Samsung’s One UI 9 beta rollout is expanding faster than almost anyone expected.
Firmware tracker Tarun Vats confirmed this week that both the Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A56 now have new One UI 9 test builds, which were spotted on Samsung’s servers. That adds two more budget-friendly A-series devices to a list that’s been growing by the week.
That brings the confirmed One UI 9 internal testing lineup to the Galaxy S23, S24, S24 FE, S25, S26, A35, A56 and now the A57. Samsung is testing the beta across four flagship generations and four mid-range devices at the same time.
This is all happening earlier in the cycle than previous One UI updates, even if the public rollout will still land on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series first next month.
I’ll be live at Unpacked London on July 22. Subscribe to my free newsletter for first-look One UI 9 coverage and exclusive deals the moment Samsung announces pricing.
What Is Actually New On Your Samsung Galaxy With One UI 9
The headline addition is Gemini Intelligence. This is Samsung and Google’s full agentic AI suite, which allows the phone to handle multi-step tasks autonomously, from booking reservations without much oversight to adding items to shopping carts from your Notes app.
Useful, next generation AI features that also might come with some concerning security issues. Learn more about that here. It’s noting that Gemini Intelligence is not available in the One UI 9 beta, it will be released with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 next month.
Beta 3 also added a Quick Panel icon for Summarise Notifications, with Samsung explicitly labelling the summaries as AI-generated, a small but telling sign that shows how Samsung is managing AI transparency with its users.
Beyond AI, One UI 9’s beta has focused on stability and polish ahead of the stable release. Beta 3 fixed camera lag in Snapchat and Instagram when using zoom, resolved lock screen widget errors, and addressed S Pen home screen swipe issues.
The QuickStar Good Lock module has been updated with One UI 9 support, adding a network speed indicator to the status bar and an option to hide the Ongoing Chip, which is the small status bar indicator that shows which app is actively running.
Samsung’s New One UI 9 Security Feature
The latest beta also revealed a new feature called Secure Lock, spotted by Tarun Vats in the One UI 9 changelog.
Secure Lock adds a new button to the Quick Panel, which is the menu you pull down from the top of your screen. Tap it and your Galaxy phone instantly disables biometrics. From that point, only your PIN, pattern or password will unlock the device.
The idea is that if you’re handing your phone to someone, or you’re in a situation where you’re concerned about being forced to unlock with your face or fingerprint, one tap from the Quick Panel locks it down immediately. Apple has a similar feature on the iPhone where pressing the side and volume buttons simultaneously disables Face ID.
We’ll know more about Samsung’s plans for One UI 9 at Unpacked London in July. Follow my page for the latest updates, or subscribe to my newsletter for instant price and device news straight to your inbox.
