5 Samsung Galaxy Features The Google Pixel Doesn’t Have

When shopping for the latest and greatest Android has to offer, Google’s Pixel lineup is one that’s often recommended. First, Google happens to develop Android, and Pixel smartphones start in line to receive new features. In addition, the version of Android that Pixel phones ship with tends to look and feel cleaner than the custom skins offered by other OEMs. However, according to Statcounter, Samsung is the second largest retailer in the US, surpassed only by Apple.

A good part of this popularity can be attributed to the fact that Samsung Galaxy phones have been around longer than the Google Pixel series, which started in 2016. Samsung also sells an insane variety of phones and beats the competition with its impressive catalog. From the affordable Galaxy A15 to the high-end Galaxy Z TriFold – there’s a Samsung phone for every budget.

There are good reasons to buy Google phones, like Pixelsnap, which we talk about in our Pixel 10 Pro XL review. That said, when it comes to a small number of features, Samsung’s Galaxy lineup of Pixel series beat. From hardware inclusions like the S Pen or a non-reflective display, to software features packed into One UI, here are five useful features Samsung phones have that you won’t find on any Pixel devices.

A hardware feature that you won’t find on any other mainstream smartphone today is a built-in stylus. Samsung first shipped the S Pen with its Galaxy Note series when it launched in 2011. The Note lineup was discontinued in 2020, but the S Pen has lived on inside the premium Galaxy S Ultra flagship that we see launched every year. In its basic form, the S Pen is a balance that gives you better precision than your fingers, allowing you to easily take notes, draw, or edit a photo.

While there are high-end writing pens you can buy for other Android phones, the S Pen has a complete set of features that make it feel like part of the phone as opposed to an external accessory that you need to carry around and charge separately. Some Samsung phone and tablet models ship with an S Pen that includes Bluetooth connectivity. This allows you to perform a variety of gestures using the S Pen. Unfortunately, Samsung has removed Bluetooth support for the S Pen from new generation flagships such as the Galaxy S25 Ultra, making them incompatible with wireless devices.

If you’re someone who prefers to take handwritten notes or just play dood away at your leisure, the S Pen built into Samsung flagships could be a useful addition to consider. Using a third-party stylus on a Pixel phone is always an option, but Samsung’s One UI is better optimized for the S Pen.

Android has always been known for being more customizable than iOS, but not all Android phones are created equal. Since Pixel phones mostly use the vanilla flavor of Android, they aren’t exactly the best option for users who like to customize every inch of their device. Third-party apps, especially those with root access, will allow you to accomplish almost everything, but they are not a perfect solution. Samsung phones, on the other hand, come with a decent set of customization options out of the box, but you can dial up eleven things with the Good Lock app.

Think of Good Lock as a powerful customization engine that allows you to customize different parts of the software, such as the lock screen, home screen, quick settings, and more. It is only available on Samsung phones and is available through the Galaxy Store. When you first install the app, it may seem overwhelming with all the modules it offers – but they are designed to be easy to use.

The NavStar module allows you to change the appearance of the navigation bar. You can choose different icons, create new configurations, and choose to automatically hide the navigation bar. The QuickStar module works with the Quick Panel on your Galaxy phone, allowing you to choose different themes and customize the icons for the index. There are many other ways you can customize your Galaxy phone with the Good Lock app – including customization features that many Android skins won’t even let you touch.

The Pixel 10 Pro has a premium build, features a great set of cameras, and generally doesn’t cut any visible corners in its hardware choices. That said, if you’re looking for the best performance money can buy, the Snapdragon chips found inside Samsung’s flagship phones consistently outperform Google’s Tensor chips. In the performance benchmarks conducted by NanoReview, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 destroys the Tensor G5. If you’re a mobile gamer, going with a Pixel smartphone doesn’t make much sense.

Aside from the raw performance, Samsung has a few new hardware additions up its sleeve. The anti-reflective display coating released with the Galaxy S24 Ultra significantly improves external visibility. The latest Galaxy S26 Ultra features a new display technology, called Privacy Display, which makes the content on the screen more difficult to see off-axis. Unlike privacy screensavers, which stay on your display for a while, this feature can be turned on or off, and can be customized to cover only certain areas such as notifications or password field boxes.

If you’re buying a mid-range or budget phone, then the Samsung Galaxy A series even supports storage expansion via microSD cards – a feature rarely found in modern smartphones. While the Pixel 10 Pro is often touted as one of the best in digital photography, the Galaxy S26 Ultra offers an additional 3x telephoto lens that lets you capture mid-range zoom shots.

For a few years now, compatible Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets have supported Samsung DeX, a feature that gives you a desktop-like interface when you connect your phone to an external monitor. Before we talk about DeX, it’s worth mentioning that Google has its own desktop versions on the way. It’s still in beta testing, however, and currently lacks the polish DeX has to offer. You can access it using Developer Options for now, but we may see it appear as a fully functional feature in Android 17.

Samsung DeX, on the other hand, has been around since 2017 and has brought significant improvements to the experience over the years. With a USB-C to HDMI adapter, you can connect your Galaxy phone or tablet to a monitor or TV and get started with DeX in no time. Alternatively, if your monitor or TV supports Miracast, you can launch DeX mode fully wirelessly. In DeX mode, apps behave as individual windows, allowing you to stack one on top of the other or resize them as you see fit.

Galaxy tablets or foldables offer a “New DeX” mode, which includes an easy-to-use user interface. For a better experience, you can connect a keyboard and mouse via Bluetooth — although most Android apps are designed with touch in mind. DeX is powerful enough that you can reliably use your Samsung tablet as a laptop.

Besides notable hardware additions and major software features, Samsung’s version of One UI for Android packs in a few small features that add to the experience. App integration is a good example – a feature found in smartphones from other manufacturers such as OnePlus and Xiaomi as well. Samsung’s Dual Messenger lets you use two instances of the same app. For example, you can use two WhatsApp accounts that can be accessed independently through different apps. Although the Pixel has a Private Space feature, it’s not quite the same as it creates a completely separate locked area, which isn’t as easy to access as locked apps.

Another useful feature in One UI is the ability to play audio from a specific application to a different audio source, such as a Bluetooth speaker. Your phone will continue to use its built-in speaker to play audio from all other apps. For people who like to play music regularly in the background, this feature is a godsend. The Edge Panel is also a feature traditionally missing from Pixel phones. With increasing screen sizes, having an assortment of your frequently used apps to swipe away improves one-handed use.

The latest One UI 8.5 update has added partial screen recording to the list of features. You can manually select which part of the screen you want to record. This will save you time and effort as you won’t need to crop the video later.