People buy what is heavily marked and what the carriers are paid to promote. That's mostly apple and Samsung. They're the flashiest, and most people are like a moth to the flame. I have a friend who needs a phone right now that is only thinking about what Samsung phone is supposed to be the best. Not because he needs it, he just wants a big screen and battery that makes calls. He doesn't play games, hell he doesn't even have a google account or email so he never updates any apps. But he wants to spend $1200 for the top end phone. Makes no sense to me. Not my money. I thought about it, it's beautiful hardware but I gave the S20 a shot last summer and just didn't like the software at all. Samsung has never felt like a seamless experience to me and I've had several. Great hardware, but there is just to much going on in the software. I suppose if you aren't using Google services then maybe that's why a Pixel doesn't make sense but if you do, the Pixel works incredibly well in that system and is far more fluid and seamless than Samsung's software has ever felt to me. Samsung just feels like they are trying to get my attention all the time. And now they are putting ads in their apps, on the ones that are part of the OS.
I hear ya. Having used the Pixel 3 and then the 4 XL for the past few years, I really do enjoy those devices and all they offer.
I just feel I'm ready for more features and better hardware. The Pixel 5 wasn't an appealing upgrade for me in any significant way.
I'm hoping the S21 camera is about on par with the Pixel so that I can finally start enjoying the strengths and extra features that Samsung devices come with. It's beginning to feel like the best still photography alone isn't enough to keep me on a Pixel since competition has finally more or less caught up to Google, especially when you factor in overall camera experience with video recording.
As for software, that remains to be seen for me if I'll appreciate the samsung experience. One UI is looking rather clean and impressive. I'm still a little confused by the ads... I hear people who have said they've never seen an ad in their life using a samsung device, that you're able to opt out of it. Not sure why others are seeing it but some aren't...
I feel confident with a little tweaking, I can make the S21 software experience feel right. All phones take a little tweaking at the start, even Pixel devices. It's part of the fun of setting up and customizing ??????
There's always the chance I'll run back to my Pixel 4 XL, but I feel this is a solid year to give Samsung a shot. The Pixel lineup just isn't doing enough to keep me locked in. Maybe when the 6 comes around and Google gets a little more serious about hardware and better video capture capabilities. I definitely understand the appeal of Pixel devices for the things they do well, but I'm ready to try for more.