Samsung's Animations Look Smoother Than Ever In This One UI 8 Leak

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Summary

One UI 7 was a mess, and Samsung seems to be in full rebound mode with One UI 8.
A leaked video shows buttery-smooth animations that don’t trip over each other—even when app-switching like a maniac.
The new animation engine ensures sharp transitions on Galaxy Z Flip 6, hinting at a better user experience.

One UI 7 didn’t exactly have the smoothest ride. After all the waiting and testing, it still hit a major snag and had to be pulled. Now, rumor has it that Samsung is trying to make up for that by speeding things up with One UI 8, which is set to run on Android 16. And it’s not just about launching earlier this time. A new leak hints at way smoother animations and some fresh new features that might make this update a serious glow-up.

A Samsung phone showing Samsung Internet on the screen

A new clip from leaker @GameOmega on X shows off how animations work in One UI 8 (via SammyGuru). The video runs through a bunch of apps opening one after the other, and unlike One UI 7, everything flows super clean, with no overlap or glitchy weirdness. Even when flipping between apps quickly, each animation stays smooth, without stepping on the others.

The clip also gives us a better look at the Galaxy Z Flip 6’s upgraded cover screen—and it’s looking way more useful. In the video, stuff like music playback now shows up in the bottom-left corner, which is a nice shift from One UI 7, where most real-time alerts (like sports scores) were missing. With One UI 8, though, we’re seeing a big step forward: multiple live widgets on the cover screen, including Now Brief, a clock, and a revamped media player, all showing off more detailed information than before.

No matter how fast or slow apps were opened on the Galaxy Z Flip 6, the new animation engine didn’t flinch. Whether tapping slowly or flying through apps, the transitions stayed sharp, which is definitely a big step up from what we’re used to with the current UI.

Android 16’s vibe is rubbing off

Interestingly, this leak drops right as Android 16’s slick new animations go public. A video shared by Android Authority shows that swiping away notifications now has a bit more resistance. There’s also talk of some cool upgrades coming: physics-based swipes for clearing notifications, Quick Settings tiles that morph on the fly, and a pressure-sensitive power button that reacts differently depending on how hard you press.

Since this One UI 8 beta is still in its early days, there’s a good chance Samsung will pack in more features and polish things up before the final release. As usual, the company will likely roll it out after Google officially drops Android 16—which, if all goes to plan, should happen around June.