The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 should be improved with new Android 12L update

The Android 12L-based One UI 4.1.1 has finally started to land on Galaxy Tab S8 devices, making it the first line of tablets to receive the Samsung-flavored update (via Sammobile). So far, it’s only rolling out to users in South Korea and Europe, with people in more countries likely to see the update soon.

One UI 4.1.1 is built off of Android 12L, which is specifically made for devices with larger screens. The update came to the Lenovo P12 Pro tablet first, with Samsung and Microsoft committing to bringing the update to their devices later on.

Android 12L adds a new two-column layout that lets you view two different screens at once, as well as a taskbar that allows for more efficient multitasking. With the update, you can open split-screen mode by dragging and dropping apps from the taskbar onto the screen. It also introduces a new two-finger gesture that lets you swap between split-screen and full-screen mode.

Samsung doesn’t add anything too significant on top of Google’s update, aside from a way to set custom backgrounds for callers and the ability to search for the information within documents on the My Files app. This version of One UI shipped with the new Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Flip 4 that Samsung released earlier this month.

The One UI 4.1.1 update will likely come as a welcome update to Galaxy Tab S8 users, especially those who own the massive 14.6-inch Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. In his review of the Tab S8 Ultra, my colleague Dan Seifert notes that even with Samsung’s DeX mode, “productivity workflows quickly slam into the limits of Android.” The rollout of One UI 4.1.1 should help remedy this issue and make the operating system work better with a larger screen.