![\"Samsung](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Samsung-Galaxy-S26-vs-Google-Pixel-10-Pro-1.jpg\"\/ "\\"Samsung")
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C. Scott Brown \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
Obviously, both Samsung and Google will tell you they take privacy seriously. But that doesn\u2019t mean you should trust them blindly. I dug into their defaults, the fine prints, and the AI features to figure out which company actually backs it up.<\/p>\n
Spoiler: neither is perfect.<\/p>\n
Which phone do you trust more with your data?<\/p>\n
7 votes<\/p>\n
Samsung Galaxy<\/p>\n
14%<\/p>\n
Google Pixel<\/p>\n
43%<\/p>\n
Neither, honestly<\/p>\n
43%<\/p>\n
I haven’t thought about it much<\/p>\n
0%<\/p>\n
Secure Folder vs. Private Space: Which hides your data better?<\/p>\n
![\"Samsung](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Samsung_Secure_Folder_hero_image.jpg\"\/ "\\"Samsung")
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Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
Both Galaxy and Pixel give you a dedicated space to stash apps and files you don\u2019t want others to see \u2014 but they go about it very differently.<\/p>\n
Samsung\u2019s Secure Folder<\/a> is a fully isolated environment where you can clone apps, and each one gets its own data and settings. Your photos, files, and anything you want to keep private can go in there, too. It\u2019s encrypted, completely walled off from your main profile, and locked behind its own PIN, pattern, password, or biometric. I also like how One UI lets you rename the Secure Folder app, swap out its icon, or hide it from the app drawer altogether.<\/p>\n Google\u2019s Private Space works slightly differently. It shows up as a collapsible section at the bottom of your app drawer. It\u2019s the same idea as Secure Folder, but the big difference is that you can\u2019t clone apps directly from your main profile. You need to connect a secondary Google account and download apps separately, which also means you won\u2019t be able to add any apps from third-party app stores<\/a>.<\/p>\n If keeping things private is a priority, Secure Folder wins without much of a contest.<\/p>\n That\u2019s already a point in Samsung\u2019s favor, but Private Space has another problem. Even when you hide it from the app drawer, it still shows up when anyone searches \u201cPrivate.\u201d That\u2019s not exactly discreet. Secure Folder is much better at this. Once you hide it, the only way to bring it back is through the Settings app or the Secure Folder icon in the Quick Settings panel, which you can also tuck away.<\/p>\n Samsung also offers an easy way to hide apps from the app drawer, which means you don\u2019t have to rely exclusively on Secure Folder. If keeping things private is a priority, Secure Folder wins without much of a contest.<\/p>\n Galaxy AI vs. Pixel AI: Which processes more on your device?<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n It\u2019s 2026, so AI is unavoidably baked into both the Galaxy and Pixel devices. That\u2019s not a bad thing, but it means your data may be leaving your phone and being sent to a remote server for processing. That part, of course, is not exactly ideal from a privacy standpoint.<\/p>\n The good news is that both Samsung and Google offer a few AI features that run locally on your device. Google\u2019s list for Pixel phones includes all the calling features, like Call Screen, Live Call Translate, Hold for Me, Direct My Call, and Scam Detection. The same goes for Now Playing, and Recorder summaries. These are all powered by an on-device Gemini Nano model, so you don\u2019t have to worry about privacy when using these.<\/p>\n Samsung\u2019s on-device roster includes Call Screening, Live Translate, Writing Assist, and a few AI-powered image editing tools. That\u2019s also a reasonable list, but there\u2019s a big catch. On-device processing for Galaxy AI<\/a> isn\u2019t enabled by default \u2014 you have to turn it on manually. And until you do, your Galaxy phone uses cloud processing.<\/p>\n That means your text gets sent to external servers every time you use Writing Assist or Note Assist. The same goes for your voice transcripts when you use Transcript Assist and your images when you use Photo Assist. Pixel, on the other hand, doesn\u2019t make you opt into privacy \u2014 that\u2019s just how it works from the start.<\/p>\n Data collection: Which phone asks for more?<\/p>\n Robert Triggs \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Even if you don\u2019t care for Secure Folder or any of the AI features, there\u2019s one thing that applies to every user: how much data the phone manufacturer is collecting. On Pixel, Google is upfront about what it collects and why. During the setup, you\u2019ll usually see clear prompts about location history, usage diagnostics, and personalized ads. More importantly, each one comes with its own toggle so you can decline them individually.<\/p>\n Samsung\u2019s setup process adds another layer on top of this. Beyond Google\u2019s usual asks, you\u2019re also agreeing to Samsung\u2019s own privacy policy, ad personalization, and data sharing with Samsung\u2019s partners.<\/p>\n With a Galaxy phone, you\u2019re essentially handing your data to two tech giants instead of one.<\/p>\n The biggest question mark here, though, is Samsung\u2019s Customization Service<\/a>. It\u2019s a single toggle that does questionable things like logging your music habits, analyzing call logs, reviewing text message history, and tracking your location, which is honestly a lot. You can disable the Customization Service, but the setting is buried deep in the menus, and the name \u201cCustomization Service\u201d doesn\u2019t exactly raise any red flags. Finally, even if you manage to turn it off, deleting the data that\u2019s already been collected isn\u2019t straightforward either.<\/p>\n For all these reasons, I\u2019d argue Pixel has an edge here. With a Galaxy phone, you\u2019re essentially handing your data to two tech giants instead of one.<\/p>\n Exclusive privacy features that tip the scales<\/p>\n Adamya Sharma \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Both Samsung and Google phones also have privacy tricks that deserve attention. Samsung\u2019s standout here is the Privacy Display, which narrows viewing angles so no one around you can peek at your screen. It\u2019s handy if you use your phone in public places a lot and don\u2019t want to slap a privacy screen protector. The problem is that it\u2019s exclusive to the Galaxy S26 Ultra<\/a>, so only a few Galaxy users benefit from it.<\/p>\n Pixel phones\u00a0<\/a>include a free VPN<\/a>, which is useful for anyone who often connects to public Wi-Fi networks. Sure, it\u2019s not the most advanced VPN service out there, but it\u2019s easy to use and doesn\u2019t cost anything. Both these features solve a different problem, so the better pick here depends entirely on what matters to you.<\/p>\n Neither Google nor Samsung is a saint here \u2014 both are large companies with business models that run on data. At the end of the day, the best privacy phone is the one whose trade-offs you can live with.<\/p>\n Which one do you feel handles it better? Tell us in the comments below.<\/p>\n![\"Pixel](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Pixel_9_phone_call_recording.jpg\"\/ "\\"Pixel")
<\/p>\n![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Google-Pixel-9-and-Samsung-Galaxy-S24-homescreens-standing.jpg\"\/ "\\"Google")
<\/p>\n![\"Samsung](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Samsung-Galaxy-S26-Ultra-Privacy-Display-Settings-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"Samsung")
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