Samsung has good hardware, but their software is really mediocre, at best. Many of their devices are laggy and slow down further after some updates.
This is the case even on high-end devices. Our 12-month-old Galaxy Tab is slower than a 7-year-old Pixel. Hard to understand.
Plus, they make really odd tweaks to the UI, such as adding a permanent button overlay that clashes with most hamburger icons in websites and apps. This drives novice users insane.
Samsung makes a lot of cheap and mid-tier devices with little RAM and not so powerful SoCs. Google also uses slow SoCs, but at least they compensate in hardware.
If you just buy a high-end phone, Samsung is generally fine. If you buy anything cheaper than that, or god forbid buy a phone through a carrier that pumps it full of crap, you're gonna have a terrible time when apps get slower and bulkier and shittier and the hardware shows its age.
Odd. I've had the Z Fold 5 and now 7 and the last few years' worth of Samsung firmware has been excellent for me. Perhaps they build 'for' their flagships and let devices that perhaps have lower tier chipsets run slowly?
Similarly for TVs - i got a samsung oled few years ago, and while the hardware seems great, I do wish I had gone with LG as their TVs seem more open to install custom firmware. (I do pretty much just use appleTV and fireTV devices plugged in to the Samsung, but still, the main TV ui is pretty abysmal)
They have been shipping the same camera block for something like three or four models. Compared to what Chinese competitors like Xiaomi or Oppo offer, it doesn't look that great anymore.
The status bar icons on the top right of One UI (Samsung's firmware skin) aren't even aligned or the same size. It's only just been fixed in One UI 8.5, years from the problem first happening.
You're welcome if you can't unsee it now.
It's nothing major, but it's one example of how inconsistent and disorganised their software is, there's so much low hanging fruit that you'd think their software division was under duress, along with year long delays to software updates.
I recently got a Samsung device for testing, and the experience was terrible. It took three hours to get the device into a usable state.
First, it essentially forces you to create both a Samsung account and a Google account, with numerous shady prompts for "improving services" and "allowing targeted ads."
Then it required nine system updates (apparently, it can only update incrementally), and worst of all, after a while, it automatically started downloading bloatware like "Kawai" and other questionable apps, and you cannot cancel the downloads.
I wonder how much Samsung gets paid to preinstall all that crap. The phone wasn't cheap, either. The company seems penny wise and pound foolish.
> Sales of the iPhone 17 series in the U.S. — including the iPhone Air — during the first four weeks after launch was 12% higher than that of the iPhone 16 series, excluding the iPhone 16e, the research firm said. In China, a critical market for Apple, sales of the iPhone 17 series during the same period were 18% higher than its predecessor.
So iPhone 17 is selling well. I think it's fair to call it a hit. Do they make another hit next year? Who knows (I'd bet against it), but they won this year's game I believe.
The rumors say Apple is shipping their folding phone next year, I'm crossing my fingers that one might have stylus support and then it'll meander its way back to the regular phones.
I'm in the same boat. Although I would also be willing to go back to Apple if they release a truly small phone.
But I'm forced to carry one of these gigantic beasts I want to be able to take (handwritten) notes with it.
That's because Samsung's new offerings are trash compared to where we were a few years ago. I have the S24 Ultra and in my opinion it's better than the S25 ultra. The camera, the features, maybe it's better built for AI but I don't want Samsung's garbage AI on my phone. Even the new S-Pen loses features to the old one (one of the main features I used too, the remote shutter).
The Object Eraser feature recently updated to have an "AI Object Eraser" and now a simple removal of a sign in my picture adds an "AI Generated" watermark onto it. They spam me every time I use the regular Object Eraser to try the AI one, it's really not impressive in any way and now adds a watermark even for the simplest modifications.
Definitely all around seems like Samsung is on a decline. I probably won't be buying a Samsung next time I need a phone, though I won't be buying Apple either.
> Definitely all around seems like Samsung is on a decline. I probably won't be buying a Samsung next time I need a phone, though I won't be buying Apple either.
Same here, used to have a Samsung, moved to Moto G which was the best phone I had so far, currently on a iPhone 12 Mini, and want none of these phones anymore. I just want something that doesn't get in your way, and actually have some well-thought UX, especially when connected to the car. CarPlay is a whole dumpster-fire of failed UX experiments it feels like, is actively dangerous, and iOS in general have so many hidden patterns I'm still discovering today (guessing they also add new gestures all the time) that it feels like I only understand 20% of the phone's features.
Someone recommended me Sony for Android + higher quality hardware, where the company also doesn't seem hellbent on screwing you over inside the phone OS itself. What do people here with Sony phones think about them?
> feels like I only understand 20% of the phone's features
This is a persistent problem with iOS. Features are added but not really mentioned. The online manual is very focused on "how do I..." without giving a clear overview of "here's everything you can do. New gestures are added without giving an obvious way to reverse them if you accidentally trigger one.
I belong to one demography of ex Samsung customers:
I've blacklisted them for hurting UX to show ads.
Last device: my very high-end OLED TV has the worst menu navigation, just to take me back to the home screen where they hoped to show ads to me.
Once I realized they are analysing my content, even when coming from an external device to send home for ADs, I just disconnected it from the internet.
I'll not buy anything again unless they change this and stay away from it long enough to repair the damage to trust.
Not buying an Apple device either, but for different reasons.
Put an AppleTV in front of it and use it like a monitor. I’ve been blissfully unaware of the TV vendors’ bad software and invasions of privacy for years
The only apple product I ever bought has been an ipad with the huge disappointment that every app gets paused when not focused. I don't want to pay a company that deliberately limits my ability to use the product. My TV is being used as a second 4k 144hz monitor for my Fedora 43 + KDE on AMD CPU and Nvidia GPU, watch movies on it, play games, etc, and don't have to put up with limitations of Apple ecosystem.
So every quarter this year except the last quarter, Samsung outsold Apple. So they're predicting that Q42025 for Samsung will be miserable sales or Apple will have skyrocketed sales?
The iPhone 17 (released in September) is selling extremely well, and Apple sales tend to be concentrated in Q4 due to the new phone (and the holidays, though those should also affect Samsung).
Well, Samsung chose for example to stop supporting micro SD cards. Samsung just keeps chasing Apple, so I don't see any point to buy their phones anymore.
The only unique selling point Samsung has left I can think of are foldable phones.
So dark patterns to increase peer pressure and hard vendor lock in work then: exploiting networking effects and social pressure like green vs. blue bubbles, technically unnecessary hard requirements for other devices that are locked into the same garden prison, random compatibility restrictions/omissions in built in apps etc.
Apple really is far from innocent. They just pull their customers over the table in such a smooth way that it feels like nest warmth to them.
I got tired of Android after 9 years of being Android only. I just wanted a phone that worked. Apple made said phone. Android feels like your younger cousin's sketchy Windows computer. I remember changing from like 2 different Android phones over a period of 4 years or so, and my amazing megapixel photos looked nowhere near as good as my cousins 5-year-old iPhone photos.
Not really? All Samsung phones that we owned were at least as good - with the exception of a phone that we bought from a US carrier. The carrier mods on that one phone were total shit. But these modifications are entirely avoidable by buying an unlocked phone.
Round here many people think there are only two manufacturers of phones: Apple and Samsung. You'll struggle to find someone who isn't "in to tech" who has heard of Pixel. I've never had a Samsung but use Android and numerous people have referred to my phone as "a Samsung". So it's a stronger brand than you might think.
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This is the case even on high-end devices. Our 12-month-old Galaxy Tab is slower than a 7-year-old Pixel. Hard to understand.
Plus, they make really odd tweaks to the UI, such as adding a permanent button overlay that clashes with most hamburger icons in websites and apps. This drives novice users insane.
If you wanna ship a custom Android, at least get it right. Otherwise, just stick to stock. Sony does this really well: https://developerworld.wpp.developer.sony.com/open-source
If you just buy a high-end phone, Samsung is generally fine. If you buy anything cheaper than that, or god forbid buy a phone through a carrier that pumps it full of crap, you're gonna have a terrible time when apps get slower and bulkier and shittier and the hardware shows its age.
They have been shipping the same camera block for something like three or four models. Compared to what Chinese competitors like Xiaomi or Oppo offer, it doesn't look that great anymore.
The poor software is just the cherry on top.
You're welcome if you can't unsee it now.
It's nothing major, but it's one example of how inconsistent and disorganised their software is, there's so much low hanging fruit that you'd think their software division was under duress, along with year long delays to software updates.
First, it essentially forces you to create both a Samsung account and a Google account, with numerous shady prompts for "improving services" and "allowing targeted ads."
Then it required nine system updates (apparently, it can only update incrementally), and worst of all, after a while, it automatically started downloading bloatware like "Kawai" and other questionable apps, and you cannot cancel the downloads.
I wonder how much Samsung gets paid to preinstall all that crap. The phone wasn't cheap, either. The company seems penny wise and pound foolish.
It's harder to install apps but I use aurora store. Push messaging still works without a Google account.
> Sales of the iPhone 17 series in the U.S. — including the iPhone Air — during the first four weeks after launch was 12% higher than that of the iPhone 16 series, excluding the iPhone 16e, the research firm said. In China, a critical market for Apple, sales of the iPhone 17 series during the same period were 18% higher than its predecessor.
So iPhone 17 is selling well. I think it's fair to call it a hit. Do they make another hit next year? Who knows (I'd bet against it), but they won this year's game I believe.
The day iPhone has a built-in EMR/AES stylus is the day I become a customer (despite being an Android lifer).
Don't think that will ever happen though, despite Apple shipping Pencil for iPads.
Samsung has definitely built a (small) moat being the only vendor with that offering.
The base 17 got always on display, while the 17 Pro got a huge camera upgrade. Both 17s got the much-improved selfie camera.
The Object Eraser feature recently updated to have an "AI Object Eraser" and now a simple removal of a sign in my picture adds an "AI Generated" watermark onto it. They spam me every time I use the regular Object Eraser to try the AI one, it's really not impressive in any way and now adds a watermark even for the simplest modifications.
Definitely all around seems like Samsung is on a decline. I probably won't be buying a Samsung next time I need a phone, though I won't be buying Apple either.
Same here, used to have a Samsung, moved to Moto G which was the best phone I had so far, currently on a iPhone 12 Mini, and want none of these phones anymore. I just want something that doesn't get in your way, and actually have some well-thought UX, especially when connected to the car. CarPlay is a whole dumpster-fire of failed UX experiments it feels like, is actively dangerous, and iOS in general have so many hidden patterns I'm still discovering today (guessing they also add new gestures all the time) that it feels like I only understand 20% of the phone's features.
Someone recommended me Sony for Android + higher quality hardware, where the company also doesn't seem hellbent on screwing you over inside the phone OS itself. What do people here with Sony phones think about them?
This is a persistent problem with iOS. Features are added but not really mentioned. The online manual is very focused on "how do I..." without giving a clear overview of "here's everything you can do. New gestures are added without giving an obvious way to reverse them if you accidentally trigger one.
I've blacklisted them for hurting UX to show ads. Last device: my very high-end OLED TV has the worst menu navigation, just to take me back to the home screen where they hoped to show ads to me. Once I realized they are analysing my content, even when coming from an external device to send home for ADs, I just disconnected it from the internet.
I'll not buy anything again unless they change this and stay away from it long enough to repair the damage to trust.
Not buying an Apple device either, but for different reasons.
But they’re doing it. And it’s annoying.
So every quarter this year except the last quarter, Samsung outsold Apple. So they're predicting that Q42025 for Samsung will be miserable sales or Apple will have skyrocketed sales?
Doesn't Samsung release their new flagship phones in January/February?
The only unique selling point Samsung has left I can think of are foldable phones.
Apple really is far from innocent. They just pull their customers over the table in such a smooth way that it feels like nest warmth to them.
pareto?