Owners of last year's flagship Galaxy S25 Ultra eagerly awaiting the update on One UI 8.5. One of the most discussed questions is whether new features will be added. Horizontal Lock, which became a viral hit with the current model Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Function Horizontal Lock takes video stabilization to a whole new level. Within the mode Super Steady It allows you to keep the horizon level even when you rotate the phone a full 360 degrees. In practice, this means that users no longer need an external gimbal to shoot perfectly stable and level footage on the move.
The main obstacle to the arrival of this feature on Galaxy S25 Ultra and by extension older machines is its technological background. Horizontal Lock for the model Galaxy S26 Ultra it does not rely solely on software, but uses the synchronization of the gyroscope, accelerometer and new sensors with ALoP (All-Lens-on-Prism) technology, which offer a wider aperture.
Great News, Galaxy With Fam!
Samsung might bring the Horizontal Super Steady feature from Galaxy S26 series to older S series devices 👀
The moderator will announce it via a separate post when it's launched
repost pic.twitter.com/sFbaUYYPve
— Tarun Vats (@tarunvats33) May 4, 2026
Although Samsung community forum moderators hinted back in March that an optimization for older models was underway, no confirmation has emerged since then. Current indications point to a more skeptical scenario:
- Absence in beta: The function did not appear in the test program One UI 8.5 Beta for the series Galaxy S25.
- Hardware dependency: If the system requires specific cooperation with a new type of sensor from Galaxy S26, a purely software update for S25 Ultra it may not fully replace it, or if it does, it may provide significantly worse results.
- Exkluzivite: Samsung often reserves the most enticing features for its latest flagships to boost sales. Promising a feature then means practically nothing but that everything around it fades away over time.
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Hardware wall or marketing game?
But the resolution should come very soon. Stable version of the system One UI 8.5 should be released this week or early next week. However, it's fascinating to watch the line between professional equipment and the mobile phone in your pocket continue to blur. Features Horizontal Lock is exactly the type of innovation that turns an "ordinary" vacation video into a cinematic experience without having to lug around a heavy stabilizer.
However, if it is confirmed that Samsung will release this feature for Galaxy S25 Ultra If they don't release it, it will be sad news for the community. Galaxy S25 Ultra It's still a brutally powerful machine, and the argument about "insufficient hardware" on a phone that's only a year old is always hard for users to digest. It often turns out to be more of a strategic decision to make a newer model a little more appealing.
Personally, I hope that Samsung will ultimately choose the golden mean – that is, that Horizontal Lock pro Galaxy S25 Ultra will release it at least in a limited mode (e.g. in a lower resolution) to show that it still cares about last year's flagships, but if you want the best, you need to have the latest news. However, the May update will make this clear to us very quickly.
