From touch-based controls to voice commands, Galaxy’s UX has continuously reinvented the way we interact with mobile devices. Building on a legacy of cutting-edge innovations, Samsung’s One UI promises to make the smartphone experience more flexible and responsive to our needs than ever before.

Take a look at the infographic below to learn more about the evolution of Galaxy’s UX.

Africa, 15 January 2019 – In light of modest global sales recently, some observers say that smartphone innovation has hit a bottleneck, as new devices bear more iterative upgrades instead of groundbreaking features. Others even predict that the smartphone era may be coming to an end soon.

But with mobile technologies like 5G, AI, and AR maturing rapidly, users will be able to do even more with their smartphones soon. Instead of losing relevance, the next wave of technological innovation will make the smartphone more central to our lives than ever before. Whether it’s leveraging increased connectivity or harnessing next-generation mobile intelligence, a larger display will be key to accessing future smartphone experiences.

Despite current trends, we are still living in a world where the size of the smartphone display can only be as large as the device itself. At Samsung, we began to ask ourselves how we can overcome this limitation and expand the possibilities of what users can accomplish on the go.

The Shape of Things to Come

Smartphone displays can’t get any larger without compromising portability – this was the orthodoxy for a long time.

Instead of accepting the status quo, resolving the contradiction between screen size and portability and developing a new form factor became the central focus of our innovation efforts.

The recent unveiling of the Infinity Flex Display at SDC 2018 signaled the start of this new chapter. But building a foldable device was no mean feat. After the prototypes of the flexible display debuted at CES in 2011, it took another seven years to perfect the technology and deliver a truly meaningful experience to users. From developing new materials to overcoming mechanical challenges, the foldable screen demanded a total reconfiguration of the smartphone from inside out.

Preparing for the New Era

We expect to see a sea change in the smartphone form factor in the coming years. From rollable and stretchable devices to the devices that can fold in multiple ways are no longer beyond the realms of reality. Samsung is ready to usher in this future and create meaningful experiences for consumers that help them do more of what they love.

To build the new foldable device, we made significant investments to create a new material that completely changes the anatomy of the smartphone display. We also created a natural and durable folding experience that users can appreciate from the very first time they unfold the device and crafted an innovative mechanical technology that can withstand hundreds of thousands of folds. We also had to rethink the placements of the battery, cooling system, and camera so that they can be placed inside the slim body efficiently. Last but not least, we developed an intuitive UX to ensure apps can transition seamlessly between the smaller and larger displays. We are committed to continue pushing the limits of possibility and lead the mobile industry into a new era.

Smartphone innovation is at the cusp of the next major transformation. The arrival of the Infinity Flex Display is just the beginning. We will continue pushing the limits of possibility and shape the future as it unfolds.

Take the Galaxy S8 and S8+. When designing its latest flagships, Samsung went to great lengths to ensure that the UX behind their groundbreaking, bezel-less designs would foster convenient and intuitive interactions. The result of the company’s efforts is a seamless interface that allows users to navigate the devices’ immersive displays with ease and take full advantage of their powerful features.

The tips and functions outlined below offer simple ways for users to further amplify their Galaxy S8’s convenience and get more out of their smartphone experience.

Get to Know the Navigation Bar

The navigation bar that houses the Galaxy S8’s Home, Back and Recents buttons has a few tricks up its sleeve, including allowing users to bypass their device’s Lock screen and instantly access the Home screen.

After activating the Unlock with Home button feature via Settings > Display > Navigation bar, a hard press of the square Home button from the Always On Display will unlock the device (a swiping motion is not required), while a double-tap will pull up the lock screen. The navigation bar’s settings also allow users to customize the Home button’s sensitivity to avoid unwanted presses.

Users may hide the navigation bar in apps where it does not automatically disappear or fix it to their screen by toggling the Show and Hide button, which appears on the bar’s far left side. The bar’s configuration may also be customized.

Using certain apps and functions may cause the navigation bar to disappear entirely. In those instances, users may navigate back to the Home screen by hard-pressing on the Home button’s usual location, and may access the navigation bar by swiping up from the bottom of the screen.

Take Advantage of the Edge Screen

The Edge panels in the Galaxy S8’s Edge screen offer access to apps, news and key functions with a simple swipe of the side of the screen. Users may customize their Edge panel selection and add more apps and shortcuts that work for them.

The Edge screen’s Edge lighting feature adds additional convenience, notifying users of incoming messages by illuminating the Infinity Display’s edges. This allows notifications to be visible even when the device is facing down, and creates an intuitive means to notify users of messages without disrupting their enjoyment of videos, games and apps.

Users may access the Edge screen’s settings by tapping Settings > Display > Edge screen.

Create Convenient Reminders

Find an interesting article that you’d like to get back to later? The Galaxy S8 allows users to conveniently save URLs using its Reminder function.

With the website pulled up, simply access your browser’s sharing options and tap on the Reminder icon. Webpage URLs are automatically saved, and users may additionally select exactly when they’d like to receive their notification.

The Galaxy S8 also allows users to create reminders based on texts. When viewing a conversation in the Messages app, long-press your selected message until the Message options menu appears and choose Send to Reminder. The message will automatically be saved to the Reminder app, and you’ll also be able to specify if/when you would like the reminder to appear.

In addition, the Galaxy S8 allows users to pin reminders to its Always On Display, making them visible at all times. To do so, open the Reminder app, tap on the reminder that you would like to display and select Pin to Always On Display.

Power Button and Sensor Shortcuts

Sometimes taking the perfect photo requires one to be quick on the draw with their camera.

To help users capture more of their special moments, the Galaxy S8’s camera launches instantly with a double-press of the power key. The camera’s zoom function is similarly seamless, allowing users to easily zoom in or out by dragging the white shutter button to the right or left.

In addition to unlocking the device, the Galaxy S8’s fingerprint sensor allows users to open apps and manage key functions. A simple swipe down or up will show or hide the notification panel, while swiping up on the sensor from the Home screen will launch the Samsung Pay app. The function may be found under Settings > Advanced features > Finger sensor gestures.

In a meeting and can’t answer the phone? With the Galaxy S8, you can politely decline incoming calls with preset text messages.

The Quick Reply feature activates with a two-second touch of the device’s heart-rate sensor and allows users to send a customized response that suits their needs. The function may be found under Settings > Display > Edge screen > Edge lighting > More Options > Quick reply.

Step Up Your Screenshot Game

The Galaxy S8 allows users to snap quick screenshots via a variety of convenient ways.

Users have the option to press and hold the ‘volume down’ and power buttons simultaneously, swipe the screen from one side to the other with the side of their palm, or utilize the Galaxy S8’s Smart Select feature, which is found via the Edge screen and allows you to select an area of the display to capture as an image or GIF.

Located under Settings > Advanced features > Smart capture, scroll capture is another useful option that’s designed to help users snap more complete screenshots. The function appears after a screenshot has been taken and allows for all of an app or page’s scrollable content to be included in the image.

Get More Done with Snap Window

The Galaxy S8’s new Snap Window feature allows users to select a portion of the most recently opened app to pin to the top of their screen.

This means that, for instance, a user may keep an eye on a video or constantly updated content such as stock prices and headlines via the top of their screen while using the remainder of the display to send an email, browse the web or manage other apps.

Activate the feature by pulling up your recent apps and tapping on the function’s corresponding button.

A Fun Way to Unlock Your Phone

After registering their irises for biometric verification, Galaxy S8 users have the option to select a fun mask or background to display when the security feature is activated.

Available designs may be found under Settings > Lock screen and security > Iris scanner > Preview screen mask.

Sharing Links with Samsung Cloud

Samsung Cloud offers users an effortless means to share large video clips and reams of pictures by creating a URL that lets others access your shared media.

The function maintains full picture quality and supports files of up to 1GB in size. Users may save up to 2GB of content per day. After two days, the files are deleted from Samsung’s servers.

To utilize the feature, select the photo or video that you would like to share in the Gallery app, tap Share and choose Link Sharing. The subsequent screen will allow you to select the app you would like to use to send your link.

Users may also provide others with access to shared content by sending a code. Those who receive the code will be able to punch it in to Samsung’s Link Sharing app and instantly view and download the shared files.