Google’s first generation Pixel Fold will likely be underwhelming compared with Samsung’s fourth foldable
Folks looking for Black Friday phone deals ask us what makes the best Samsung phones worth buying, it’s easy to show you. Look at the design innovation on the foldable Galaxy Z Flip 4. Check out the infinite features on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It’s easy to appreciate Samsung phones, but Samsung also takes its share of criticism, especially when it comes to the way it’s software looks and functions.
Suddenly, recent leaks from Google have us wondering if Samsung will finally earn appreciation where it’s usually ridiculed. We’ve seen leaks of Google’s Pixel Fold hardware, and it has us questioning what Google can accomplish with its first foldable. A first generation Pixel Fold could do the impossible: it might finally prove that Samsung knows what it’s doing with software.
In the early days, Samsung interface designs felt silly and too colorful while phones became serious and the interface mirrored real life textures. These days, Samsung software simply adds layer upon layer of features atop Google’s already-robust Android OS. The Samsung One UI is so removed from Android that it has its own version numbers and user beta program.
Throughout Samsung’s Android history, the company has weathered complaints that the software ‘enhancements’ are slowing down the phones, bogging down the upgrade cycle for new system upgrades, and generally causing more confusion than improvement.
Take the web browser, for instance. Samsung makes a fine web browser – the eponymous Samsung Internet. It’s actually a good browser, tied closely to your phone’s security features. It’s also one of two browsers on your new Galaxy phone because Google insists on loading its Chrome browser as well.
This confusion persists throughout the phone. Samsung phones have two messaging apps, at the least. They often have duplicate apps for the photo gallery, or for note taking, or even for basics like the calendar. One will be from Samsung, the other is included at Google’s insistence.
Apps aren’t the only problem. While iPhone users are rarely confused about whose service they are using, a Samsung owner may be using an app backed up to Samsung’s own cloud, Google’s servers, or even Microsoft OneDrive, depending on recent partnerships.
