If you own a Samsung Galaxy phone and can’t decide between the Samsung Gallery app and Google Photos for managing your photos, this guide breaks down the features of each to determine which app is your best option.
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Availability
If you have limited space available on your Samsung Galaxy phone and don’t want to install another app, you may want to use the preinstalled Samsung Gallery app. If it’s not your cup of tea, you’ll have to install Google Photos via the Google Play Store. Using the native option is the easiest way to start organizing your images on your Galaxy device.
User Interface
Both Samsung Gallery and Google Photos feature easy-to-use interfaces. The Samsung Gallery app offers a more traditional approach, allowing you to view photos conveniently organized by albums.
Alternatively, switch to Pictures at the bottom to see a list of images with the most recent at the top. This view includes images from your camera feed as well as messaging apps, such as WhatsApp.
There are additional category options hidden behind the hamburger menu at the bottom, such as Videos, Recent, Shared albums, and Locations, to help you find the content you’re looking for faster.
Google Photos has a more modern interface, with the default view featuring the most recent screenshots and images snapped with the phone’s camera. Unlike Samsung Gallery, you won’t find images from messaging apps here.
At the top, there’s a Spotlight section that curates collections of images you might want to revisit when nostalgia strikes. I find this to be a thoughtful addition. I particularly appreciate how Google Photos’ Spotlight feature evokes memories, transporting me back to events that occurred years ago.
Google Photos groups photos in Collections. These are basically albums – some of which are created automatically like Documents – as Google helps you organize your library. You can find all the media you received via messaging/social apps in the On this device album.
Tip: brush up on these tips to learn how to use your Samsung Galaxy flashlight better.
Back Up and Syncing
Samsung Gallery stores your photos on your phone and offers the option to back up your content with OneDrive, requiring a Microsoft account. If you have one that’s hooked up to a Windows computer, for example, it’s a definite plus, as you’ll also be able to directly access your media on your PC.
The syncing option is not set up by default, so you’ll need to press the cloud-like icon in Samsung Gallery to start the process of connecting your Samsung account to your Microsoft account.
Once you connect the two services, select which albums to sync and whether to do so over Wi-Fi or mobile data.
On the other hand, if you rely heavily on the Google ecosystem, choosing Google Photos would make more sense. The sync option is on by default and deeply integrated into the app. (Turning it off will result in repeated prompts to turn it back on.) This is why you need to be careful when you delete photos from your Google Photos, as you could end up deleting images from the device.
Google stores your photos on the Google servers, and you can easily access them using the web version of Google Photos on your Windows PC. You’ll need to sign in with the same Gmail account you use in the mobile app to access the media.
The biggest difference here is that Google heavily encourages you to rely on backing up your gallery in the cloud, but with Samsung Gallery, you are not under such pressure. You can opt to back up in OneDrive, but you can also keep and manage your photos on your device without stress.
Storage
All free Microsoft accounts come with 10 GB of free OneDrive storage, but if you have a subscription, you get access to either 100 GB or 1 TB of storage. Your Samsung Gallery images can be backed up within these limits, along with attachments in Outlook and Microsoft apps.
Google Photos comes with 15 GB of free storage, which is shared between other apps, including Gmail and Google Drive. You could run out of space pretty fast if, like me, you’re deeply reliant on Google’s library of apps. Fortunately, you can use multiple Google accounts on a single device, so you can assign one just to back up your photos. But if you have a huge image library, you may have to upgrade to a paid subscription.
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Editing Tools
Samsung Gallery has much to offer when it comes to image editing. It bundles such features as the ability to cut out objects, add filters, or play with Brightness, Contrast, and Exposure.
You can even add stickers, text, or simply doodle. On newer Samsung Galaxy models, there’s also the option to take advantage of Object Remover to get rid of unwanted objects in your photographs. Additionally, use your photos in Samsung Gallery to create GIFs and collages.
Don’t feel like editing? Use the magic wand icon, and let Samsung Gallery do the work, giving your image a polished look.
Google Photos also offers its fair share of editing features. For starters, it now offers access to its host of AI-powered features, including Magic Editor and Photo Unblur to all users, even those without a subscription (with some limitations). The app also boasts the Enhance feature that automatically adjusts brightness, colors, contrast, and saturation to improve picture quality with a single tap.
The app supports many other adjustments, such as HDR effect, White Point and Shadows. Of course, you can also add filters and use markup. However, you can’t add stickers or change fonts.
Like Samsung Gallery, Google Photos supports creating collages and GIFs (Animations), as well as highlighting videos and cinematic photos.
Additional Features
Samsung Gallery integrates with Bixby Vision, allowing users to scan photos to analyze their content. The tool can identify objects and products, translate text, identify landmarks, and more.
In addition, the app allows you to effortlessly transfer photos and videos to Samsung’s Secure Folder, a protected space secured by a PIN, pattern, or biometrics, ensuring your private media remains hidden. Select the images and move them directly from the Gallery app.
Google Photos integrates with its own Google Lens, one of the most advanced recognition systems. The app also has its own Locked Folder alternative, but unlike Samsung’s Locked Folder, it’s not a separate app and is integrated into Google Folder. If you prefer them to be separate, know that Android 15 supports the new Private Space feature.
Price
Both Samsung Gallery and Google Photos are free to install and use. However, if you run out of cloud storage, you may need to upgrade to a paid tier to continue backing up your photos.
- Microsoft 365 subscriptions start at $19.99 per year for 100 GB of cloud storage.
- Google One subscriptions start at $1.99 per month for 100 GB of storage.
Samsung Gallery vs. Google Photos – Which One Is for You?
Google Photos may be a feature-rich gallery app, but for Samsung Galaxy users, I believe the Samsung Gallery app remains the best choice for a seamless and optimized experience. The app comes with the phone, so you don’t need to download or install anything.
Designed to match your phone’s UI, Samsung Gallery also supports theme customizations. Its editing tools rival those of Google Photos and add some extras! Unlike Google’s app, it doesn’t heavily push cloud backups, giving you full control (and peace of mind) over your media storage.
Additionally, Microsoft 365 offers more cost-effective cloud storage plans than Google One, which can be a significant advantage if you have a large photo library.
As a strictly Android user, however, you’re left out of the Samsunf Gallery vs. Google Photos debate. You should know, though, that Google Photos is not your only option. Check out these alternative Gallery apps for your phone. If you prefer Google Photos, however, learn how to find and delete duplicates in Google Photos.
All images and screenshots by Alexandra Arici.
