An apparent upcoming version of Samsung’s TouchWiz UI has
been leaked by notable Twitter leakster
@evleaks. The picture, posted on the 7th
of Jan, shows a very different look for Samsung. If it turns out to be
accurate, we could be seeing a new stage of design from Samsung.
The timing is right. We’ve already heard that Samsung’s leadership gathered in Seoul around May last year to discuss ‘Design 3.0’: the future of aesthetic design for Samsung smartphones and tablets.
‘Design 1.0’ lasted two years and was responsible for the original Galaxy S and the Galaxy S II. Design 2.0, the current model, is what drove the look of the Galaxy S3 and S4. It’s been two years since the S3 hit shelves with D2.0. If indeed it’s time for Design 3.0 to make its debut, it would make sense that it did so with a fresh new UI look.
The look
The image itself only shows UI changes, not physical design. If it’s an accurate leak it still may be nothing more than one of many test designs being trialled by the Korean giant for Design 3.0. Judging by some of the questionable icon choices we hope this is the case.
The Phone, Magazine, Messages and Internet icons are where some of the biggest changes are visible. More importantly: they’re ugly. These look like Android icons from a small manufacturer from three-or-more years ago, back before Google realized the importance of UI aesthetics.
The wallpaper is a far-cry from Samsung’s current be-happy theme, but that doesn’t rule it out. If Samsung really is entering Design 3.0, a big shift in theme could be coming our way.
At the same time we’d hope that Samsung learns from the success of its S3 and S4 and doesn't turn 180-degrees in terms of style. Flipping from happy balloons and sunny fields to this melancholy approach seems risky at best.
The widgets have us intrigued, though. There’s a custom map widget there that we’ve never seen before. It looks like it could be tied in with S-Health, thanks to the heart in its bottom right corner. This would make sense, but it could also be a totally new feature.
The food widget underneath may also be part of S-Health, or it could also be something new.
Trimming the fat
Samsung has a bad habit of cramming TouchWiz full of almost-useless default apps that can’t be deleted without rooting the device. This ends up slowing things down and providing a less-smooth experience than a more slimmed-down UI would.
This, not-coincidentally, is usually the biggest criticism levelled at any smartphone running TouchWiz. They’re laggier than they need to be and it can be frustrating to say the least.
With any luck Samsung will have listened to its users and reviewers over the last two years and decided to take a more minimalist approach this time round when it comes to features. At the very least we hope you can delete the ones you don’t like.
Oh, and Samsung, could you please let us disable the camera shutter noise? It’s very loud and in some regions there’s no option to ditch it. It makes taking photos very awkward sometimes, so if you could go ahead and fix that then we’d be very appreciative.
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