5 the explanation why I nonetheless use a Samsung telephone as an alternative of a Pixel

The greatest attraction of Pixel telephones is the instrument enjoy, and in truth, it’s best for somebody who prefers a blank interface. But the issue is that simplicity additionally manner fewer customization choices for such things as the house display, lock display, and notification panel. Heck, you’ll be able to’t even take away the quest widget from the house display if you wish to. I do know some other folks don’t care about that form of factor, however it’s great to have the selection, and that’s the place Samsung is miles forward.

One UI already provides various customization choices, however the entire enjoy is going to some other degree whenever you set up Good Lock. For example, Good Lock provides a Keys Cafe module that shall we me design a keyboard from scratch with customized colours, typing sound, or even gestures.

The LockBig name module is some other of my favorites. It shall we me customise the lock display through converting clock taste, including widgets, rearranging shortcuts, or even adorning the always-on show (AOD) with stickers. There are identical modules for the house display and fast settings panel. And Good Lock isn’t near to customization. It additionally brings a couple of extras like higher gestures, advanced one-handed mode, searchable notification historical past, and numerous different quality-of-life tweaks.

Galaxy telephones regularly get criticized for coming loaded with too many apps, and to be honest, that grievance isn’t fully fallacious. My Galaxy S26 got here with its personal apps for surfing, note-taking, report control, and extra, all along Google’s apps. Personally, despite the fact that, I think having extra selection is best than having much less. Having used Samsung telephones for years, I’ve in reality come to choose a lot of Samsung’s apps over Google’s equivalents.

For example, as excellent as Google Keep is, I love Samsung Notes higher as it’s extra deeply built-in into the device. I will be able to create a word immediately from the Edge Panel or even the lock display. More importantly, it has options that make existence such a lot more straightforward, comparable to automated formatting, word summarization, drawing help, or even make stronger for studying and annotating PDFs.

Of path, Google provides some improbable apps. Chrome, Gmail, Calendar, Gemini, and a couple of others are among the finest of their respective classes. But the wonderful thing about the use of a Samsung telephone is that I don’t have to make a choice one ecosystem over the opposite. I will be able to merely use the most efficient of each worlds.

Samsung’s Modes and Routines should be essentially the most underrated a part of Galaxy telephones. Personally, I depend on a number of routines to automate on a regular basis duties. For example, I’ve a morning regimen that triggers mechanically once I push aside the alarm. It switches my telephone again to sound mode and opens Now Brief, the place I will be able to take a look at the elements, calendar occasions, most sensible information, and different necessary updates.

Another regimen I’ve arrange kicks in when the battery degree drops under 50%, and I’m no longer at house or within the place of job. It mechanically lowers the display refresh fee to 60Hz, allows darkish mode, turns off AOD, adjustments the efficiency profile to Light mode, and applies different tweaks to cut back needless battery drain.

What I like about routines is the sheer flexibility. There are dozens of triggers and movements, so I will be able to automate maximum issues. Google does be offering Pixel Rules, however it pales compared. There are just a handful of triggers and movements, this means that you’ll be able to’t automate just about as a lot.

One house the place Samsung doesn’t get a lot credit score is how neatly Galaxy telephones combine with Windows PCs. For starters, Samsung provides PC variations of a number of of its cellular apps, together with Gallery, Notes, Internet, and Smart Switch. This manner I will be able to get right of entry to my notes, resume surfing periods throughout units, and set up native instrument backups seamlessly.

The enjoy will get even higher whilst you attach your Galaxy telephone via Phone Link. While Phone Link works with all Android telephones, there are specific options which might be unique to Galaxy telephones, like RCS messaging make stronger, clipboard sync between telephone and PC, and Instant Hotspot, which shall we your laptop use your telephone’s cellular knowledge with out enabling the hotspot or typing a password.

Of path, that is one thing that gained’t topic to everybody, however for those who’re like me, who works on a Windows PC all day, you’ll undoubtedly admire it. Pixel telephones, in the meantime, merely don’t have the similar degree of Windows integration.

I latterly attempted changing my computer with Samsung DeX, and that experiment made me admire simply how excellent the characteristic truly is. For the ones unfamiliar, DeX allows you to attach your Galaxy telephone to a observe or TV and use it as a PC. It will give you a correct desktop-like interface with a taskbar, resizable app home windows, keyboard shortcuts, and drag-and-drop make stronger. You will even use your telephone as a touchpad and keyboard, despite the fact that pairing a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard makes the enjoy really feel a lot nearer to a real desktop.

DeX allows you to run all of your favourite apps at the giant display and multitask as you do on a PC. Since maximum of my paintings occurs within a browser anyway, DeX works nice as a computer substitute. That additionally manner I don’t have to hold my computer in all places I’m going.

Google provides one thing identical referred to as Desktop Mode on Pixel 8 and more moderen fashions. But once more, it’s nowhere close to as feature-rich as Samsung DeX. For example, Pixel Desktop Mode doesn’t paintings wirelessly, this means that you want to hold an HDMI dongle. More importantly, the total desktop enjoy isn’t as polished. To be honest, despite the fact that, Pixel Desktop Mode most effective introduced in March 2026, whilst DeX has been round since 2017. Even so, if you need a telephone that may additionally double as a desktop PC when wanted, Samsung stays in a category of its personal.

Pixel telephones get so much proper, and I’d fortunately suggest them to somebody who needs a blank, no-frills enjoy. But for me, Samsung makes the entire smartphone enjoy really feel extra succesful, and albeit, much more a laugh.