8 Google Pixel Features Not Available on Samsung Galaxy Phones

Google's Pixel phones aren't as advanced as Samsung's flagship Galaxy phones in terms of hardware. But they offer a superior Android experience, all thanks to features you won't find on other Android devices, including those from Samsung.

1. Voice input on device

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All Pixel devices released since the Pixel 6 in 2021 have on-device voice typing. As the name suggests, this feature allows Pixel to process voice commands on-device, resulting in a faster and more accurate speech-to-text experience. You won't experience any lag when converting your voice to text.

Despite the feature being around for a few years now and the advent of AI, none of Samsung's flagship Galaxy phones have a similar feature. They all still rely on cloud-based voice input, which is a much worse experience.

Once you get used to the on-device voice typing experience on Pixel phones, there's no going back, so it's puzzling to see the feature absent from Samsung devices despite their more powerful hardware.

2. Pixel Screenshots

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Pixel Screenshots is a perfect example of how Google is ahead of Samsung in using on-device AI. It analyzes all the screenshots on your Pixel phone using Gemini Nano. This allows you to sort and search for content in screenshots using natural language. The Pixel Screenshots app can also help you set reminders based on the content of the image.

Pixel Screenshots is only available on the Pixel 9 series and in limited countries, but it's a great feature if you take a lot of screenshots of important things throughout the day. While Galaxy AI offers some useful features, Samsung phones don't offer the same functionality.

3. Pixel Studio

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Pixel Studio uses Generative AI to create images from text prompts. You can edit the images created using the prompt, change the color tone, add or remove elements, etc. You can even add stickers and captions to the created images to make them more attractive.

Samsung offers some generative AI features as part of Galaxy AI, but it's not a direct replacement for Pixel Studio. You can use Photo Assist's creative editing features to move objects around, reframe, and rework existing photos. However, it can't create new photos based on prompts.

4. Video Boost

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Samsung phones have a more versatile camera setup, but if you want a more reliable photography experience, the Pixel is the way to go. While Samsung phones edge out the Pixel in video quality, the Pixel phones have a little trick up their sleeve: Video Boost.

On the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro, you can enable Video Boost with Night Sight when shooting in low light. This feature lets the phone shoot high-quality raw video and then upload it to Google Photos for processing. The process can take a few hours, but the end result is significantly better than what other phones can shoot, including Samsung phones.

Video Boost is a great example of what Pixel phones can achieve with deep Google integration. Samsung phones may let you shoot video in 8K resolution, but they don't offer a feature like Video Boost to improve the final video output.

5. Face Unlock as biometric authentication for payments

All new Samsung and Pixel phones have facial recognition. However, on the Pixel 8 and newer models, face unlock is rated Class 3, which is 'the strongest Android biometric class.' So you can use face unlock on the Pixel 8 and 9 models to unlock banking apps, password managers, authenticate payments, and more.

This feature isn't available on Samsung phones. You can just use Samsung's facial recognition feature to unlock your phone and that's it. You might think this isn't a big deal. But once you get used to the convenience of face unlock on your Pixel phone, you won't want to go back.

6. Pixel Recorder

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There are voice recorder apps and then there is Pixel Recorder on the Pixel phone. This app offers text transcription, transcribing recorded audio into text in real time. Even better, it can automatically detect and label multiple speakers for easy identification. You can export the recording, search through it, or edit it as needed.

Google's Recorder app also backs up all your voice recordings to your Google account (which you can access from the Pixel Recorder website).

Samsung's Voice Recorder app is good, but it doesn't have real-time text transcription. It only starts recording after you stop recording. While your recordings are saved to Samsung Cloud, you can't access them from your PC. Pixel Recorder is one of the reasons many people keep buying Google Pixel phones.

7. Copy - paste items from the Recent Apps menu

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A unique feature on Pixel phones is that you can copy content directly from images and apps from the Recent Apps screen. This makes sharing content much faster because you can directly select the desired text or image from the Recent Apps screen and open the share menu for further action. You can even take screenshots of apps from the multitasking menu.

Samsung allows you to use Good Lock modules to customize the Recent Apps screen. However, it does not provide the option to copy or share items directly from this screen.

8. Call Screen

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Call Screen is one of the best Pixel exclusives. It automatically screens incoming calls, asking the person why they're calling you. And if the answer is impressive enough, there are some other handy features in Call Screen. One example is Hold for Me, where Call Assist will wait for you while the other party is on hold and notify you when they reconnect.

This feature is very handy when contacting a company's support department, as there can often be a long wait before you can speak to a representative. There's another feature, Direct My Call, that can walk you through a company's automated IVR menus. It transcribes what the automated machine says along with on-screen menu options you can tap to take action.

Finally, you have Call Notes, an AI-powered feature that generates summaries of your calls, which you can review later.

Samsung offers Bixby Text Call on Galaxy phones, which lets you answer calls by typing instead of speaking, but it doesn't compare to what the Pixel phones achieve with Call Screen.

As you can see, Pixel phones have a lot of features that you won't find on Galaxy phones. But that doesn't mean you should skip out on buying a Samsung phone and buy a Pixel phone instead. Samsung phones have their own advantages, including faster processors, more versatile camera setups, and longer battery life. Plus, One UI is more customizable and has built-in features that can help power users.

Jessica Tanner

Update 11 December 2024