I loved Gemini for everything, but Bixby proved it controls my phone better

While Bixby existed long before Gemini arrived, it always felt like a classic digital assistant.

It never felt like a powerhouse chatbot that could match Gemini or ChatGPT in conversational nuance and generative capabilities.

However, I still preferred it for one thing: on-device and granular controls. That edge has always been Bixby’s biggest advantage, even today.

Better yet, Samsung finally closed the gap when it launched the new Bixby with One UI 8.5 this year. That introduced natural language for finding or tweaking settings.

I put it through its paces as the primary assistant on my Samsung Galaxy hardware, and it beats Gemini in a few areas.

Gemini is smart

But it lags in device management and control

When Google rolled out Gemini, I was a believer. It was my default assistant for my Android devices, including my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Samsung Tab S10 FE.

I was sold early on because it offers superior reasoning for complex prompts alongside robust generative tools.

The standout feature for me is customization. I use Gems to build tailored knowledge bases or tap into Notebook for deep research. While I use the latter sparingly, it remains indispensable.

I also rely on Scheduled Actions to automate recurring tasks. This setup proves useful when tracking deals or breaking tech news without opening a web browser.

The overall workflow feels clean, reliable, and approachable. On paper, Gemini looks like the complete package.

In day-to-day use, however, I ran into immediate friction handling routine actions, from toggling settings to pulling up health metrics.

Gemini isn’t smart for modes and routines

Bixby beats it at automation

Across my Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel handsets, letting Gemini handle device settings feels inconsistent.

Whenever I ask it to schedule an automated mode, it outputs a lengthy step-by-step tutorial or directs me to open the Modes and Routines section myself. This defeats the purpose of a voice assistant.

It also fails to process chained or multistep actions on my Galaxy Z Flip 7. When given a prompt, it executes the first instruction and ignores the rest.

Bixby handles custom automation profiles via voice commands without issue. For instance, I created a routine that turns on a custom profile and adjusts volume levels across my connected Galaxy devices whenever I drive.

I state “Start Driving mode,” and Bixby enables the profile immediately. Gemini can toggle modes, but its capability is limited to binary on-and-off states.

Occasionally, Gemini even attempts to activate custom modes that don’t exist on my device.

Outside of driving routines, Gemini struggles with basic toggles. It fails when instructed to silence phone notifications for an hour or a custom time.

Hands-free camera control has long been a useful feature on Samsung devices.

Unfortunately, Google hasn’t caught up in bringing the same capabilities to stock Android and Pixel after many years.

Gemini can open the camera viewfinder, but nothing further. The updated Bixby understands natural voice commands to control camera functions directly. It can switch straight to video capture and begin recording after a timed delay.

Despite the advanced language models powering Gemini, it lacks native support for complex device management. This is a noticeable drawback if you’re coming from Bixby.

Gemini fails in basic app controls

Lacking health app integration is frustrating

These software limitations extend to core services like health and fitness apps.

After picking up the Google Fitbit Air a couple of months ago, I track my activity through Google Health and Fit more frequently. Wearing a dedicated tracker keeps me motivated to improve my wellness, including exercise and sleep.

Yet when I ask for my daily step count or active calories, Gemini halts and says it cannot retrieve step or calorie metrics.

Bixby presents real-time step counts and burned calories recorded from the Samsung Health app on a single command. Plus, with a connected Galaxy Watch, I can check other insights besides the step count.

This integration eliminates the need to navigate nested menus inside health apps. It’s a shame that even on this basic level of app control, Gemini fails to match Bixby.

That’s also why I returned to Bixby on my Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Tab S10 FE. First-party Samsung apps work seamlessly with Bixby without friction.

Still, Samsung needs to expand Bixby’s integration with third-party platforms, particularly Google Health and Fit.

Bixby isn’t perfect

A large gap in third-party apps compatibility

Using Bixby comes with distinct limitations. Even with the One UI 8.5 update, voice recognition accuracy remains inconsistent.

As a non-native English speaker, I often have to slow my speech and enunciate every syllable or word clearly for Bixby to register the command.

Gemini handles conversational speech and imperfect phrasing without requiring careful enunciation or raised volume.

Relying on Bixby also meant defaulting to Samsung’s stock phone dialer, calendar, and email apps to utilize its full feature set.

While Samsung continues to add integrations, support for services like Google Home and YouTube Music remains minimal.

Third-party app functionality is limited to rudimentary controls, leaving plenty of room for development.

I use Bixby and Gemini at the same time

While Bixby handles on-device execution better, abandoning Gemini entirely is unnecessary.

I run both assistants in parallel only on my Galaxy phone. I rely on Bixby for system toggles, routine triggers, and device-level controls, while offloading web research, generative writing, and app-based queries to Gemini.

This dual-chatbot configuration maximizes productivity on my Galaxy hardware, and my Pixel cannot duplicate it, since it can run only Gemini or other assistants, not Bixby.