I spend most of my time using an excellent iPhone 16 Pro Max, which means I get to live most of my existence using the expertly tailored iOS 18 experience. Sometimes, though, I use the equally fantastic Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, a flagship phone now running Android 15 and OneUI 7.
In many ways, the S25 Ultra is equal to the iPhone; the platforms tend to look and work in more or less similar ways. There is, though, one significant way in which they differ and, to be honest, I’m tired of it.
As you may be aware, unless you own a Google Pixel Phone, you’re unlikely to get a pure Android experience. Third-party partners, such as OnePlus, Motorola, and Samsung, customize their skins for the platform.
For some, that’s the beauty of Android: it can be many things to many people, and in the case of Samsung, this expresses itself in the form of OneUI.
It’s a lovely platform that now offers things such as deeply integrated Samsung Galaxy AI, Samsung Health, and the lively Now Brief Widget, which offers information and chatty aphorisms like, “The day rolls on.”
Duplication of effort
Where the experience is less grand, though, is in duplication. For every app where Google and Android ostensibly have you covered, think, Photos, Contacts, and Chrome; Samsung’s OneUI has a duplicate. Some, like Internet and Contacts, are easy to ignore.
Others, like “Gallery,” are less so because they include core features like Generative AI image editing. Some, like Sketch to Image, which allows you to scribble on a photo to add elements like a photo-realistic bird flying or a dog sitting next to you, are fun if not full of utility. But Gallery pales in comparison to Google Photos‘ powerful search capabilities. When I need to find an image, I will always go there.
There’s also Google’s critical Play Store, but it doesn’t have all the Samsung Apps you need – that would be the “Galaxy Store.”
I’ve learned to live with most of this duplication, but the other day I stumbled into a bit of doppleganger mess that tested my patience.
In the hours before an industry event, I received an email on my iPhone with a link to add the invite to my digital wallet. I clicked on the link, thinking it would open Apple Wallets, but I was thrust into a Google login. It was then that I realized the link was for Google Wallet. Everyone’s Wallet app icon looks alike because there’s really only one visual metaphor for a wallet: a stacked group of credit cards.
I picked up the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, opened the email, and selected the Google Wallet icon. That’s when I discovered, to my surprise, that Google Wallet is not pre-installed. I installed it and then signed in to my Google account.
I then used the global Google search on my S25 ultra to find the Wallet app, and I got three results:
- Samsung Wallet
- Google Pay
- Google Wallet
Note how Samsung’s Wallet appears first; that’s no accident. Someone not paying attention might open that link first and then search in vain for the invite or plane ticket they just added.
On an iPhone, this would never happen. You get one utility app, though, you can certainly add more if you choose. But that should be the default: Core platform apps only, and not ones that align only with your specific brand.
I get that Samsung wants to build an ecosystem, but as a member of the Android family, it should accept that it will never own that ecosystem. There will always be this duplication problem, unless Samsung stops trying to copy these apps and lets Google and Android take the wheel.
After all, are we buying Samsung Galaxy phones for OneUI apps or, ultimately, for that hardware experience, including things like the cameras and a lovely, nearly bezel-free screen?
1+1 = too much
I know that Samsung is quite proud of its flavor of AI, but to be honest, I don’t think it can keep up with the OpenAIs and Googles of the world. As it stands, the best bits of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra AI experience are from Google (Gemini).
For some, my perspective is the opposite of what they want. They love choice, and the fact that all Android Phones are subtly or frustratingly different somehow pleases them. That the Photos, Internet, or Wallet apps are different on every platform is, they think, an exciting plus.
Sure, you keep thinking that. I, on the other hand, will dream of the OneUI update that is paper-thin and combines all the fundamental and best bits of Android while only adding features Google wouldn’t do otherwise.
It is ironic that Samsung calls its platform “OneUI” when in fact the experience is the combination of two UIs living under one flagship roof. It’s still too crowded a space, and I would like Samsung to kick a few duplicate tenants out.
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lance.ulanoff@futurenet.com (Lance Ulanoff)
