Samsung makes great phones, but I’d only buy a Google Pixel

Earlier than I joined Android Authority, the telephone in my pocket was solely as much as me. For the higher a part of a decade, I modified manufacturers every time I purchased a brand new one, going from HTC to LG and later from Apple to Samsung, all as a result of I at all times wished to strive one thing new. Then, after I put the Galaxy S10 in my pocket, I made a decision I’d stick round for some time. It was such a monumental change from the tiny, rigid iPhone 7 that I figured I is perhaps a Samsung fan for all times — proper up till I smashed it into the sidewalk whereas out for a run. All of the sudden, I had the selection to both pay a hefty restore invoice or scratch my itch to strive one thing new as soon as once more. I headed to Finest Purchase, grabbed the Google Pixel 5, and haven’t appeared again since.

If I needed to make that call once more, I feel I’d make the identical one, and right here’s why:

Within the grand scheme of issues, a telephone’s look might be the final purpose to purchase it. In any case, you’ll spend extra time its show than its digicam bump or whichever colourful end you fastidiously chosen — particularly should you put it in a case. Nonetheless, I can’t assist however decide a ebook by its cowl. In the event you give me one telephone that appears prepared for a gathering in a boardroom and one other that appears like a personality from Star Trek, I’ll attain for the latter each time. As you may need guessed, Samsung’s present crop of Galaxy units is the previous, whereas each Pixel for the reason that Pixel 6 Professional is the latter.

After all, it wasn’t at all times this manner. I appreciated the Galaxy S10 a lot as a result of it felt quirky and totally different — type of like a contemporary Pixel. Samsung stretched its trio of cameras horizontally throughout the rear glass, chosen colourful finishes that might change based mostly on the lighting, and even supplied a porcelain model should you have been keen to spend somewhat extra. It was so reverse of every thing I’d gotten used to on the iPhone 7 that I sat down and ordered mine whereas out at a bar with buddies in school.

Now, nearly each piece of that quirky design is gone. Samsung’s horizontal strip of cameras has turn into a boring set of cutouts within the nook, its elective porcelain has turn into Gorilla Glass — albeit wonderful Gorilla Glass — and its slimming waterfall show has turn into a flat, clean panel (which is an effective factor, really).

Google, then again, took its Pixel design by an reverse journey. It started with a easy, simple digicam bump within the prime left nook of its first 5 generations, solely to ditch it in favor of a now-iconic digicam bar I’ve liked since day one. The break up created by the digicam bar opened the door for Google to reintroduce two-toned finishes, a alternative that made the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 collection really feel each recent and enjoyable. Google’s styling has since developed once more, swapping the visor-like digicam bar for extra of a digicam island that feels each extra sturdy and extra mature to match its ninth-generation flagships — even when it’s not aesthetically as a lot enjoyable.

Maybe extra importantly, Google has raised its construct high quality to match its extra refined design. Its aluminum frames, whether or not shiny or satin, really feel wonderful in hand, they usually provide simply sufficient of a curve on the back and front so you may attain throughout the show with out unintended presses. I in contrast the Pixel 9 Professional XL to my favourite iPhone ever, and I’ll stand by the truth that it feels as sturdy and dependable as Android’s largest competitor.

Additionally, I do know that appears aren’t every thing once you’re shopping for a telephone. With that in thoughts, I’d nonetheless give Google the benefit. After I reviewed the Galaxy S24 Extremely again in early 2024, I barely used the S Pen. In doing so, I used to be primarily ignoring one of many crucial items of the telephone’s design — a characteristic that every thing else was just about centered round. In any case, the flat prime and backside edges, the large physique of the telephone, and the comparatively sharp corners are all there to make sure the built-in stylus has sufficient room to function with out squeezing the battery capability or rearranging the digicam setup. Sadly, the consequence is a big, highly effective telephone that simply looks like an excessive amount of for me to make use of — not to mention stuff right into a pocket.

Google, then again, has utterly gained my coronary heart with its smaller Pixel 9 Professional. It’s every thing I waited for in a comparatively small Android telephone, packing a pro-level battery and a trio of highly effective cameras into a tool the identical dimension as the bottom Pixel 9. Consider Google’s rounded corners and gently curved body, and it feels even smaller within the hand, which is nice information for me. The Pixel 9 Professional is just about geared up to compete with the Galaxy S24 Plus however is sized just like the Galaxy S24, which brings again fond reminiscences of toting across the Pixel 5 again within the day.

It’s not simply Google’s {hardware} that I favor, both — I’ll take Pixel UI over One UI each time I’m given the possibility. One of many first issues I do when switching to a Samsung system for an prolonged interval is to swap from its default One UI launcher to Lawnchair, just because it makes me really feel extra like I’m nonetheless on a Pixel system. I’m not alone in my desire for Google’s mild, clear (however not inventory) Android expertise, both — my colleagues agreed after we put Pixel UI atop our rating of the perfect Android skins in the marketplace. Don’t get me improper, we put Samsung’s One UI in second place, however the two experiences are as totally different as will be.

I like that Google’s software program design follows its {hardware} — it’s quirky, colourful, and customizable sufficient with out feeling overwhelming. After I soar into a brand new Pixel, I do know I can simply set it up simply as I’m used to, with an app drawer organized alphabetically, apps that color-coordinate to my wallpaper, and a lock display screen that options a number of interchangeable clocks. And sure, possibly that sounds easy, however I’ve by no means been one to overcomplicate my private system. I might a lot relatively know the place every thing is and that it really works after I count on it to than dig by a mountain of menus to construct an ideal routine for each scenario.

On prime of that, Pixel UI is Google all the best way down. What I imply is that there’s no bloat, no pointless duplicates (lookin’ at you, Samsung Messages and Samsung Web), and all the widgets default to in-house apps like Google Images and Pixel Climate. Principally, it means I don’t have to consider a lot past which apps I would like on my house display screen and which widgets I’ll use. In some methods, that in all probability makes me sound like I’d be an iPhone consumer in one other life, and possibly that’s true. Nonetheless, Apple’s present degree of customization leaves lots to be desired, particularly once you color-match your app icons solely to search out out that they’re nearly invisible in opposition to the default darkish grey background.

However, one UI would relatively give me granular management over each little piece of my format. It has a virtually infinite net of settings menus, a number of app shops, and experimental options tucked away below the Samsung Labs menu. You may even obtain Good Lock so as to add extra wrinkles and issues to your Galaxy system, together with the flexibility to open extra apps on the duvet display screen of the Galaxy Z Flip 6. It’s sufficient to make your head spin, which isn’t what I would like after I change telephones and redo the method each few weeks.

Granted, some individuals will love the possibility to make their Galaxy telephone really feel extra like their very own. I do know a couple of Android followers who swear by totally different launchers and have tuned their telephones to the purpose the place I barely know how you can use them for the primary couple of minutes, however it’s simply not the expertise for me. I’d relatively have every thing I want come on my telephone by default than obtain an app and reference a information I wrote a 12 months previous to make my $1,000 flip telephone compete with one other system just like the Motorola Razr Plus.

Oh, after which there’s the bloatware. I hinted at it by mentioning that Samsung has a couple of duplicate apps, however it additionally slaps you with a number of others like World Targets, Galaxy Wearable (which you gained’t want should you don’t have a Galaxy Watch or Galaxy Ring), and a enterprise suite of LinkedIn, Microsoft 365, and OneDrive. Perhaps they’re useful for some individuals, however I’d relatively decide into them than delete them after setup. Of Samsung’s social extras, I solely saved Spotify however instantly ditched each Fb and Netflix.

To Samsung’s credit score, although, it matches Google by way of flagship updates, providing seven years of help throughout each the Galaxy S24 collection and Galaxy Z Flip and Fold 6. So, should you favor Samsung’s taste of Android, at the very least you’ll be capable of hold it present lengthy after you’ve paid your system off.

What introduced me from Samsung to Google for the primary time had nothing to do with the design of both telephone. It didn’t must do with what the widgets appeared like or the place I might put them, both. As an alternative, I used to be drawn in due to Google’s fire-and-forget digicam setup. It didn’t want you to be an knowledgeable in digicam settings, nor did it want to provide you three digicam sensors to play with, you simply lined up your shot, pressed the button, and let Google do the remainder. For years, that processing was sufficient to maintain the Pixel digicam among the many finest you can get on an Android telephone. That’s how a smartphone digicam needs to be: Let me seize the second, however let me hold going whereas I accomplish that.

Truthfully, taking pictures a photograph with the Google Pixel 9 or Samsung Galaxy S24 is sort of a small reflection of the general expertise. Google provides you with somewhat steering in serving to you degree your shot or hint from dot to dot when taking a panorama, however then it lets the Tensor G4 take over. It’ll appropriate your colours, apply movement results like lengthy publicity, or select parts it thinks you may need to erase, all with out you lifting a finger. It’s a big evolution over the expertise I first had with the Pixel 5, but I can see traces of what Google has been constructing through the years.

However, Samsung has at all times leaned closely on handbook management, letting you fine-tune every thing out of your publicity to your white steadiness to your shutter pace earlier than you snap a photograph. In some methods, that is nearer to the expertise you’d get on a mirrorless digicam, however it may well additionally take a few of the punch out of Samsung’s highly effective sensors should you’re not solely comfy with the publicity triangle.

Maybe one of the best ways to clarify the distinction between utilizing a Google Pixel digicam and a Samsung Galaxy digicam is to inform individuals to move out and use their respective astrophotography options. Final summer season, my dad put his Galaxy S21 Extremely up in opposition to my Pixel 7 Professional, and solely one in every of us got here away genuinely impressed. We each walked out to the center of the identical darkish subject and pointed our cameras on the similar starry night time, however all I needed to do to seize the sky was press my shutter button and wait. He, then again, needed to head to Knowledgeable RAW, open one other menu for Astrophotography, and choose the period of his publicity earlier than he might prop his telephone up and hope for the perfect. His closing consequence was good, however I’m unsure everybody can be as keen to leap by the identical hoops.

Generally, when individuals need to say that they don’t like one thing with out explicitly saying so, they’ll go, “It’s not unhealthy, simply totally different.” I might say the identical about Samsung’s present crop of Galaxy units, however this time, I imply it. There’s lots to love about shopping for a Samsung Galaxy system, from the extremely sturdy supplies to the infinitely customizable software program to the highly effective, manually managed cameras. I’d argue that any a type of issues is purpose sufficient to spend your cash with Samsung, and it’s all sufficient to make the Galaxy S24 collection among the finest Android telephones in the marketplace. Nonetheless, the sum of these components doesn’t give me the Android expertise that I like finest.

As an alternative, I’d relatively have Google’s quirky, colourful, sometimes flawed Pixel expertise. I don’t thoughts letting my telephone do the pondering for me as a result of Google and I are on the identical wavelength about when to make use of my telephone and when to go away it in my pocket. I’d fortunately take a hotter, barely much less highly effective Tensor chip if it meant I’d have Google’s no-brainer picture processing. Give me Gemini over Bixby, Chrome over Samsung Web, and aluminum over titanium as a result of I like the best way that all of them add up. I would like my telephone to really feel like a chunk of know-how that I get pleasure from relatively than a software that I merely use in my day-to-day life.

After all, I haven’t had to purchase a telephone in a very long time. As a reviewer, they only present up at my door from time to time, giving me an opportunity to leap from one to the subsequent and keep on prime of all the US-based flavors of Android. It implies that despite the fact that my very own cash isn’t behind both Google or Samsung (or Motorola or OnePlus, for that matter), my experiences definitely are. I’ve had hands-on expertise with issues I like and don’t like from each main model, and I’ve had the liberty to vary between them at any time. However, regardless of all that freedom, I simply hold coming again to the consolation of a Google Pixel — and I hold telling my family and friends members to do the identical.