Important points
Samsung’s apps for Galaxy phones are user-friendly and outperform Google in some areas. Integrating Samsung’s Quick Share and Google’s Nearby Share enables seamless sharing across all your Android devices. Samsung’s Good Lock allows for unparalleled customization options not found on Google’s Pixel phones.
Galaxy phones are feature-packed, and users can choose between the Android-based Google app or an alternative app from Samsung with the same functionality. Built-in Google apps like Maps and Play Store usually reign supreme due to their vast ecosystem and integration with other devices. However, Samsung has done a few tricks and offers some great apps that can’t match Google in terms of ease of use and performance.
In this article, we will review some of the must-have apps for Samsung’s Galaxy phones and explain why they are the best at what they do. Some companies compete directly with Google’s services, while others rule the roost with unrivaled, unbeatable roost.
1 samsung internet
rational choice
Samsung/pocket lint
samsung internet browser
Samsung Internet is the default web browser on your Galaxy phone, offering a smooth user experience and great customization options.
Google Chrome may have better cross-platform integration and useful extensions, but Samsung Internet offers a purer browsing experience thanks to its user-friendly layout and customization options. All of Samsung Internet’s buttons are conveniently placed in a bar at the bottom of the page, making navigation faster, especially when using it with one hand. The new AI summarization and translation tools are integrated into the bar and can be accessed with a single touch instead of navigating through menus like in Chrome.
Samsung Internet offers great customization. You can choose which icons appear in the menu, and change the layout to display addresses, bookmarks, and tab bars in an easily accessible location at the bottom of the display. Night mode is also great. Dark settings are applied to most pages and can be combined with high contrast mode to improve visibility.
2 Quick share
If you can’t beat them, join them
Samsung/pocket lint
quick share
Quick Share is a built-in feature on Android smartphones that makes it easy to share content with friends and family across many platforms.
Quick Share has been around for a while and is one of the best ways to share videos, photos, and other files with other Samsung Galaxy phones. But it faced stiff competition from Google’s Nearby Share, which does something similar and is available on all Android phones, including Samsung. Earlier this year, the rival company merged two apps into one and announced that its new Quick Share would come standard on all Android devices in the future.
This move makes sense. Because when you combine Quick Share’s ability to send to multiple devices with Nearby Share’s unlimited file transfer limits, you can create better apps for everyone. Having one shared app on all your Android devices is a big win for users.
3 Samsung Gallery
Simple scrolling and easy editing
Samsung/pocket lint
samsung gallery
Samsung Gallery is an app that allows users to view and manage photos and videos on their Galaxy smartphones. Includes a handy image editor and the latest AI-enhanced tools.
Although Samsung Gallery is exclusive to Galaxy smartphones, it compares favorably with the multiplatform Google Photos in many areas. While Google Photos is all about cloud storage and interconnected devices, Samsung Galaxy offers a more intimate local experience with smoother performance and the ability to back up to OneDrive. It may be subjective, but I find it easy to organize my photos with Samsung. Because you can swipe to collapse all the content in the gallery, split it by month or year, and zoom in when you find what you’re looking for.
Both apps have great editing tools with the latest AI features, but Samsung has the edge thanks to certain features. For one, you can use the full set of editing tools without having to back up your images. You can also zoom and crop images, add stickers, and more with a simple swipe. When it comes to aesthetics, Samsung Gallery matches the look of your chosen theme, while Google Photos stands out with its generic white background.
4 Good Lock
Unlimited customization options
Samsung/pocket lint
good rock
Samsung’s Good Lock is a software suite with various modules to customize the look and performance of your Galaxy phone.
Samsung’s Good Lock consists of various app modules to customize every aspect of your Galaxy phone experience. Good Lock lets you create custom themes, backgrounds, and keyboard skins using your favorite images to improve your phone’s interface. There are no limits. Enhance your Sound and Camera apps by adding routines and advanced settings.
As of now, Google has not provided an answer or an alternative to Good Lock to customize your Samsung Galaxy phone. That’s not surprising considering all the work that goes into developing Google’s own Pixel smartphones. That said, Google doesn’t offer a version of Good Lock for Pixel smartphones, forcing customers to try third-party apps like System UI Tuner, which fall short in terms of customization options.
5 Samsung Music
Enjoy onboard music and Spotify playlists
Samsung/pocket lint
samsung music
Samsung Music is the default music player app on Galaxy phones. Spotify is built-in so you can play locally stored MP3s and stream your favorite songs.
Samsung Music is the default player and offers a clean and intuitive layout for playing and sorting songs and albums on your Galaxy phone. Play, shuffle, rewind, and fast-forward buttons are all located at the bottom of the screen for easy access and easy track navigation. Creating playlists and managing your music is also easy, with search and sorting options for playlists, albums, artists, folders, and more arranged logically at the top. Spotify is integrated with Samsung Music, so you can enjoy all your favorite songs in one place.
Google Play Music used to come pre-installed as a standard music player app on Samsung Galaxy S7, 8, and 9 phones until it was discontinued in 2020. At the time, Google was negotiating separate deals with record companies for YouTube and its music player, bringing them under one roof to make things easier. However, this is not the end of the road for the app, as all new Android smartphones come preloaded with YouTube Music, and the app lives on.
6 Samsung DeX
there is no competition
Samsung/pocket lint
samsung dex
Samsung DeX connects to most monitors and laptops, giving you access to all your apps on a larger screen for greater efficiency.
Samsung DeX is a multifunctional app that allows you to connect your Galaxy smartphone to a monitor or PC and use all your apps on the big screen. You can open multiple windows at the same time, making it ideal for multitasking. You can use the keyboard instead of your phone’s touchscreen, making typing and navigation easier. DeX is great for work because it lets you access your phone and PC apps on one screen, saving you time. This app is also great for leisure, as it allows you to access mobile games and streaming services without having to download them again.
Instead of DeX, third-party alternatives such as AirDroid Personal and ApowerMirror are also available, but they offer limited features and cannot match all features. So far, Google doesn’t have a comparable app to DeX, and its Pixel smartphone series is at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to connectivity. According to online leakers, Google is working on a new desktop mode for Android 15, but so far there’s been no official announcement and it’s still in its infancy.
