We’ve just had our first look at One UI 8 on Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab S11 series, and there’s one change that really stands out. Notifications on Galaxy tablets are no longer a huge waste of space with One UI 8.
In One UI 7 and other recent versions of Samsung’s Android skin, the notification shade has always been a full-screen affair. That works just fine on phones and foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 7, but not so much on tablets. Especially with the notification shade and Quick Settings being split in Samsung’s latest updates, it’s just a huge waste of space.
I mean, just look at this.
In One UI 8 on the Galaxy Tab S11, Samsung is making a big upgrade to notifications.
Now, the notification shade itself is just a “floating” panel, similar to how Android handled the notification shade on tablets for years. It adjusts position to one of three locations depending on where you swipe down, and if you swipe on the right side, you’ll get the Quick Settings panel instead.
It feels familiar to how Android tablets worked for a long time and while I mostly just wish we were still getting the dual-pane setup that Android defaults to on Pixel and, well, almost every other Android tablet experience, this is still a great improvement over prior One UI versions.
What do you think?
One UI 8 is debuting on the Galaxy Tab S11 series, available for purchase now, but will presumably make its way to other Galaxy Tab models in the near future. Stable One UI 8 updates start rolling out this month.
More on Samsung:
- Galaxy Tab S11 revives 11-inch size as S Pen ditches Bluetooth, copies iPad placement
- Galaxy S26 Ultra might not receive a battery upgrade after all
- Galaxy Buds 3 FE launch with new design and Gemini integration for $149
Follow Ben: Twitter/X, Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments