Samsung and Google make some of the best Android phones, but if you’re planning your next big getaway, you’ll want to pack a Galaxy phone over a Pixel. Ditch airport anxiety with solid battery life, take stunning photos, stop shoulder surfers, turn your phone into a portable PC, or build a full travel itinerary in Samsung Wallet.

While Google’s flagship is famous for its smart AI and arguably one of the best cameras, Samsung Galaxy phones are no slouches, either. In fact, there are several reasons that I think a Galaxy phone makes for a far better travel companion, and here are a few big ones.

Capture every moment and memory

Solid cameras, 8K video, horizon lock video, and more

These days, every flagship phone has a pretty great camera, but I feel like Samsung’s high-end Galaxy line still delivers the most consistent results. When you’re on the road and seeing new sights, you’ll want a phone that captures every moment in stunning detail.

Samsung Galaxy phones like the latest Galaxy S26 Ultra are more than up to the task. It features four highly capable cameras, an incredible zoom lens, ultrawide, portrait mode, and a fancy new Horizon Lock mode for capturing video that essentially turns the phone into a gimbal—giving you buttery smooth results no matter the situation.

I recently went on a trip with friends and family, who had everything from the latest iPhone 17 Pro Max to a Pixel 10 Pro, but everyone kept suggesting we use my Samsung Galaxy for photos. Or, I’d get a text from a family member asking me to use Samsung’s AI tools to remove people or objects from our photos. It’s quick, easy, and consistently great at everything.

Don’t get me wrong, the Pixel is fantastic for taking photos, and its AI processing delivers solid results. But if you want to be ready for any moment and memory, pack that Samsung Galaxy phone.

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Samsung

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Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

Get the new Galaxy S26 Ultra with AI smarts and an all-new privacy display. It’s big, powerful, packed with AI, and you’ll love the S-Pen stylus. 

Samsung’s DeX is better than you think

DeX makes for a great portable travel computer

Samsung DeX (Desktop Experience) isn’t new by any means, but it’s one of those criminally underrated features most people don’t use. More importantly, it can be a game-changer when you’re traveling and need a computer in an emergency. We do most things on our phones, but some tasks are just easier on a computer.

Samsung’s DeX system is fantastic and gives you a full PC-like experience with a browser, tabs, multiple windows, and more. Some people even use DeX exclusively as their home computer—it’s that good.

It’s actually so good that Google started working with them last year to bring a Pixel Desktop-type experience to Android, which arrived in March for select models. Google’s desktop window mode is OK, but it’s still nowhere near as good as Dex.

Better yet, if something happens and you break your phone’s screen, DeX is a great way to keep using your device, as long as you have a dock or the right gear. Don’t sleep on DeX, especially while traveling.

Samsung Wallet’s Trips feature is a big deal

Build a full travel itinerary in one place

Both Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet are great, and each one has some pros and cons. As we all know, these mobile wallets are great for boarding passes, easy mobile payments, and things of that nature, but Samsung Wallet has a few excellent tricks up its sleeve.

Earlier this year, Samsung Wallet received a big update with a new “Trips” feature, and it’s perfect for travelers. There’s nothing worse than digging through multiple apps, emails, text messages, and confirmations to try to find a flight, your hotel address, reservations, car rentals, excursions, and public transit passes. Samsung’s new Trips feature brings all of that, and more, into one well-organized timeline.

Samsung Wallet Trips gives you structure to busy itineraries and provides a smoother journey from start to finish. I like that you can add everything you need, which it’ll automatically categorize by time and date, and you can even add memos, instructions, and notes between all the important bits. It’s pretty powerful, and after trying it once, I seriously need to use it more.

If you have a packed schedule for an upcoming trip, take a few minutes to load it all into Samsung Wallet. You’ll be glad you did.

Take your Galaxy to a land far away

These are just a few of the many reasons I absolutely love my Samsung Galaxy phone for traveling. Keep in mind that some features are exclusive to specific models, like Samsung’s new Privacy Display on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. It’ll stop shoulder surfers and peeking eyes at the airport or on public transit. Then, you’ll need one of Samsung’s better phones to take full advantage of DeX.

All said and done, Samsung phones offer better performance, excellent cameras in the real world, solid battery life, faster charging, and everything but the kitchen sink in terms of software features, controls, customization, smartwatch support, and more. When I’m traveling, I choose my Galaxy phone. And if you’re in the market for a new phone, it might be time to ditch the Pixel and try a Galaxy.