Samsung is overhauling its user interface for Android smartphones. The new Samsung One UI is basically designed for the age we live in — the one where phones with big screens have basically taken over… but the one where you’re also too lazy to use your phone with two hands.
So Samsung has redesigned many of its stock apps to put labels and visual information at the top of the screen, but all the tings you’re actually going to want to touch on the bottom — where they’re easier to reach with your thumb while you’re actually holding your phone.
The upside is that moving the stuff you touch to the bottom of the screen could make it easier to use a phone with one hand. The downside is that it’s easy to look at the top of these phones and see a lot of wasted space… which makes me wonder why you wouldn’t just buy a smaller phone in the first place.
One UI also includes day and night modes for Samsung’s apps and a new design language that seems a lot closer to Google’s Material Design than earlier versions Samsung’s user interface.
Samsung says Galaxy S9 and Note 9 users will be able to sign up to beta test the One UI in November, and the new user interface will roll out to all users early 2019.
You said: “which makes me wonder why you wouldn’t just buy a smaller phone in the first place.”
The simple answer to that is that they just don’t make them. I had a Sony Xperia Z3 Compact but I don’t think even Sony will continue to make small phones anymore. I had to get a new phone this year and couldn’t find a decently spec’d one with a screen smaller than 5 inches. I settled for one with a screen of 5.7 inches. At least it’s under 6 inches… :/
It’s not laziness, it’s multi-tasking. Like holding the remote control while you check imdb, or holding onto one of the hand rails in the bus so you don’t take a face dive into the ground when it accelerates and you’re responding to a text.
I would also love for Chrome to offer the option of a bottom navigation bar.