While Samsung faces plenty of competition from Apple and Xiaomi, it is still the biggest smartphone brand in the world. It also faces competition from Google, which develops Android, which Samsung’s smartphones and tablets are based on. However, Samsung may not have to worry about Google’s Pixel smartphones.

Very few Samsung smartphone users are switching to Pixel phones

In an interview with analyst Ben Thompson, Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of Google’s Platforms & Devices team, said that very few Samsung users are switching to Google’s Pixel smartphones.

Since Google not only develops the Android operating system for smartphones, tablets and TVs, but also sells its own range of Android-based products, there could be conflicts of interest, so Google must be careful not to upset its OEM partners like Samsung.

Shortly after Rick was appointed Head of Platforms and Devices at Google, he met Samsung MX CEO TM Roh and said: “Our partnership has never been stronger. I am very excited about our collaboration in the field of AI and the many opportunities it presents for both companies.“As a result, many of Google’s new AI features, including Circle to Search, Gemini, and Gemini Live, were introduced on Samsung phones earlier than (or at the same time as) the Pixel devices.”

The story continues after our review video of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 below.

The partnership between Google and Samsung has never been better. Both companies are now working more closely together than ever to bring new types of devices, features and services to the Android ecosystem. Both companies have co-developed Wear OS 3 by bringing together the best features of their respective smartwatch operating systems. Google has also merged Nearby Share with Samsung’s Quick Share. Both companies have also announced integration between Google Home and SmartThings.

So both seem to be trying to strengthen the Android ecosystem with their strengths (Samsung hardware and Google software/platforms). Both companies are also working on an Extended Reality (XR) headset that runs on Android, and Samsung could launch it later this year.