Samsung One UI vs Stock Android: Which Android Skin Is Better

‘Be Together, Not the Same’ – every Google partner takes this Android slogan seriously and combines the smartphone offering with the exclusive Android look. As the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer, Samsung offers One UI on top of stock Android on all Galaxy devices. Galaxy devices. Phone manufacturers like Google, Android One partners, and Asus are integrating more closely with the stock Android skin in their offerings.

In the same price range, most Android manufacturers offer the same hardware. The purchasing decision mostly depends on the software experience on the device. As for stock Android, Google is actively adding more features to the clean Android experience.

Samsung was getting serious reactions in the days of TouchWiz. The company completely changed the game with the introduction of One UI. A UI looks cleaner, better, organized and mature compared to the old Samsung days.

In this article, we will compare Samsung One UI with Stock Android and decide which Android skin you should prefer for your next Android purchase. The comparison will be based on the UI, customization options, features, theme engine and more. Lets start.

user interface

Interface design can make your life easier or turn into an obstacle. With One UI, Samsung has taken a giant leap forward and taken an easily noticeable break from the age-old TouchWiz. The latest One UI brings a leaner look to the interface that is minimal. It also draws rounded corners on app icons and other elements to make the interface elegant.

Dialer, Phone, Messages, Gallery, Calendar, Clock etc. stock Samsung apps look and feel consistent.

Samsung’s apps have a bottom bar with a large app name header at the top. This makes it easy for users to immediately recognize the app they are using and navigate menus and features on a long phone.

Meanwhile, Google sticks to the formula. The home screen and Settings menu with the Google search bar, notification area, and toggle buttons are similar to what you find on vanilla Android phones. It uses the standard white/blue theme for notification toggles and menus.

Google’s approach to the search bar can be a little irritating. It appears on the home screen, app drawer, feed menu, and multitasking menu. The presence of a bar in every corner or panel in the interface can be tiring at times.

Theme Engine

I know, there is no comparison to be made here. But for the sake of clarity, bear with me. Samsung offers a special theme store to change the look and feel of the interface. You can apply new wallpaper, new accent colors, icons on the lock screen and even customize Always On Display. Most of the good-looking themes are paid but well worth the money. I’m sure you’ll come across something you like.

Samsung has added dark theme support to settings. You can program it to turn on automatically at night and revert to a light theme in the morning. It is a pure black theme and not dark gray. Thus, you can save battery power on AMOLED displays as well. All these items are available in the theme store.

Google has added a special dark mode to Android 10. You can enjoy dark theme on home screen, notification bar and default Google apps with a simple toggle switch. Users can also schedule the dark theme on their device. However, you can always change the look using custom theme apps, different launcher, wallpaper and app icon packs.

Customization Options

Samsung has included every trick possible to let you customize a phone the way you want it. You can change the home screen layout, icon grids, hide apps, change Edge lighting, customize Always On Display, and more.

My only issue with One UI is that you cannot apply third party icon packs from Play Store. That’s something I appreciate about OnePlus’ Oxygen OS.

Google provides standard customization options. You can enable/disable the Google feed menu, add new apps to the home screen, and turn notification dots on or off. I appreciate that Google allows users to disable the Google Feed menu. Stock Android also doesn’t allow you to use third-party icon packs from the Play Store.

Navigation Gestures

Google has completely revamped the gestures in Android 10. It’s very similar to iOS, with the ability to swipe up to go home and swipe from either side to go back. If you’re not a fan, you can revert to Android 9’s pill-based gesture navigation or standard Android navigation buttons.

Samsung’s One UI is all about options. And that goes for the gesture part as well. You can choose from multiple gesture navigation styles and change the position of the Back and Multitasking buttons.

Features and OS Updates

As you can imagine, One UI is packed with functions. One of the many reasons why the majority prefer a third-party launcher or an OEM skin over Stock Android.

The list of functions includes a blue light filter for nighttime reading, a Knox-powered Secure Folder to keep private information safe, screen recorder, one-handed mode, and Bixby routines to automate tasks, scrolling screenshots, and more.

Samsung has also added a special Game Mode for high-end Galaxy devices. When enabled, Game mode disables notifications, searches, and even lets you record those victory scenes.

Google has added Digital Wellbeing to its Settings app. It lets you track mobile usage data, set limits on certain apps, and more.

Google also offers always-on song recognition on the lock screen (limited to Pixel devices), which displays the song name of the tune playing around you. I hope Google takes inspiration from Android partners and implements more features in Stock Android.

Devices with stock Android tend to get faster OS updates; this does not apply to Galaxy phones running One UI.

Feed Menu

Google’s feed menu was informative with weather, calendar, package information, flight details and stock details. Now, that’s just a long list of news articles that you might find interesting to read. I’m not a fan, but it might be useful.

In One UI, swipe left on the home screen and the Bixby feed menu is ready to serve you. You can see weather information, favorite contacts, apps, Gallery widgets, and Bixby routines. You can also pin basic actions like Twitter trends, Gallery widget and more.

Bixby Home also carries some ads, which is annoying.

Feature Rich Android or Clean Android

The answer is pretty simple. If you’re someone who values ​​a clean Android experience with faster updates, go with Stock Android. One UI is for those who want to get the maximum out of the default settings.

Samsung’s improvements to One UI are pretty commendable. You might like the basic look and feel of stock Android, and you’ll need to install at least 2-3 other apps or packages to customize it. However, the choice depends entirely on your preferences.

Next: Looking to get more of Samsung One UI? Click on the next link to learn tips and tricks for making the most of One UI.