What you need to know
- Samsung Galaxy S20 has begun its One UI 5 beta in South Korea.
- BTS edition owners of the Galaxy S20 are currently excluded from the beta testing.
- One UI 5 is Samsung's own skin atop Android 13 which should bring in a slew of improvements to its animation, gestures, and an upgraded UI color pallet.
South Korean Samsung Galaxy S20 owners finally getting their hands on a One UI 5 beta.
According to a Samsung community post, the Korean OEM has started the One UI 5 beta program for its Galaxy S20 series devices in South Korea. However, SamMobile informs that, as of right now, users are only able to register for this upcoming beta phase of One UI 5. Testers at heart can sign up via the Samsung Members app to enroll in the beta program to become eligible for the beta phase once the download is available.
An announcement like this comes just a week after the Galaxy S22 received a new One UI 5 beta build, and U.S. owners of the Galaxy S21 became eligible for beta testing, too.
While the Galaxy S20 receiving its own One UI beta is a good development, there is seemingly a version of the device that will miss out. Samsung has stated that users who have purchased the BTS edition of the Galaxy S20 will be unable to participate in the beta testing phase. As SamMobile mentions, the company did not inform its users why the BTS edition is being excluded. Still, they should receive the stable update once it becomes available.
Samsung's One UI 5 is its own skin atop the recently released Android 13 software. With recent builds of the beta, Samsung phone owners have seen improved animations and gestures, which have been the subject of complaints in previous builds. A couple of other improvements that may be included with the Galaxy S20's One UI 5 beta are an expanded color pallet for UI theming, per-app language settings, and much more.
As always, the same risks with installing a beta build of a new OS applies. Phone functionality or personal data could be lost as a result of testing if something goes wrong, so install at your own risk.
The Galaxy S22 is Samsung's latest standard flagship, offering a simple design, great specs, and very capable cameras. It comes in several different colorways, including the new Bora Purple, and is among the first Galaxy phones to have access to the Android 13 beta.
