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As per Samsung’s tradition, each Galaxy flagship phone brings a newer One UI version. And as expected, the latest Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 announced at Unpacked 2024 in Paris are the first to run One UI 6.1.1. Usually, an x.1 update is incremental instead of a big release, and One UI 6.1.1 similar in that regard. It builds on top of One UI 6.1, primarily through a handful of new and improved Galaxy AI features.
If One UI 6.1 was the first to introduce Galaxy AI to the world through the Galaxy S24 series, the new One UI 6.1.1 update for next-gen foldable phones expands Samsung’s Advanced Intelligence suite with new and better creative tools that leverage Generative AI techniques.
Aside from AI, One UI 6.1.1 also brings a few minor changes to the general user interface. One example is that the Settings app now hosts a new Galaxy AI menu. Users no longer have to go through the Advanced Features and Advanced Intelligence menus to turn Galaxy AI tools ON or OFF.
Another significant upgrade added through One UI 6.1.1 concerns only the Galaxy Z Flip 6. The new foldable flip phone boasts four new FlexWindow widgets for Samsung Health, SmartThings, Reminder, and Samsung News, along with four new apps optimized for the cover screen: Facebook, Gmail, Google Messages, and Maps.
One UI 6.1.1 new Galaxy AI features
It’s quite clear that One UI 6.1.1 is highly focused on improving Galaxy AI more than anything else, as this category is where the bulk of new features appear to have landed. So without further ado, heres what you can expect from this One UI version.
Sketch to Image is a new tool that’s bound to turn some heads. It’s one of the latest additions that use Generative AI techniques extensively. This tool converts simple drawings into elaborate digital art pieces in mere moments.
Sketch to Image is quite magical. It lets you create new drawings from rough sketches or add new objects to existing photos by sketching them in and letting Generative AI figure out the rest. It appears to work surprisingly well! The tool doesn’t require an S Pen, but evidently, the accessory can help during the initial sketching phase.
Portrait Studio is another feature that functions in a somewhat similar manner to Sketch to Image. Using Generative AI, Portrait Studio lets you turn a regular portrait photo into a stylized digital painting. The tool can convert portrait photos into 3D cartoons, watercolor paintings, comic book drawings, and more.
For fans of Live Translate, Samsung says this clever tool designed to break down language barriers now works with more apps instead of being limited to the native Phone app.
A new Composer from Samsung Keyboard was also added to Email and supported social media apps. The new Composer allows you to generate suggested text based on simple keywords, and in messages generated for social media apps, the tool can even emulate your tone by analyzing previous posts.
On the productivity side, Samsung Notes borrows the transcription, translation, and summarizing capabilities from the Voice Recorder app. You can now use these tools for voice recordings directly in the Notes app.
More details after the video…
As far as Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6-exclusive features go, the new Fold gets a new dual-screen Interpreter mode, which was inspired by Google’s Pixel Fold. The tool uses both screens to create a more conversational environment when two people use the Interpreter AI tool to communicate.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 gets Suggested Replies, which is a Galaxy AI-powered tool that scans your last seven messages in a conversation and suggests replies you can send through the 3.4-inch FlexWindow without flipping open the phone. Once again, Samsung is making the 3.4-inch cover screen more usable, which is great.
In addition, for the Galaxy Z Flip 6, Samsung also says a new Auto Zoom feature enhances FlexCam by finding the best framing for you.
When will these One UI 6.1.1 features come to more Galaxy devices?
Samsung’s x.1.1 updates are usually reserved for foldable phones and tablets, and if we were to guess, we’d say One UI 6.1.1 could land on Samsung’s high-end Galaxy Tabs and older foldable phones this year. Regardless of how that pans out, One UI 6.1.1 likely won’t become available to slab-type Galaxy phones.
Instead, most, if not all these latest features and Galaxy AI improvements introduced with One UI 6.1.1 will be released for select non-folding phones running One UI 6.1 without changing the firmware version or through the future One UI 7.0 update.