Why Samsung is the Android phone maker that offers the best user interface

Android phones come in many forms, with varying user interfaces. While stock Android is available on Google's Pixel phones, many now consider Samsung to be the Android phone maker with the best user interface.

1. One UI's unique interface still feels like Android

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Smartphone manufacturers create their own interfaces as part of an effort to differentiate their devices. After all, there's little reason to be loyal to one brand over another based solely on a phone's specs and build quality.

Samsung's old interface, called TouchWiz, felt like a bug repellent. Thankfully, that flashy interface is now gone, replaced by a minimalist interface called One UI, which is arguably more professional and distinct from Google's own vision for Android.

Best of all, Samsung's design doesn't clash with third-party apps anymore. Yes, Samsung's proprietary software has its own interface, but you can switch between other apps without having to adjust your eyes.

2. Samsung's attention to detail and refinement

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Some smartphone manufacturers push software interfaces that lack visual consistency and overall polish. Consider the Nothing Phone, for example. While you might buy the hardware for its almost iconic interface, the software is visually underwhelming. The fonts used throughout the app and notification shade are inconsistent. The notification shade has toggles that are oddly larger than the others.

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OnePlus' OxygenOS is usable, but the interface feels like an odd mix of Android and iOS. Overall, both Nothing and OnePlus' software is bland. Why settle for a decent option when there are better options? Samsung's OneUI software feels much more polished.

3. One UI has a better quick notification shade

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On the Pixel, the notification shade doesn't show many toggles. Swiping down once only shows Internet, Bluetooth, and two other options. You have to swipe down again to adjust brightness, and the toggles only expand to eight.

For comparison, on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, you can access six toggles and a brightness adjustment, all with the first swipe. A second swipe increases that number to 18. But even with all these options quickly accessible, the screen remains clean.

4. Samsung offers a powerful suite of apps

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In the past, many people considered all pre-installed apps from manufacturers to be junkware. However, Samsung apps are now some of the best options out there. For example, Samsung Internet is a great web browser that can do things that Chrome can't.

Likewise, Samsung Notes is a powerful note-taking app that I use every day, and Samsung Gallery has a lot of features that make managing my local photo library much better than Google Photos. Samsung My Files makes moving files around easier than a PC file manager!

Sure, most Android devices have Google apps, but they don't appeal to people who aren't heavily invested in the Google ecosystem. That's one reason some people won't switch to a Pixel phone.

5. One UI is compatible with large screen sizes

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Google developed Android for smartphones, and while tablets are no longer a novelty, most of the interface still works best on phones.

Samsung has worked even harder to optimize One UI for larger screens. Built-in features like an optional taskbar help you switch between apps faster. You can use two apps at once in split-screen view and even pop any app into a floating window, just like you would on a computer.

If you want a more laptop-like experience, you can connect a keyboard and use Samsung DeX on an external monitor. While Samsung tablets are still limited in terms of having fewer tablet apps than iPads, the company's interface is better suited to tablets than OnePlus or Google.

6. Native support for custom fonts and icons

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Thanks to the ability to swap out your phone's home screen with a third-party launcher, you can completely change the look and feel of any Android phone. These alternative launchers often allow you to customize even more by grabbing an icon pack.

On Samsung phones, you don't need to change the default launcher to do everything. You can find icon packs and fonts in the Galaxy Store to change aspects of the interface that most other smartphone manufacturers don't let you touch. On most phones, changing icons with a third-party launcher doesn't affect the icons you see when you switch between recent apps. But that's not true on Samsung devices.

7. Endless customization and features for mobile users

The tweaks don't stop there. Out of the box, users get an Edge Panel tucked away on the side of the screen, which serves as a quick way to launch apps, view notes, check the weather, and more. You can set all your apps to appear on the home screen instead of in the app drawer, and set up modes and routines to tell the phone to do certain things at specific times, in a chosen location, or in response to different variables.

Samsung also offers its own customization tool called Good Lock that lets you configure almost everything that you can't customize out of the box.

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Good Lock alone is a good reason to stick with a Samsung phone. If there's something visual you want to change or a behavior you want to work differently, chances are Good Lock will let you customize it. This is the kind of customization that would have required us to root our phones or install a custom ROM in the past.

For a power user, this added functionality is what allows them to make radical changes to the type of device they use. Honestly, you can't use a Pixel or iPhone like you can use a Galaxy Z Fold 5, and that's not because Samsung offers the best hardware; it's the sheer maturity and capability of One UI that draws people to Galaxy phones.

Lesley Montoya

Update 09 December 2024