These are some of the best Samsung One UI 2.0 features
After weeks of beta testing, Samsung finally started rolling out the Android 10-based One UI 2.0 update last month, beginning with the Galaxy S10. Since then, the company has released the same update for the Galaxy M20, M30, and the Galaxy Note 10. Many more eligible devices are scheduled to receive the update in the coming months.Android 10 and One UI 2.0 are relatively minor updates, but they still bring a few neat features to Galaxy smartphones and tablets. While all the new functionality in stock Android 10 is not specific to any vendor, One UI 2.0 features are exclusive to Galaxy devices, and here’s our pick of the top features that you get with the latest version of Samsung’s One UI.Navigation gesturesTaking inspiration from iOS, Google started tinkering with navigation gestures in Android Pie. The end result, however, was far from an elegant solution. In Android 10, Google revamped the navigation gestures to mimic Apple’s implementation, but fell short due to Android’s use of the back button and hamburger menus. Moreover, the new gestures don’t work with third-party launchers on most devices as of now.The situation is a tad better on Galaxy devices. Not impressed with Google’s implementation, Samsung came up with its own take on gestures in Android Pie. Thankfully, the Korean company is not ditching its solution in One UI 2.0 and is instead offering it as an option along with the new Android 10 gestures. While Samsung’s navigation gestures may not look or work all that different from traditional on-screen buttons, they are efficient (once you get used to them) and compatible with third-party launchers as well. To know more about these gestures, you can read our previous post on this topic.
Built-in screen recorderThere are already myriad ways to record what’s happening on your screen, but Android 10 is making it easier by adding native screen recording functionality in the OS. Samsung’s implementation of this feature is even better, with granular controls for video quality and audio capture. Galaxy users can also doodle on the screen, shoot a selfie video, and record audio from the microphone and media playing on the device while capturing the action on the screen.Interestingly, this feature made its debut on the Galaxy Note 10 before the release of Android 10. With One UI 2.0, the company is now bringing this functionality to other devices as well (although some budget devices may not get it). You can read our earlier coverage to know more about this nifty feature.
Improved face recognitionUnlike Apple, most Android vendors, including Samsung, don’t use dedicated hardware for face recognition. They rely on a combination of the selfie camera and software tricks to get the job done, which makes the feature both unreliable and less secure. Samsung is addressing these issues to some extent on Galaxy devices with the latest version of One UI.Face recognition on One UI 2.0 comes with new features such as ‘Add alternative look’ and ‘Require open eyes’ to make the biometric unlock solution more reliable and relatively secure. Of course, none of these changes can replace dedicated hardware, but they do improve the current implementation considerably.
While on the topic of biometric authentication, the iris scanner on select Galaxy devices now uses Google’s new Biometric API, enabling greater compatibility with third-party apps on Android 10.Slow motion selfie videosNot to be outdone by the iPhone 11’s ability to let users take slow motion videos with the front camera, Samsung added a slow motion mode to the front camera with One UI 2.0. It works much in the same way as the slow motion mode for the rear camera, in that there are no customization options for the video. However, the feature works as advertised.
