Samsung Confirms System-Wide Vulkan Integration in One UI 7

Samsung’s Android 15-based One UI 7 update has faced long delays, but it is the biggest update that Samsung has put out so far. It does not just include the new Android 15 features but also several One UI exclusive additions that make it a very exciting update. Some Galaxy users have recently been concerned about whether One UI 7.0 integrates the Vulkan graphics system-wide. Rest assured, Samsung has indeed implemented Vulkan as a system-level graphics API across the entire system in One UI 7.

One UI 7 adopts the Vulkan graphics system-wide

In a community post, a Galaxy S23 user said that One UI 7 beta 1 was using Vulkan, but later, Samsung switched back to OpenGL in beta 2. This instability suggests that Samsung is testing both Vulkan and OpenGL with its One UI 7 beta builds. To clear all users’ doubts, a beta moderator says that this update brings system-wide integration of Vulkan for apps and UI elements. Below is what the moderator said:

“Yes, Android 15 (and by extension, One UI 7) has broader support for Vulkan as a system-level graphics API, and in some cases, apps and UI elements may default to Vulkan where supported. However, rendering behavior can vary depending on the device, app compatibility, or performance tuning per build—especially in beta versions.”

The moderator further says that the fallback to OpenGL in the newer betas is a temporary change for stability or compatibility reasons. Unless specifically optimized for Vulkan, some apps may still use OpenGL. The final implementation could vary depending on the progress of betas.

So, why are people concerned about whether One UI 7 uses Vulkan or OpenGL? Vulkan can provide high-performance 3D graphics and give developers more control over the GPU. OpenGL is an older and more restrictive standard. Since Vulkan reduces the loss on the CPU, it provides better efficiency compared to OpenGL. With system-wide Vulkan integration on One UI 7, Samsung Galaxy users can expect a lot of benefits, such as better battery efficiency, improvements to gaming performance, and more.