Samsung Internet only recently got a big release that gave it third-party password manager autofill support and a new Chromium engine, but the developers are already hard at work on the next feature update. The browser’s current beta adds a new grid view to the tab switcher, giving it almost the same layout Google Chrome is currently testing for many people.
Left: Prompt to choose your style. Middle: Grid layout small screen. Right: Grid layout big screen.
When you first open the beta after updating or downloading it and hit the tab switcher button, you’re greeted by a prompt asking you how you’d like to view your tabs: List, cards, or grid. The grid is the new one among them. Depending on your display size or the density you picked in your system settings, you’ll either see them as big, card-like squares showing you two tabs at a time or an interface with two tabs next to each other, displaying up to six website previews at once. The latter only shows up for me when I choose a less dense display size in system settings on my Pixel, though this might be different for Samsung phones. This behavior could also still change before the new view goes stable. As known from other UI elements in Samsung software, you can swipe down to get the top tabs closer to your thumb.
o Support the Context menu in the Tab Bar
o New tab manager – See in the Grid view
The changelog also mentions a new context menu in the tab bar, which we presume to be the layout picker for your tabs. When you tap the three-dot overflow menu in the top right corner while you’re in the tab switcher, there’s a new entry that lets you see the initial view selector again.
You can get the latest beta release on the Play Store or over at APK Mirror. The current version has been available since the end of June, but Samsung has only now published the changelog, which pointed us to the UI change.
