Samsung Galaxy S21 Makeover: How to Make It Look Like a Pixel

Lee Mercado, Tech Times 15 April 2021, 09:04 am

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Launch — (Photo : Rankin/Handout/Getty Images for Samsung)

The Samsung Galaxy S21 is easily one of the best flagship phones in the market in 2021, but with many people having the same phone, others have started thinking about making it look different.

Luckily, there are ways to personalize smartphones and make them look like totally different phones, such as a Google Pixel.

From Samsung Galaxy S21 to Pixel: Five Ways to Make It Happen

While the Samsung Galaxy S21's visual design brought by One UI 3.1 is commendable, it is undeniable that some users prefer to make their smartphones look different.

Samsung has been known to include bloatware in all of its phones, and the Galaxy S21 is no exception, which makes other users look for ways to get away from the dreaded feature.

For users who love Pixel's layout but chooses to stay with Galaxy S21, they could first make Google apps the default and hide or remove Samsung's apps under "Settings."

According to an article from PC World, users could go to Settings > Apps > Choose default apps to remove Samsung's apps to force the Galaxy S21 to switch to Google's.

Additionally, users may opt to download third-party launchers such as Lawnchair, Nova, and Action Launcher to make the Galaxy S21 look and work like a Pixel device.

Developers also offer plug-ins to add the Google Discover panel to the home screen, something that is not included on Galaxy S21's default UI.

To make the look more complete, Samsung Galaxy S21's distinct "squircle" icons may also be changed by downloading icon packs.

Some modders chose not to stop there and decided to put out add-ons that could make the already powerful Galaxy S21's camera look more like the Google Camera app.

Called the "Google Camera Port," the third party APK could make the Galaxy S21's camera use Google's Portrait Mode and its superior HDR+ optimization.

Hardcore Google fans could take a step further by downloading Hex Installer, a plugin that customizes themes specifically for the Samsung Galaxy series.

Samsung Galaxy S21's Impressive UI

A previous report from Tom's Guide praised Samsung Galaxy S21's One UI 3, unlike its predecessor.

The redesigned UI, which came with the latest Samsung flagship phones, comes with a redesigned Quick Panel and notifications screen that gives off a minimalistic feel.

The One UI 3 also came with a number of options to personalize the user's Galaxy experience, as well as powerful tools such as the Samsung DeX that connects the Galaxy S21 to an external monitor.

However, the company's push to make its customers browse through and actually use any Samsung app through its UI may prove to be a huge turn-off.

Such instances include apparently forcing users to create and log in to a Samsung account and use Samsung Pass, which others find completely unnecessary.