Summary
- Samsung’s One UI has its advantages, but slows down the adoption of new versions of Android if you’re not in a position to buy the company’s latest products.
- Many of the apps on Samsung phones are either completely unnecessary or redundant with the apps Google provides to every Android device maker. Sometimes, they lock you into Samsung products, flying in the face of Android’s benefits.
- The company is unlikely to ditch One UI or those proprietary apps anytime soon, since it wants that ecosystem lock-in, and it would take a lot of time and effort to decouple features.
As you know, Samsung is a juggernaut of the smartphone industry. Even in North America, where Apple’s iPhone reigns supreme, it controls just under a quarter of the market, relegating brands like Google and Motorola to also-ran status. Just based on the odds, it’s safe to say that if you’re shopping for an Android device instead of an iPhone 16, you’re probably going to choose a Galaxy S25 over a Pixel 9.
While my daily driver is an iPhone 16 Pro, I’ve owned a few Android phones in the past. I sometimes consider making the switch back, particularly when I see the camera specs on some newer devices. But while Samsung is one of the companies leading in the specs race, I’m steering clear of the brand for one major reason: bloatware. And sadly, I don’t think it’s going to change course anytime soon.
The bloatware dilemma
A unique proposition isn’t always a good one
For me, the leading problem is One UI, Samsung’s Android skin. There are actually a lot of practical advantages to it — it enables a few things that aren’t yet built into Android, such as the Now Bar, which mimics Apple’s Smart Stack. On some devices, it’s essential for Samsung’s multitasking and AI capabilities. And of course, it gives every Samsung device a unique look, full of rounded icons and signature fonts. I’m largely onboard, no matter my complaints about individual features like the Now Brief.
The drawback of One UI is that if you want the latest version of Android, it’s an obstacle. At the moment, for instance, the only Samsung devices with the non-beta version of One UI 8 — based on Android 16 — are the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7. Samsung is planning to bring the software to more devices in September, but if you’ve got a Galaxy S25 Ultra, all you can do until then is envy your friend with the Pixel 9, who got Android 16 earlier this summer.
Using a Samsung phone always feels like I’m indulging in a CEO’s deep desire to copy Apple’s walled garden.
Similar delays are present with other Android brands, to be fair. But the more software you layer on top of devices, the slower updates are likely to roll out, and a lot of what Samsung does feels extraneous. I’d much rather have “bare” Android 16 as soon as possible than something customized several months later. Indeed, if I ever do jump back into Android, it’s probably going to be with a Pixel, since I’ve been spoiled by Apple’s ability to update all its compatible devices on day one. iPhone 14 owners would naturally be irritated if they had to wait until next year to upgrade to iOS 26, despite having perfectly compatible hardware.
One UI would be easy to forgive if Samsung avoided loading each phone with an arsenal of apps that are redundant with Google’s, or just plain unnecessary. There’s little reason to use SmartThings for your smart home when Amazon Alexa and Google Home are far better supported. For health and fitness, Google Fit and Health Connect cover enough of the same ground as Samsung Health. You get Samsung Wallet instead of Google Wallet, and don’t even get me started on fluff like Samsung Free and Samsung TV Plus.
In some cases at least, it’s possible to ignore these apps, but using a Samsung phone always feels like I’m indulging in a CEO’s deep desire to copy Apple’s walled garden. Apple has an excuse to fill its phones with proprietary apps, however — iOS is its own operating system. Without first-party software, key functions would either be missing or at risk of being taken away at any second. Likewise, Android is already well-stocked with everything it needs — which is something most phone makers seem to have accepted. The Nothing Phone 3, for instance, has very little bloatware. The worst offenders are Nothing X and Essential Space, which still don’t have any direct analogues in Google’s library. If you’re going to add to an OS, there should be some undeniable value to doing it.
Will Samsung ever ditch the bloat?
Never say never, but…
Short of a crisis, Samsung is unlikely to jettison One UI. The most obvious reason is that it would take a tremendous amount of time and effort to decouple the features Galaxy owners genuinely want, and some of them might not survive the transition to independent apps, in spite of the flexibility of Android. Moreover, Samsung has tied its corporate identity to the software — if the Galaxy S26 suddenly looked a lot like a Google or OnePlus phone, some shoppers might be more inclined to see those other products as equal alternatives (gasp). To be consistent, Samsung might also have to redesign the interfaces of non-Android products. That sort of shake-up is often a non-starter for smaller businesses, let alone megacorporations worth hundreds of billions.
One of the strengths of Android is supposed to be the freedom from lock-in, and Samsung continues to lean too hard in the wrong direction.
The decoupling issue carries over to a few key apps. The Galaxy Watch currently requires Samsung Health, and dropping SmartThings for Alexa or Google Home would wreak havoc with the company’s smart appliances. Transitioning to other apps is doable, though, so the overriding factor is almost certainly the push for ecosystem control. If you’ve got a watch that won’t work without a Samsung phone, you’re probably going to stick with Samsung in general for a while. If you’ve got a Samsung appliance, you can safely ignore SmartThings, but it creates the temptation to invest more in that platform to get the most out of it. One thing I enjoy about my Google TV is the ability to set a movie night scene for the entire room with a single voice command.
I actually don’t begrudge Samsung too much for what it’s doing. That would be hypocritical, given the number of Apple products I own that effectively demand an iPhone or an iPad. But one of the strengths of Android is supposed to be the freedom from lock-in, and Samsung continues to lean too hard in the wrong direction.
