Samsung's Android-based firmware has never been under the magnifying glass as much as this year. To begin with, One UI release timeframes have changed with the release of One UI 7, causing heated discussions and split opinions on the matter. And in 2025, the amount of leaked firmware reached new heights, leaving no surprises for the official, final One UI release.Clearly, Samsung's firmware landscape looks different in 2025. You could say we've entered a new era of Samsung firmware development. And while there are ups and downs to everything, I must say that, as a Samsung fan for years, 2025 has been the best for me in terms of the overall firmware experience.Granted, your mileage might differ. And you might place more value on release timeframes than I do, which is fair. Not to mention that your experience could be dissimilar to mine, depending on the Samsung device you're using.But as far as my experience with the Galaxy S24+ so far goes, 2025 has been the best year I ever had. Here's why.General performance hasn't degraded with the past two big updatesI can't remember the last time two consecutive major OS upgrades improved my Galaxy phone's responsiveness and overall UI performance.At best, I remember getting better UI performance and animations in one update and a poorer experience in the next. But in 2025, neither One UI 7 nor the latest One UI 8 version has disappointed me or my Galaxy S24+.One UI 7 kickstarted what I like to call Samsung's new firmware era. It brought better animations, improved visuals, and a more modern UI overall. I was afraid that my S24+ couldn't handle it. But it did. And then, I feared One UI 8 would ruin a great thing, but it hasn't.I've been using One UI 8 on my Galaxy S24+ for a few days now, and I am amazed at how smooth everything feels. The UI and animations are even more responsive than they were in One UI 7. So, for me, this feels like a rare occasion. My S24+ is nearly two years old, and so far, the experience has only gotten better with every new One UI version.I don't think I ever had this positive of an experience with a premium Galaxy phone before. But here we are. The Galaxy S24+ shipped with Android 14 and One UI 6.1, and every big update since its release has only made my phone feel more responsive. Plus, I love the new changes to the Weather app and split screen. Upgrade your experience today Browse Galaxy phone offers Buy Now I hope your experience with your Galaxy phone has been similar in 2025, but Samsung does have a huge phone portfolio compared to other brands, so there's always a chance that things don't perform the same across the entire product lineup.For me, the Galaxy S24+ has so far provided the best long-term firmware experience I have ever had with a Samsung phone. And if the cost of getting this level of high optimization is a bit of a launch delay, I'll happily pay the cost for every future update.All in all, I can only hope that your experience over the last two major OS updates has been as good as mine. And I'll keep my fingers crossed that Samsung will be able to keep this up and make unpredictable One UI updates a thing of the past.The post As a Samsung fan, 2025 has been my best One UI year yet appeared first on SamMobile.