A phone must have great software and hardware to earn the title of your favorite. The OnePlus 7 Pro was that phone for me years ago. Then, the Galaxy S21 took its place. It made me forget about my then-favorite OnePlus 7 Pro and reshaped my understanding of what a flagship phone should be.
In addition to quality hardware, I was impressed by what One UI offers. I didn’t turn into a fanboy, but for better or worse, it made me overlook its issues for so long. However, whatever the reason behind Samsung’s reluctance to fix them, my patience is wearing thin.
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As a tech enthusiast, I don’t like Samsung or other Android manufacturers copying Apple and bringing iOS elements to their software. It feels even more frustrating when a major brand like Samsung prioritizes taking inspiration from another company over fixing basic issues that damage the One UI experience.
It’s unique with One UI. What I use almost daily and love is why I’m concerned about the Android skin. Some of One UI’s biggest strengths are its major weaknesses. For example, the tiny auto-rotation button that appears on the top or bottom side of the screen when you tilt your phone is a convenient way of switching to and from landscape mode, but with the convenience comes the risk of accidental rotation.
The most frequent occurrences happen when I’m lying in bed and holding the phone at an angle. I accidentally tap the button almost every time and switch to landscape mode. I have to take the phone to its original position and tap the rotation button to get back to the portrait orientation.
The easy solution to this problem is to enable auto-rotation from navigation, which switches to landscape mode when you tilt your phone. However, doing so worsens the problem because what used to be triggered by accidental touch is now activated when I use my phone at an angle.
Equally frustrating is the quick access to Samsung Pay through a swipe-up gesture. It’s the quickest and the most comforting way to launch Samsung Pay, which is a plus because I use it for payments. However, my S21 launches the Samsung Pay app more than I want. You’ll feel the same if you enable access to the Samsung Pay app using a swipe-up gesture and swipe to your home screen or use the gesture for multitasking.
Those aren’t the only One UI elements prone to accidental triggering. The Edge panels feature is another one that adds to the frustration when you accidentally swipe it. I’ve often encountered this when switching to other pages on the home screen using the swipe-right gesture. I reduced the number of instances by moving the Edge panels shortcut to the top of my screen, but it isn’t a foolproof solution to accidental launches.
This isn’t the only problem with the Edge panels. When comparing how the Edge panels feature is different from Motorola’s Side panel, I noticed that the tiny settings button in the Edge panels disappears after a couple of seconds. Additionally, its size and inability to adapt to the color of your wallpaper makes it difficult to customize those panels.
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Samsung Galaxy phones aren’t perfect, but they have exciting features you won’t find anywhere else. However, many sound great only in theory and are poorly implemented, to the extent that you may want to quit after giving it a try, just like I disabled the Accidental Touch Protection on my S21.
The feature is meant to protect your Galaxy phone from accidental touches when it’s in a dark place, but this is perhaps the worst implementation of a feature in One UI’s history. I don’t remember any instances where I felt it saved me from committing something wrong. The Accidental Touch protection is triggered when it isn’t supposed to. I turned it off, but I wish Samsung would fix it because the idea sounds good on paper and can make a difference.
The swipe-up gestures to launch Samsung Pay, the tiny auto-rotate button, and the Edge panels also sound great but don’t live up to their potential. However, it isn’t an easy decision to turn them off because, unlike in the case of Accidental Touch Protection, they make things easier and are hard to get rid of when you’re used to them. The issue is the unintended consequences. It’s disappointing that a major brand like Samsung has left those unaddressed for this long.
One UI keeps me hooked, but doubts are creeping in
One UI with all its issues is the best Android skin I’ve used. I haven’t felt I’m missing a major feature on my phone, even after using it for many years. This speaks volumes about how good One UI has worked for me. Despite its flaws, Secure Folder, integration with Microsoft services, and customization features in One UI keep me hooked, but I’ve never been this close to considering a switch. That’s because I haven’t seen any sign of improvements from Samsung.
