If you’re tired of Apple, Samsung’s ecosystem is a great alternative

I’ve lived and died by the Apple ecosystem for the past couple of years. Despite reviewing only Android phones, I always return to Apple’s devices. Last year, I took some time to try out the Google Pixel ecosystem and was surprised. It wasn’t as fluid or interconnected as Apple’s, but Google has something there. After trying out the Galaxy S25 series, I decided to look at what Samsung has going on with its ecosystem.

So, I spent about two months with the Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Tab 10 Ultra, Galaxy Book Pro 360, Galaxy Buds 3 and the Galaxy S25+. While there were some ups and downs, and I had to get used to Windows, the total package impressed me. I’m so impressed that I’m not switching away from these devices until I have to return them to Samsung.

The last thing worth mentioning is that you don’t need all of these products to have a good experience with the Samsung ecosystem. I found that the Galaxy Ring and Galaxy Watch 7 don’t really have a lot to offer this ecosystem aside from working well with the Galaxy S25+ smartphone. However, the Galaxy S25+’s pairing with the Galaxy Tab 10 Ultra, and the Galaxy Book Pro 360 is really where everything really shines.

Wearables

Wearing both the Galaxy Ring and Galaxy Watch 7 offers shared health experiences, and because the Galaxy Ring is doing less work when combined with the Watch, the Ring has a longer battery life. The Ring stops measuring heart rate and sleep, as the Watch 7 is the primary device, but if the watch dies, the Ring will automatically start tracking again. All this information cannot course be seen on your phone, but it might take a little longer to sync all the details.

I liked that they worked together so well, and it meant that if I didn’t want to wear the ring because I was playing video games, or if I took off the watch because the I was going out or the failed, I was always tracking my heart details.

The Galaxy Buds 3 also worked well in the ecosystem. Similar to Apple AirPods, the Galaxy Buds 3 would work whether you’re on your tablet or smartphone. The PC Auto Switch feature allows your buds to switch from your phone to the Galaxy Book PC. I like it, but it felt a little slower to recognize than when I would switch devices with my AirPods. It’d work, but it took a moment versus it being instantaneous, like on Apple devices.

While I felt like I didn’t necessarily need the Galaxy Ring or Galaxy Watch 7 with the ecosystem, I would get the Galaxy Buds 3, which fit with all the devices perfectly and is one of the few pairs of earbuds that plays nicely with Windows.

The ecosystem

The highlight of the ecosystem is how well Samsung’s phones, tablets and laptops work together. This has various aspects, including Samsung’s own in-house optimizations, Windows features and Android integrations.

For instance, if you use any Android phone and any Windows laptop, an app called Phone Link lets you control your smartphone from your computer. You can see your messages and apps, make calls, and even load your mobile screen, giving you a copy of precisely what’s on your display. I like this experience because it’s easy to use and provides even more integration than MacBooks and iPhones. Of course, you can reply to iMessages on your MacBook, but Phone Link allows you to respond to any message on any app, which I see as a far better option.

However, that alone is just a Windows and Android integration, and Samsung takes it a couple of steps further. Samsung devices have a “Multi Control” feature that lets you control your smartphone and tablet via your laptop. Bluetooth on each device must be enabled, and you also need to be logged into the same Samsung account and the same Wi-Fi, but once this is set up, use your touchpad on your laptop to control your other devices. Simply slide your mouse to either side of your laptop’s screen, and your mouse icon will appear on your phone or tablet. This allows you to drag down your notification shade, open apps, and do anything on your laptop.

While it’s cool, I hated using this on my phone. Perhaps a foldable would have been better, but I used the S25+, which didn’t have much need for a mouse pointer. I often turned off Multi Control on my smartphone, but the feature shone when I used it with the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. Essentially, it’d become a secondary display with an Android interface. I typically used it to watch content on my tablet easily. When using it for work with Android apps, it was easy to swap between apps and answer notifications from Instagram and WhatsApp without leaving my laptop screen. The tablet can also efficiently function as a secondary monitor if you want to mirror or extend your display. However, with Multi Control being so effortless, I used it like this and didn’t opt to use the tablet as a secondary monitor. Apple users can do something similar with options like Sidecar and Universal Control, but it doesn’t include phones like Samsung’s implementation.

In addition to Multi Control, you can also download Samsung Flow, essentially Samsung’s version of Windows Phone Link. However, it seemed unnecessary since Phone Link is at the front and centre. Additionally, there’s Smart Things, and I could control the Samsung TVs in my office from my smartphone and my laptop. If I had more Samsung appliances I could control those as well.

The Apple competitor

Samsung is one of the biggest smartphone manufacturers in the world and offers various devices. These devices work well together, from the laptop to the tablet, and even the smartwatch and ring. Samsung’s ecosystem is truly a great competitor to Apple’s, but with more variety, considering Samsung has a whole range of devices from the A series to the FE tablets and more.

Even after this is done, I plan on continuing with the Samsung ecosystem. It syncs up well with everything, and the variety is excellent.