OnePlus or Samsung - The better Android?
- 02 Mar, 2021
Introduction
Thousands of users swear by Android devices. In the world of Android devices, OnePlus and Samsung are key industry players. On the one hand, OnePlus is making a firm play for the flagship market, combining its best technology and experience into its latest model. Samsung, on the other hand, is updating its long-running Galaxy S Series with new designs and features breathing life into the series as we enter the 5G era. So, who wins in this OnePlus vs Samsung battle? Today, we’re going to look at two of the most common and leading brands, Samsung and OnePlus, in a kind of face-off event.
All about OnePlus Phones
OnePlus has advertised its phones as “flagship killers'', and unlike other brands, the claim holds weightage. The smartphones are beautifully designed with great cameras and are less expensive than the other flagships while donning similar specifications, performance, and design. User reviews say that OnePlus phones perform as well or better than most premium Android flagships. Further, there’s little bloatware on OnePlus devices, apart from the company’s own apps. All in all, OnePlus phones have been delivering the best of expensive flagship devices for almost half the price, and they're simply unbeatable value.
Also, OnePlus does have two things that other Android flagships don't: firstly, they are the only Android smartphones that come with an iPhone-style silent switch, and secondly, they come with their own charging brick technology which keeps the heat in the brick itself. OnePlus phones are aesthetically pleasing, offer great performance, and do not add irrelevant specifications. Wrapping all of these features neatly with a reasonable price tag, we can say that we have a clear winner when it comes to choosing the new smartphone.
Why is Samsung the smartphone king?
Samsung is celebrated as one of the world's dominant smartphone manufacturers, and its Galaxy series have always been high-valued Android options. In the premium flagship and luxury category, Samsung addresses the various user needs with S-series, Note-series, and Foldables. In the mid-range and budget segments, where its efforts are segmented under the Galaxy A series and M series, the brand is also a dominant power.
With the best screen and display, waterproof design, splendid cameras built to excel in low-light situations, long-lasting battery and power-sharing, and gimmicky features like the curved screen and the Edge interface gives the brand its position in the industry. The company is forward-looking new technologies designed to keep pushing the boundaries of what a smartphone can do. Further, replacing an iPhone or any other brand’s device with a Samsung Galaxy is just as seamless as upgrading from an older Galaxy to the new Galaxy S21, S21+, or S21 Ultra.
Samsung UI or Oxygen 0S? Which one is better?
Until the release of One UI, Samsung's Android skins were somewhat appalling. With One UI, Samsung appears to have finally given its interface a much-needed facelift. The business fixes the main issues and introduces a slew of useful features. OxygenOS from OnePlus, on the other hand, is widely hailed as one of the best custom UI experiences. And with each new update, it enhances even further. So, how do the two stack Oxygen OS vs one UI against each other? That's precisely what we are finding out.
In terms of design, Samsung has taken some excellent decisions to boost the user interface, and the overall design appears to be very polished. The majority of the icons have been modified, and the overall design style is just what you'd expect from a modern smartphone. If we take for example the settings menu, Samsung rearranged stuff to make it more user-friendly, but if you don't use the Search, you might have trouble finding a specific setting.
Oxygen OS, on the other hand, is a familiar space for most users where locating any particular setting is not difficult. Everything looks clean and minimal. And no matter which phone you're coming from, Oxygen OS will make you feel right at home. Some users say getting hang of it is also much simpler than getting accustomed to One UI’s quirks.
Moving to performance, OnePlus outperforms Samsung in terms of results. Opening applications, multitasking, taking pictures, or anything feels easier on an OnePlus device. Considering Samsung's track record, we are not sure if the Galaxy will be able to match its performance. However, the only thing that seems to be a challenge for OnePlus users is battery optimization. Many users have reported losing important updates after leaving their phones idle for an extended period of time.
Lastly, when it comes to software upgrades, Samsung has had an unimpressive record. In addition, the company has previously been accused of throttling the device's performance with updates. On the other hand, OnePlus has greatly increased its efficiency and performance. The company issues security patches on a daily basis and is one of the first to introduce new Android versions. OnePlus also publishes daily updates for older devices as well. While Samsung did get a lot of things right with One UI, there's still scope for improvement. The company has finally begun to pay attention to user feedback and the results are encouraging. But for now, Oxygen OS remains the better option.
2021 Rivals: Samsung S21 ultra vs OnePlus 8 Pro
While one of the best phones you can buy right now is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, it's not a flawless smartphone. For starters, it’s rather costly and its battery life, though good, could stand to be a little better. On the other hand, the new OnePlus flagship One Plus 8 Pro is fairly highly priced by the company's own standards, yet a steal deal compared to the S21 Ultra. The OnePlus 8 Pro provides a bigger monitor and faster wireless charging, along with good power, battery capacity, and camera. And yet, it costs less than Samsung phones.
The basic Samsung S21 Ultra vs OnePlus 8 Pro comparison tells us so much. In order to make a better decision, your analysis of the OnePlus 8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra should get to the bottom of which smartphone should be considered the best Android phone and more deserving of your hard-earned money.
Samsung vs OnePlus: Which one to choose?
With the unveiling of new and powerful devices, such as OnePlus 8 Pro, Samsung S20+, S21 Ultra, both OnePlus and Samsung have produced great flagship phones, making either choice a good one. Samsung’s latest design undoubtedly looks and feels premium and the company avoids gimmicky features like OnePlus’ color filter camera. Basically, with Samsung, you know what you’re getting.
OnePlus sticks to its tried and tested design and offers the latest flagship - OnePlus 8 Pro. The handset makes notable improvements to camera quality and display technology to compete with and even exceed Samsung’s 2020 flagship. Combined with sleek and refined software, fast wired and wireless charging, and an IP rating, OnePlus doesn’t cut any corners.
So, who wins the battle of the Samsung vs Samsung? We feel the OnePlus devices have a slighter advantage with their excellent display, solid camera, and great software. Given that the phone is also a few dollars cheaper than Samsung’s flagship, it’s definitely the better deal. But if you’re a fan of Samsung’s software and wider usage, the Galaxy lineup certainly won’t disappoint either.