One UI 8.5 rollout is about to begin, and dozens of Galaxy models are lined up to receive this feature-rich upgrade that doesn’t look like an incremental upgrade at all. It brings numerous visual upgrades, new features, and expanded customization options that really level up the software experience.

Among the long list of changes coming to One UI 8.5, there are five features I am most excited about. I really wish Samsung would bring them to the majority of eligible devices.

1. Modern Liquid Glass interface with smoother animations

One UI 8.5 introduces Liquid Glass design for the first time on Galaxy devices. We know where the inspiration comes from (hello, Apple). The updated design language emphasizes transparency, floating surfaces, rounded controls, and soft depth effects across core apps and the system UI, making One UI feel more premium and modern.

Part of this new design language includes floating navigation bars with semi-transparent panels and more pronounced blur and shadow layering to create a “glass” feel. You’ll see it in the Settings app and first-party apps like Dialer, Gallery, and Calculator, replacing the traditional flat, rectangular navigation bar. The back button and other controls appear as separated floating elements, allowing more room for content.

The new Liquid Glass design is most prominent in Samsung’s own apps, but other areas, including notifications, widgets, and the control center, also receive a subtle glass-style treatment.

2. Fully customizable Quick Panel

The Quick Panel in One UI 8.5 is receiving its biggest customization update yet. You can now move tiles and widgets wherever you want, resize them, or change their orientation to create a layout that is perfect for you. You can even remove every toggle to get an almost empty panel.

Brightness and volume sliders are also part of the latest changes, with the ability to switch between horizontal and portrait-style layouts. You can customize the panel however you like instead of using Samsung’s default layout. The panel can become messy if you over-customize, but Samsung’s got you covered. You can easily reset to the default layout.

3. Calling gets a major AI upgrade

One UI 8.5 brings major upgrades to calling, now allowing the phone to automatically answer unknown or suspected spam calls. The AI assistant asks the caller’s purpose, shows you a live transcript, and lets you decide whether to pick up or mark as spam. This is a big step up from the manual Bixby Text Call, helping you avoid interruptions from robocalls or telemarketers.

You can also enable the auto answer with AI feature to let the device automatically answer calls after a specific delay (5-30 seconds) and provide a live text transcript. This is particularly useful when you are busy or have Do Not Disturb enabled, allowing you to see the caller’s query via a live transcript before even picking up the call.

One UI 8.5 also introduces a direct voicemail feature that lets callers leave a voice message directly on your device rather than a carrier server. You can see the live transcript of the voicemail as it is being recorded in real-time.

Even during a normal call, you can see real-time call options, making it easier to follow in loud environments. Another small but useful upgrade is that the Now Bar shows a dedicated counter for missed calls, making it easier to track without unlocking the device.

4. A new Creative Studio app for AI creativity

Samsung has added a new Creative Studio app in One UI 8.5, which is basically a central hub for generative AI creativity. The app lets users create wallpapers, stickers, greeting cards, invitations, and profile cards with simple sketches, existing photos, or text prompts.

The app supports multiple aspect ratios (such as 16:9 and 4:3) and various art styles, including Childhood Sketch, Marker Drawing, and Oil Painting.

5. Sharing files got a lot easier (even with Apple devices)

Samsung has made significant upgrades to file sharing to bridge the gap between its ecosystem and other platforms, particularly Apple devices. A major addition is a new “Share with Apple devices” option in the Quick Settings menu, enabling seamless, high-speed transfers to iPhones, iPads, and Macs that use AirDrop.

One UI 8.5 also makes it easier to access the storage of one Galaxy device directly from another through the My Files app. For example, you can browse photos, music, and documents stored on your Galaxy Tab directly on your Galaxy phone, provided both devices are signed into the same Samsung account.

We’ll keep sharing with you the latest One UI updates in the Samsung section on this website. You can visit that page regularly to get fresh details. Or, if you prefer news on the go, make sure to follow our Telegram channel.

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Chip giant TSMC is aggressively expanding its advanced 2nm production capacity to meet the unprecedented demand for artificial intelligence (AI) chips and high-performance computing (HPC). The company has set up five state-of-the-art fabrication plants, all entering the ramp-up phase this year, gearing towards the most aggressive expansion in the company’s history.

At TSMC’s 2026 Technology Symposium held in Silicon Valley recently, Hou Yung-ching, Senior Vice President, Deputy Co-COO, and Chief Information Security Officer, revealed that the company is pushing forward with its expansion plan at “twice the speed.” He added that the 2nm process has officially entered mass production and its yield learning curve is superior to that of the 3nm generation, even though the newer node uses a more complex nanosheet architecture, demonstrating TSMC’s leadership in advanced processes.

Even with higher production capacity, there will still be a shortage of high-performance chips due to explosive demand. To counter that, major players including NVIDIA, Apple, Qualcomm, and AMD have reportedly secured large allocations of N2 capacity. Apple alone is reported to have secured more than half of the initial N2 capacity from TSMC.

Also read:
1. TSMC pushes toward sub-1nm chips after 1.4nm breakthrough
2. TSMC hits 5GHz speeds on smartphone processors, leaving Huawei generations behind

Hou Yung-ching pointed out that multiple fabs simultaneously introducing new processes in the same year has never happened before. With the five 2nm fabs in operation, TSMC is expected to increase output capacity by up to 45% compared to the same period for 3nm fabs, a significant increase in capacity utilization. TSMC also plans to upgrade or install nine new factories along with capacity expansion projects each year to significantly ramp up its production capacity, effectively doubling the company’s historical expansion rate. The production is also being expanded at existing fabrication plants in Arizona, USA; Kumamoto, Japan; and Dresden, Germany.

Supported by strong demand, TSMC’s wafer shipments for AI accelerators are increasing by 11x, and demand for large-size chips featuring advanced packaging technologies is going up by 6x. And with continuous upgrades to 3D packaging technologies, TSMC has shortened the mass production time for SoIC chips by up to 75%, resulting in faster chip production. The overall advanced packaging capacity is estimated to grow by 80% in 2027.

TSMC is witnessing explosive demand for its high-performance node, pushing the company to expand its production capacity at a pace never seen before while simultaneously advancing large-scale future expansion plans. The company will continue to strengthen its leading advantage and domination in the semiconductor industry.

For the latest stories, visit the news section on Gizmochina regularly. Also, follow our Telegram channel to get the latest news as soon as we post them.

sources: 1, 2

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Xiaomi’s Android 17 Developer Preview program has just gone live, and it brings an unexpected upgrade to HyperOS 3.3. The company has restricted the beta program’s access to a limited number of high-end smartphones initially, with broader device support coming in the near future.

The Developer Preview program is currently available for four Xiaomi devices: Xiaomi 17, Xiaomi 17 Ultra, Xiaomi 15T Pro, and Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi. If you’re rocking any of these devices, you can sign up for the testing program and get access to the upcoming features and upgrade well ahead of the public release. This release, however, signals a major shift in Xiaomi’s naming strategy for its HyperOS skin.

As spotted by Ximi Time, the Android 17 beta build for Xiaomi devices comes with HyperOS 3.3, skipping HyperOS 3.2 for some reason. This suggests Xiaomi won’t make the jump to HyperOS 4 but will pair HyperOS 3.3 with Android 17.

How to get Android 17 beta on your Xiaomi device

Remember that beta builds are prone to having bugs or unfinished features. Some apps may face compatibility issues. Therefore, it’s best to avoid such builds altogether or install them on a secondary device.

Before installing a beta build, it’s highly recommended to back up important data to cloud storage or copy it to a different device to be on the safe side.

Step 1: Ensure your phone is running the required firmware version.

• Xiaomi 17: OS3.0.301.0.WPCMIXM
• Xiaomi 17 Ultra: OS3.0.9.0.WPAMIXM
• Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi: OS3.0.9.0.WPAMIXM
• Xiaomi 15T Pro: OS3.0.11.0.WOSMIXM

Step 2: Download the correct Android 17 beta build for your Xiaomi phone.

• Xiaomi 17: Download link
• Xiaomi 17 Ultra: Download link
• Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi: Download link
• Xiaomi 15T Pro: Download link

Step 3: Copy the downloaded ROM upgrade ZIP file to the internal storage (if it isn’t there already)

Step 4: Go to Settings > About phone > tap the Xiaomi HyperOS logo at the top of the page.

Step 5: Tap Xiaomi HyperOS at the top for 10 times > click the three-dots icon in the top-right corner > select Choose update package.

Step 6: Select the ROM upgrade file you downloaded in step 2 and install it.

This is a major upgrade, and so the installation time could be longer. It’s best to charge your device at least 40% before the installation. Also, ensure the device has at least 10GB of free space for a smoother installation and better performance.

If you face major issues or want to revert to a previous stable build for any reason, you can download the required firmware using the links given below and flash it on your phone the same way. However, this could result in data loss. So, back up your important data beforehand.

Fallback firmware files:

• Xiaomi 17 (OS3.0.301.0.WPCMIXM): Download link
• Xiaomi 17 Ultra (OS3.0.9.0.WPAMIXM): Download link
• Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi (OS3.0.9.0.WPAMIXM): Download link
• Xiaomi 15T Pro (OS3.0.11.0.WOSMIXM): Download link

We’ll keep tracking the latest developments on Android 17 and post them in the Xiaomi section on this website. Remember to visit the page at least once in a while to get fresh details. Or, you can follow our Telegram channel to get instant updates.

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