Early One UI 9.5 test builds for the Galaxy S26 Ultra show potential interface tweaks in Samsung Calendar and a new Mindful note journaling tool in Health.
Samsung is preparing One UI 9.5, its second Android 17-based update, while the One UI 9 rollout remains underway. An early beta build for the Galaxy S26 Ultra was spotted on a test server, indicating the update is currently in development. Samsung has not detailed what is coming with the release, but testers accessing the unreleased software have uncovered upcoming changes. Discoveries highlighted by SamMobile reveal updates coming to two first-party apps: Samsung Calendar and Samsung Health.
Samsung Calendar receives a cleaner, grid-free interface. An image comparison highlights what Google Calendar looks like with One UI 9 on the left alongside what it could look like with One UI 9.5 on the right. Samsung appears to have removed the individual rectangular backgrounds surrounding each date. Instead of appearing against a contrasting cell, dates float against a black background. This makes boundaries between dates much less obvious and gives the view more room to breathe.
The search button has been relocated from the top right of the view to the bottom right, placed next to the Add event pill. The pill surfaces less text, displaying only “Add event” without referencing the currently selected date.
On the search screen, a new Key events section reportedly displays important events as pill-shaped shortcuts, positioned above the existing calendar and color menus. The app’s sidebar is also being reorganized, with the Sync now, Recycle bin, and Settings options relocated above the account list.
Samsung Health includes UI changes along with Mindful note, a new in-app journaling feature. The feature aims to give users a safe place to reflect, note down thoughts, and “capture a moment, a feeling, or whatever comes to mind.” Users have the option to start with a blank slate or get ideas from prompts, including About yourself, Relationships, Work and goals, and What if…? An option to set reminders is also available to help make journaling a daily habit.
These changes have only been spotted in prerelease software. They might never roll out widely, and if they do, they might or might not look and function as described.
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Luiza Mosneagu is Reviews Editor at Droid Tools. A psychologist by training and tech writer by passion, she has tested over 60 Android devices since 2020 - always for a minimum of two weeks before writing a word. Her focus is camera quality, everyday usability, and cutting through marketing claims to tell you what a device is actually like to live with.
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