Even though Google is not happy with Samsung’s Android customizations, especially the new Magazine UX on the newly announced “Pro”-branded Galaxy Note and Tab versions, these devices will ship with the Windows/Metro-like UI preloaded. The bad news, for some potential buyers, is that Samsung will not let its customers remove Magazine UX, which appears to be a core feature for the new tablets, ComputerWorld reveals.
“Users do not have the option to ‘turn off’ Magazine UX,” a Samsung spokesman said. “It is built into the Pro series tablets. Users can add or delete Magazine UX and standard Android screens as they wish, but at least one Magazine UX screen must be present at all times. The ‘classic’ home screen is standard, with the Magazine UX accompanying it. And of course, users can change this and set Magazine UX as the default.”
Without Magazine UX on top – which is one of the main “Pro” features of the new line of tablets – the new devices would look like “regular” Android tablets, and that may be one important reason why Samsung is reluctant to allow users to easily remove it. Naturally, buyers that aren’t happy with the user interface will most likely be able to ditch it by rooting their tablets.
It is believed that Samsung will stop using Magazine UX in the future, now that it has entered a deal with Google, and that its future Android customizations will be much closer to the stock version of Android.
However, launching the new Galaxy Note Pro and Tab Pro tablets without it may have been impossible considering that the Google-Samsung partnership has been announced only after CES 2014, the event during which Samsung unveiled the new tablets.
“I’m not surprised the tablets are shipping with Magazine UX [since] it’s been in development for some time and was too far along to not be shipped with the devices announced today,” Technology Business Research analyst Jack Narcotta said.
Meanwhile, Samsung’s spokesperson did not confirm that the company will abandon Magazine UX in the future, sounding “somewhat defiant” in his statements, according to the publication. “To continue our momentum of delivering great user experiences and bringing greater value to people’s lives, Samsung will continue to identify and provide differentiated and innovative service and content offerings on our mobile devices,” the spokesman said.
Samsung hardly acknowledged that the new Galaxy Note Pro and Tab Pro tablets run Android during the CES announcement event. The tablets will soon launch in Europe and in the U.S.
Samsung is also rumored to introduce a revamped TouchWiz UI for its Galaxy S5 smartphone, with recent leaks suggesting it may borrow Google Now and Metro-like visual elements and features.
