As a person who reviews phones to earn a living, I directly know how software can get or undo the experience.
I cannot tell you how many times the incredible smartphone hardware has been disappointed with disappointing software. And while almost all the phones I tested recently executed Android 15, its appearance and operates varies considerably between brands.
When designed in a thoughtful way, software can considerably improve my productivity and enjoyment while using a phone. Many companies offer a smooth user interface full of features, but there are two to which I come back: Google and Samsung.
On Pixel and Galaxy phones, the user interface seems a little more polite and intuitive. Everything has a clear place, and find the application or the functionality I want rarely like a chore.
Until recently, I would have said that Google Pixel phones had the upper hand. But after trying an IU 7 on the Galaxy S25 +, I completely changed my mind.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Now, I firmly believe that an IU 7 offers a better global experience than the Pixel user interface, and these four reasons prove it.
A home screen to be proud
When you use your phone, you want the software to be as attractive as possible. The Pixel IU is not ugly in any case, but a UI 7 wipes the ground with it in terms of look.
Let's start with widgets. The home screens on both support a ton of different widgets, including stock applications and many third -party options. Google’s approach seems to focus on functionality, even if it is done at the cost of aesthetics, but Samsung manages to achieve both.
The UI Pixel is not ugly in any case, but a UI 7 wipes the ground with it in terms of look
To illustrate this, I added roughly the same set of widgets at Pixel 9 Pro XL and Galaxy S25 +… or at least, I tried. Google does not let you delete the widget “at a glance”, so I used it so that time makes room for everything else. Nor can you get rid of the search bar at the bottom, so I had to add it to the Samsung to make a fairer comparison.
Despite this, the final results speak for themselves. You can't tell me seriously that you prefer the design of the pixel – this is not a competition.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
In the screenshots above, you may have noticed another key difference: applications labels. For any reason, Google does not let you delete the names of each application from below the icon, although it is painfully obvious what these icons represent. Deleting them on the Samsung requires only a few taps, and the entire design seems much cleaner.
Before coming to pick me up with your forks, I know that there are ways to make the home screen on a much better pixel phone. But that forces you to download a third -party launcher (potentially paid) and to spend ages to adjust everything. On the Samsung, everything is there.
Set me up to succeed
A phone function that I probably use more than any other is the menu of quick parameters. Several times a day, I slide from the top of the screen to switch Wi-Fi, mobile data, Bluetooth and location services.
On a Samsung phone running a user interface 7, this is a simple case to slip into the upper right corner of the screen and type on one of the available icons – 10 are displayed immediately, with more available if you develop the list.
Trap
Meanwhile, Google inexplicably makes it more difficult for you. As you know if you have read my “ 3 months with the Pixel 9 Pro XL 'part, the fact that you have to press twice just to switch Wi-Fi or mobile data becomes very boring over time. You have to do the same for Bluetooth!
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Unlike a user interface 7, Google combines the notification tank and the quick settings menu in a single view. Not only does this seem cluttered compared to Samsung, but it also means that only four parameters are available via a single blow.
Given the frequency to which I count on quick parameters, these relatively low changes make a big difference.
My favorite use of AI
Artificial intelligence is a large part of Samsung and Google phones. The two include Gemini and the Circle to Research, as well as charges of publishing, transcription and writing tools.
However, a user interface 7 makes things easier in the settings. Its search function uses AI to surface all the relevant results, not only those that correspond to the specific term you have entered.
A user interface 7 facilitates things a lot in the settings
For example, I wanted to adjust the refreshment rate of the screen on the Galaxy S25 + but I did not know that it was listed as “softness of the movement”. Despite this, the parameters have always found what I was looking for.
Compare this to the Pixel 9 Pro XL, where the parameter is known as “smooth display”. The search for “refresh rate” has offered nothing useful.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
As a result, I often have to find out how to find one of the parameters of the online pixel. With an IU 7, I can simply use natural language and it will find it.
Need a cheap phone?
Google’s approach on phones focuses on quality rather than quantity.
In 2024, the company released only five new pixel handsets, the cheapest being the £ 499 / $ 499 Pixel 8A. So, to live the Pixel software, you will have to pay the price of the mid -range phone or find an older model that always receives updates.
On the other hand, Samsung deploys an IU 7 to all its handsets, including the Galaxy A Series budget devices. You will soon be able to obtain all the above features for only £ 169 on the Galaxy A16, something that Google simply cannot correspond.
Connor Jewiss | Foundry
But wait!
Before leaving to buy a Samsung Galaxy phone, it should be noted that UI 7 is in no way perfect. Samsung has its own versions of many stock applications, so if (like me) you prefer the Google version, it means a lot of Bloatware.
However, the compromise you make in relation to Google Pixel phones is in terms of updates. Although both are generous in software support (up to seven years), Google will always favor its own equipment.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
This meant that older Pixel phones received the Android 15 update as soon as it was released in August. Meanwhile, One UI 7 made its debut on the Galaxy S25 series in January, but Samsung confirmed that it will not start to take place on older devices before April 7.
Are you ready to be patient? Otherwise, a Google Pixel phone is the way to follow.
But if you are like me, and assess additional features and Samsung design proposals, a Galaxy phone performing a user interface 7 cannot be beaten with regard to Android software. It was a long journey compared to the Touchwiz era, but Samsung finally succeeded.
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