At least on their spec sheets, Google and Samsung have put together some impressive hardware with this year’s flagships. The software is much more interesting, with Google’s Pixel UI on Android 17 taking a radically different approach to Samsung’s One UI.
As expected, the Pixel 11 series focuses on AI features. As for things that actually seem useful if they work as advertised, Google is finally adding a feature first introduced in 2018: your phone can now use Gemini to call businesses on your behalf, showing you a live transcript and the ability to resume the call yourself at any time. For anyone who wants to let their hairdresser know that they’re not important enough to speak directly, this is your time to shine. On the other hand, now You make your insurance company talk to a robot.
Gemini will now be able to use your apps on your behalf for things like DoorDash orders or calling an Uber. Google has been making fun of this for some time and is rolling it out in limited capacities on the Pixel 10. Most new flagship Android devices are likely to receive this feature, although it’s unclear how well it might work.
There is also a new mode in the Pixel Camera app called Magic Capture, which will capture videos and select the best photo frames with cropping and automatic blur removal. And the camera also gets Circle to Search, allowing users to perform a Google search by pointing it at a subject.
More intriguingly, we finally see the rumored “Pixel Glow” in action on the Pixel 11 series, which now goes by the official name HiLight. This is a set of LED lights on the camera bar that can be used to transmit information from apps, such as notifications or interactions with Gemini. It’s really nothing more than a beefed-up version of the LED notification lights that were very common on Android phones in the 2010s, and the many users who lamented the death of this feature will no doubt be happy to see it return here. At launch, it only works to display calls from your favorite contacts and to indicate Gemini activity. So we hope that Google will eventually allow user customization with other apps.
Material 3’s expressive design language has now come to full maturity in the Pixel interface, although it is not unique to the new devices. With much of the industry now chasing Apple’s Liquid Glass, it’s refreshing to see Google pursuing a very different vision, although what you think of it may depend on whether the wavy lines bring you a sense of fantasy.
As for the S26 Ultra, Samsung’s standout software features in One UI 8.5 are more focused on customization. (Although One UI 9 launched on the new Galaxy foldables in August, the update hasn’t yet made it out of beta on the S26 Ultra.) You can now change the Quick Settings panel entirely, moving and resizing the toggles and sliders to your liking. A redesigned lock screen makes elements more fun and interactive, including an adaptive clock that will warp around elements on your wallpaper.
The S26 Ultra’s most useful AI features (aside from those housed in Google Gemini) include an improved Audio Eraser, which feels a bit like black magic. If your favorite YouTuber has been using distracting background music, Audio Eraser will remove it almost completely so you can hear the person speaking. When editing video, it can do the same with wind and other unwanted noises. It even works during phone calls, so others can hear you better and vice versa. Samsung’s live interpreter is better than you might expect and helped me navigate a complex interaction with an Uber driver whose native language I didn’t speak.
Galaxy products really shine when you use the ecosystem. The S26 Ultra now has Storage Sense, which lets you remotely browse file systems on other Galaxy phones, tablets and laptops. Music Share lets your friends take advantage of your Bluetooth connection to play their own tunes, perfect for sharing the car stereo during a long drive. And Samsung DeX remains as useful as ever for starting a windowed desktop environment on external monitors and TVs.
