Samsung is working hard to bring One UI 7 to the masses, but most Galaxy device users aren't happy with how things turned out. The update is running later than usual. Nevertheless, Samsung is pushing forward, and more Galaxy devices have joined the One UI 7 beta program recently.
Meanwhile, we're already seeing signs of One UI 8 development on Samsung's firmware server, and even a photo of a Galaxy device running One UI 8 was making the rounds a few days ago. A Samsung Community moderator has now addressed these events and leaks.
One UI 8 is far from release
First things first, the Samsung US Community moderator in charge of beta forum operations reminded everyone that One UI 8 has not yet been officially announced.
Secondly, the moderator stated that the devices that have been spotted in leaked photos running One UI 8.0 “Are likely internal Samsung test units, which are used for early-stage development and are not available for public use.”
In other words, photos of an internal Samsung test unit leaked, but there is no One UI 8.0 beta update. Samsung is testing things behind the curtain, and a beta launch based on Android 16 is far from rolling out publicly. Nevertheless, these events, along with the moderator's comment, confirm again that Samsung is indeed testing One UI 8.0 internally.
As a side note, the moderator also addressed Community member requests to “opt into a direct transition to One UI 8” by saying that although the idea is interesting, the purpose of the beta program is to take things step-by-step.
As such, Samsung's beta team is currently fully committed to One UI 7, and there is no chance for a One UI 8 beta program going live before Samsung is done testing One UI 7 and the stable build goes live on more devices. It will likely take many more months before One UI 8 will be ready to enter the beta stages. In the meantime, the beta team is focused entirely on One UI 7.