Samsung made a Pixel so you don't have to buy one

Features
By Namerah Saud Fatmi
published

This could be a turning point for Samsung and Google.

Comparing the Google Pixel 8 Pro to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

Galaxy AI has been everywhere for the past week-ish. Samsung made a very big deal of its AI-focused features at the Galaxy S24 launch, with AI taking front and center stage at the event, and from start to finish, the entire Samsung Unpacked show felt more like a Google Pixel event.

All that talk about software using the power of AI to deliver convenient new tools is right up Google's alley. After all, it was features like Live Translate, Live Captions, and Magic Eraser that solidified the position of Pixel phones as some of the best Android devices in the industry.

The funny thing is, it was these features and functionalities that gave modern Pixels the oomph they needed to climb to the top at the time. We expected exclusivity with these Pixel-only features, but it looks like this isn't the case anymore. The Galaxy S24 series picked up a lot of the coolest features from Pixel phones, making me think that Samsung's new phones are more "Pixel" than they are "Galaxy."

Comparing the Google Pixel 8 Pro to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

If you're feeling a little lost, let me present some examples. Samsung highlighted many of the Galaxy S24's capabilities at the launch event. One of them was powerful on-device translations powered by AI baked into the S24 — sound familiar? That's right, Live Translate is what helped put the Pixel 6 series on the map a couple of years ago with on-device translation. I remember being blown away when I first tested the feature. Just like Google, Samsung has now brought smart translations to all three of its S24 flagships natively.

Last year, we witnessed the debut of Magic Compose. Google rolled out the AI-powered chatting tool to Google Messages back in May 2023. Magic Compose is like a texting assistant that helps you respond to messages in your desired mannerisms, tones, and styles.

It's hard not to compare Google and Samsung's AI tools.

Much like Magic Compose on Pixel phones, the S24 series has something called Chat Assist built-in. You can translate text and also craft messages with certain tones and better grammar. Once again, it's hard not to compare Google and Samsung's AI tools. They are so similar in nature and can accomplish nearly all the same tasks.

And it doesn't stop there. There's Google's Magic Eraser and Samsung's Object Eraser. Live Captions on Pixels and Interpreter on Galaxy S24 phones. Photo Ambient Wallpaper on the S24 and Cinematic Wallpaper on Pixels. Generative Edit from Samsung vs. Magic Editor on the Pixel 8 series. I can go on and on.

Oh, and if you're about to bring up Circle to Search, that feature is going to be available on Samsung's S24 series and Google's Pixel 8 series alike from January 31 onwards.

The new AI features of the Samsung Galaxy S24 series, demonstrated on the Galaxy S24 Ultra

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

For all intents and purposes, it looks like Samsung made a Pixel. This is evident when you compare the Galaxy S24 Ultra to the Pixel 8 Pro. And you know what? I'm glad because this means that I'll finally get a Pixel that comes with high-quality hardware that doesn't crap out on me in two years.

You may or may not have come across my Pixel 6 rant a couple of weeks ago. A phone that I loved so much turned its back on me, reducing it to a mere shadow of its former glory in just a smidge over two years.

I'm not alone; my misery has company.

Last year, the volume rocker on my colleague Nick Sutrich's Pixel 7 Pro fell off. More recently, my other colleague, Harish Jonnalagadda, expressed his concerns regarding the Pixel 8's durability. Just like me with my Pixel 6, he has started to face worrying issues and glitches with his Google device.

Contrary to popular belief, the three of us are major Pixel fans. We love the software experience that pure Google phones deliver. Don't even get me started on the incredible Pixel photography that's so hard to beat.

But it breaks our hearts and leaves us so very frustrated to see that Google's phones continue to be built poorly and aren't made to last.

For all intents and purposes, it looks like Samsung made a Pixel.

This is where the Samsung Galaxy S24 series comes in. The Korean smartphone manufacturer makes a lot more durable devices, and now that they are loaded with juicy AI features similar to Pixels, we almost have no other reason to buy a Google device. Almost.

Samsung was doing well with its AI-laden S24 announcements. They even made the delightful announcement that select older Galaxy devices will be getting these Galaxy AI features as well. However, things soured really fast when a footnote in Samsung Australia's newsroom blog came to light.

As it turns out, the swanky new Galaxy AI features are not going to be free forever. Samsung left a teeny tiny note stating that Galaxy AI features will only be usable free of charge until the end of 2025. This includes both the Galaxy S24 series and all other Samsung devices slated to receive said features.

So, there is a small chance that Samsung could pull the rug from under our feet. Apart from third-party AI features like Circle to Search, most other Galaxy AI features exclusively announced at Samsung Unpacked 2024 could eventually be locked behind a paywall.

While I have my doubts that Samsung will actually follow through with this, it does put a damper on things. Samsung made a Pixel that is more durable, and it has all the best AI features from Pixel phones. But the fact that it could all be taken away after 2025 is a frustrating thought and could potentially take away from their chance to beat Google at its own game.

Namerah Saud Fatmi
Namerah Saud Fatmi
Editor — Accessories, speakers, and tablets

Namerah enjoys geeking out over accessories, gadgets, and all sorts of smart tech. She spends her time guzzling coffee, writing, casual gaming, and cuddling with her furry best friends. Find her on Twitter @NamerahS.

43 Comments Comment from the forums
  • fuzzylumpkin
    Pixel features except on a phone that's actually good is a major plus. And if the camera is as good as I've seen some early reviews say, it makes you wonder why the Pixel needs to exist...

    We'll have to see what happens with the 2025 thing... LLM queries are only going to get cheaper, and Samsung has historically been pretty responsive to user pushback. For good and bad.
    Reply
  • Stanley Kubrick
    To me the Pixel exists as a medium for Google to experiment with Android and new features! Those who buy and use them are basically the unpaid testers. I'm not saying that Pixels are bad per-se but nobody can deny they've had more hardware issues than many other OEM's. But did anyone think that the so-called exclusive features on the Pixels would never come to the other big Android players? It's just a matter of time until all of them get some iteration of the same features that Pixels get first. I say let the Pixels do the experimenting for me!
    Reply
  • Michele Beccalossi
    fuzzylumpkin said:
    Pixel features except on a phone that's actually good is a major plus. And if the camera is as good as I've seen some early reviews say, it makes you wonder why the Pixel needs to exist...

    We'll have to see what happens with the 2025 thing... LLM queries are only going to get cheaper, and Samsung has historically been pretty responsive to user pushback. For good and bad.
    God I love this insane hot takes.
    Let me guess, never seen a Pixel in person, let alone use one.
    I wonder how a bloatfest, closed down phone like anything Samsung makes is better than a Pixel, mind sharing your thoughts (if you're capable of critical thinking of course)? Is that because the Pixel doesn't overlay a picture from Google images when you snap a photo of the moon? Or is that because you don't burn a fuse inside the CPU that disables half the features forever if you try getting away from the bloatware?
    Reply
  • gendo667
    My 4-year-old is still gonna be a blurry mess with the S24. (according to what I've read from people who've got hands-on time)
    Reply
  • Michele Beccalossi
    Stanley Kubrick said:
    To me the Pixel exists as a medium for Google to experiment with Android and new features! Those who buy and use them are basically the unpaid testers. I'm not saying that Pixels are bad per-se but nobody can deny they've had more hardware issues than many other OEM's. But did anyone think that the so-called exclusive features on the Pixels would never come to the other big Android players? It's just a matter of time until all of them get some iteration of the same features that Pixels get first. I say let the Pixels do the experimenting for me!
    Glad your imaginary world looks like that, but for people who actually value first hand experience and not journalism like tech news site do Pixels are a marvel of vertical integration no other OEM outside of Apple can achieve, and is only getting better the less Google relies on bad partners such as Samsung and moves chip engineering in-house.
    Reply
  • fuzzylumpkin
    Michele Beccalossi said:
    God I love this insane hot takes.
    Let me guess, never seen a Pixel in person, let alone use one.
    I wonder how a bloatfest, closed down phone like anything Samsung makes is better than a Pixel, mind sharing your thoughts (if you're capable of critical thinking of course). Is that because the Pixel doesn't overlay a picture from Google images when you snap a photo of the moon?
    I'm actually holding a pixel in my hand right at this moment. Unlike some people, I am actually willing to try things out before making snap judgements about them lol. Just try and be sure You don't lose your volume rocker while you are gazing slackjord at the moon.
    Reply
  • fuzzylumpkin
    gendo667 said:
    My 4-year-old is still gone be a blurry mess with the S24. (according to what I've read from people who've got hands-on time)
    As I said from what I've seen the camera is much improve... but honestly, I don't trust reviewers much, and think anyone who really values the camera as the most important feature should definitely wait and see what photos taken by real people in the real world look like before ditching their Pixels.
    Reply
  • gendo667
    fuzzylumpkin said:
    As I said from what I've seen the camera is much improve... but honestly, I don't trust reviewers much, and think anyone who really values the camera as the most important feature should definitely wait and see what photos taken by real people in the real world look like before ditching their Pixels.
    I'm just curious at this point what is going to look like if/when a Samsung device can capture moving pets/kids on the same level as a Pixel. A very small portion of the Internet will flip out. If a Samsung phone can do that, people will let us know.
    Reply
  • fuzzylumpkin
    gendo667 said:
    I'm just curious at this point what is going to look like if/when a Samsung device can capture moving pets/kids on the same level as a Pixel. A very small portion of the Internet will flip out. If a Samsung phone can do that, people will let us know.
    They do seem to be slowly realising that the answer lies somewhere outside of just throwing more and more Megapixels at the problem, so who knows?
    Reply
  • Miguel Silva1
    I hope the partnership includes camera processing from Google because I went from a Pixel 2 to a Galaxy S23 ultra and in most cases I prefer the pictures from pixel 2 camera. And all gcam mods can't take advantage of the 50 or 200MP sensor in S23 so I'm a bit disappointed with image processing on S23 compared to a pixel from 6 years ago...
    Reply