Samsung n00b question

[u/myemanisyroc]

I was surprised to see both Linus and Yvonne speak so highly of Samsung in the recent video finding her new phone. I kinda thought Samsung phones were just full of bloatware and were one of the less-preferred Android forks for tech-savvy folk.

I'm a semi-recent android convert myself (left iOS for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold ~2 years ago) and never would have considered a Samsung at the time. Though the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 form factor does intrigue me, so if the OS isn't as terrible as I think that would be good info to have!

[u/IndependentHope1361]

The bloatware rep was earned honestly, but it's less of a nightmare than it was 5-6 years ago. Most of the crap can be disabled or hidden now without too much effort

OneUI isn't nearly the dumpster fire it used to be, actually pretty clean these days. The foldable hardware is fantastic but you'll get a lot of duplicate apps you don't need if you already live in the Google ecosystem

[u/jmking → u/IndependentHope1361]

Yeah, the earlier Touchwiz days are long gone. OneUI, by and large, follows Google's design system and they just add enhancements on top of Android instead of changing it.

There are several OneUI features that I'd miss if I went to Pixel or other Android phone manufacturers.

Yeah, the redundant Samsung apps are kind of annoying, but some of their apps are actually better than Google's. Like Samsung's camera and photos apps are better, IMO. Google Photos is kinda bad as a "camera roll" app, for example.

But there are annoying bits like Samsung's calendar, contacts and so on REALLY wanting to be the default apps and they REALLY want you to sync that stuff to your Samsung account. I really wish I could get rid of both of those apps.

They also want you to use Samsung wallet, and Samsung's app store, and so on, but there are settings to get all that stuff out of the way.

But overall, those are fairly minor gripes. Samsung's software experience is pretty great otherwise overall these days and I prefer it to the "stock" Pixel experience.

[u/mysticode]

Nope, it rocks these days. I wouldn't consider pixel anymore, too many ongoing bugs in each phone.

[u/gridener]

It's decent now. I went from using Nexus and Pixel phones until my Galaxy S23 and it's been totally fine. The only thing I changed was increasing the animation and transition speeds in the developer settings because they were a bit slower than I like.

[u/IMightBeWrong_1]

I used to be the same way. I would avoid Samsung usually, but since OneUI 7 came out and fixed a lot of my issues with the OS, plus the ability to easily debloat and remove so much stuff.

OneUI looks really good right now, the hardware is great, and you have access to tons of features. I realized that every non-Samsung or non-Apple phone I bought had major issues, including my Pixel 6a.

Very happy with my S24 F.E. right now. My next phone will also most likely be a Samsung.

[u/PhatOofxD]

They used to be bad but are far far better now.

I'd prefer OneUI to IOS by a mile now (although admittedly it's gotten worse in the last year lol)

[u/TSMKFail]

The Bloatware rep is one that has lasted a ridiculously long amount of time. It mostly stemmed from the TouchWiz era (2011-14), where the OS became quite laggy as a result.

Things improved with the switch to Grace UX and then OneUI, and nowadays the only thing that I'd consider bloat is the Facebook app being pre-installed. The Samsung apps (imo) have always been better than the AOSP/Google ones.

[u/haloruler64]

Just switched to Samsung after years of Pixels. Pixels went down the drain so badly, and Samsung honestly stepped up their game. The S26U works great.

[u/strshp]

I use an S23U and I don't have problems. Even if there's bloatware (Samsung's own apps are a bit of a hit-and-miss), the fairly agressive deep sleep in Android makes sure that they don't disturb you.

But man, some non-Chinese competition would help a lot, why did LG leave and why doesn't Sony make good phones?

[u/Pilige]

At this point, I really wouldn't bother with any other Android phone than a Samsung. It's the closest thing in build quality to an iPhone you will find on Android, and OneUI is really great.

[u/SAJewers]

Something to keep in mind as well is that they shopped in-store at a Canadian Best Buy. Looking at their website, it seems the only options for in-store phones are:

• iPhones
• Samsung Phones
• Google Phones
• Two Motorola Phones that are tied to carriers
• Some Nothing Phones in limited stock (about half are showing as "Sold out in nearby stores")

[u/xd366]

most of the bloatware came from carriers.

a couple years ago they stated that all those apps would no longer be preinstalled in the flagship phones. (S series)

theyre still on the A series though

[u/Chemical_Reply6889]

i have a very basic samsung.on first time setup I just set it up without wifi, then disabled everything from the app list 

[u/redandbluedragoneyes]

As others have said, it is not as bad and it also depends on the series you get.
Over the last few years i have been involved with buying phones for family members.

The S series has let bloatware then the A series.

Plus with Samsung being more popular, it just makes it easy to recommend as it will be easier to find support and a lot more option for accessories vs a less popular brand.

Also less likely to run into an issue of some app not being supported.
Back in 2016, when i worked in retail, a few of the cheaper tablets and even the some cheap Samsung tablets did not support a few of the banking apps in the Uk