxy S II

I’m a computer science engineer living in Hyderabad, India, who has a keen interest in automobiles and consumer electronics. My journalism career kicked off in 2017 with MySmartPrice where I wrote news, features, buying guides, and explanatory articles about technology among other things, and reviewed many products, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, PC components, smartwatches, audio devices, wearables, and smart home products. Since then, I have worked for 91Mobiles, Apple, and Onsitego, before finally landing on SamMobile.

Phone Android 16 One UI 8.5