Samsung’s One UI has always proudly sported its own personality. It’s obviously Android, but it has also long looked and felt distinctly “Samsung,” even as other Android skins borrowed ideas from all over the place. With the One UI 8.5 beta now in the wild, though, that identity is starting to feel like it’s up for debate.
In a recent opinion piece, my colleague Joe Maring said One UI 8.5 might be the update where Samsung finally went a step too far. He highlighted changes like the new Quick Settings layout and refreshed Samsung apps, which can be tweaked to look a lot like iOS 26’s Control Center and navigation bars. The update adds useful customization and isn’t short on polish, but Joe’s bigger point was questioning the point at which refinement starts to feel more like imitation. That question is what led us to ask our readers how they feel about One UI 8.5’s iOS-like changes.