Brady Snyder / Android Authority
Android operating systems in 2025 are what individual phone brands make of them. Android 16 is publicly available as part of the Android Open Source Project, but it’s barebones, and brands like Google and Samsung put their own twists and styling atop it — that’s how we end up with Pixel UI, One UI, OxygenOS, and other variants. The two biggest flavors, Google’s Material 3 Expressive and One UI 8, couldn’t be more different.
Samsung overhauled its operating system with One UI 7, opting for a subtle and iOS-like appearance that extends into One UI 8. Meanwhile, Google doubled down on Material You, releasing Material 3 Expressive as part of Android 16 for Pixel phones, tablets, and watches. One is minimalist, the other maximalist. One has a muted color palette while the other’s is bold and vibrant.
But which one is best? I compared these polarizing design languages to find the most appealing one on a daily basis. This is purely a design and user-interface comparison, so I’m focusing on the appearance and ease of use of these Android skins.
Material 3 Expressive or One UI 8? Choose one. 37 votes Material 3 Expressive 70 % One UI 8 30 %
Samsung’s Now Brief narrowly beats Google’s At a Glance
Brady Snyder / Android Authority
Despite the visual differences, Material 3 Expressive and One UI 8 have quite a bit in common. They both go all-in on AI summaries in the form of Now Brief on Galaxy phones and At a Glance on Pixels (RIP Daily Hub). Samsung’s Now Brief works in tandem with the Now Bar, a pill-shaped data field that can appear on the One UI 8 status bar or lock screen. The Now Bar and Brief try to learn your habits and adjust dynamically based on the situation.
It all sounds like At a Glance, a pinnacle Pixel feature that is a fixture of the Material 3 Expressive home screen. Google’s daily helper blends in better with the Pixel home screen and can successfully surface more information than the Now Bar and Brief. Samsung’s offering is a glorified widget, while At a Glance feels like it was built to be the centerpiece of Pixel UI. I’ve only ever had the Now Brief tell me the weather and to “enjoy the rest of my day,” but At a Glance can be genuinely useful at times, finding calendar events and reminders to display.
At a Glance crushes Now Brief in utility, but bringing in Samsung’s Now Bar makes this a different ballgame. The latter is a true alternative to Apple’s Dynamic Island on iOS. It can show live sports scores, now playing media, timers, and other urgent updates. Controls are only a tap away — they would’ve been stashed in the notification shade previously. The Now Bar and Brief are even more colorful, helping One UI 8 beat Material 3 Expressive at its own game.
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