The cat is finally out of the bag — we know that the Samsung Unpacked event is taking place on January 14. We have learned plenty about the Samsung Galaxy S21 series and the accessories that will launch alongside (the Galaxy Buds Pro and the Galaxy SmartTag). As if that wasn’t enough, a new leak sheds more light on the software that will ship with the phones.
Courtesy of a new video from Jimmy is Promo — the same channel that brought us the hands-on video of the Galaxy S21+ last month — we get to see some new features of One UI 3.1, which will debut with the flagship series.
1) Continue apps on other devices
As the name suggests, this will let you continue using certain apps from where you left off on other devices signed in to the same Samsung account. This will seemingly only work with Samsung Internet and Samsung Notes at launch. For what it’s worth, this is very similar to what we’ve seen Apple do with Continuity.
2) Call background videos
Samsung is bundling some cool-looking video backgrounds with One UI 3.1. You can choose from a handful of videos, one of which involves a dancing AR emoji too.
Check out the full video above.
3) Choose between Google Discover & Samsung Free
We confirmed this last month, and we finally get to see it live on the S21 Ultra. Starting with the S21 series, users will be able to choose between Samsung Free and Google Discover feeds on the home screen — it’s also possible to select neither and have nothing to the left of your homescreen.
4) S Pen compatibility
At this point, this isn’t news — we’ve heard and seen plenty about the S21 Ultra having support for the S Pen. However, the video confirms that the S21 Ultra will support classic S Pen features such as Air View, Air Command, and Screen off memo.
5) Director’s View
Interestingly, this feature can be traced back to One UI 2.0 and was previously thought to debut with the Galaxy S20 series. That didn’t materialize, but it seems like we will see the feature on the new Galaxy S21 series. It allows users to seamlessly switch between different cameras while shooting. The video doesn’t go into specifics, but the feature may even allow recording from two (or more) cameras at once.
The video also reveals a few other features that will be a part of One UI 3.1, such as ‘Focus Enhancer’ and the ability to choose the video resolution right from the recording screen. Since the launch is less than a couple of weeks away, we won’t have to wait long to find out more.
