Android 17 comes in many flavors. That’s the unique part about Android — every brand gets to put a unique spin on the base Android 17 operating system. Samsung Galaxy users get the experience of running Android 17 as part of One UI 9, while Google Pixel owners get the Material 3 Expressive look of Pixel UI.
I’ve been using Android 17 for months on Galaxy and Pixel phones, and more recently tested Motorola’s Android 17 skin on the Razr Ultra 2026. It’s clear that these versions are as different as ever, and some are more feature-rich than others. There are a few exclusives on each variation that I can’t live without, and one that outshines the others.
Android 17 brings app bubbles to Pixel
Finally, proper floating windows arrive for Google phones
The highlight of Android 17 for Pixel users is the ability to turn app instances into bubbles that hover over your screen’s content. These are called app bubbles in Pixel UI, but Android users outside the Pixel ecosystem probably know them as floating windows. Google’s implementation of floating windows is neat, especially on foldables. You can create a bubble group with up to five apps, and collapse them into a small icon (or the taskbar on an opened foldable).
Prior to Android 17, Pixel phones had clever multitasking features, including a 90:10 split-screen view that made it easy to jump between two apps. The lack of true floating window support was a limitation of Pixel UI, as Samsung’s One UI and Motorola’s MyUX already had it. However, Google’s app bubbles still aren’t floating windows as other Android users know them. App bubbles can’t be resized or separated from the group, and I still find the One UI iteration to be more versatile.
Beyond app bubbles, another unique Pixel UI addition is Pause Point. It’s a digital wellbeing feature that dynamically keeps your phone use on track instead of placing fixed time limits on problem apps. Instead of scrolling social media, Pause Point might suggest I open a reading or journaling app.
For content creators, there’s a feature that lets you use the selfie camera on your phone to record your reaction to what’s happening on your screen. It’s called Screen Reactions, and it supports built-in editing tools. On top of these features, there are a handful of Android 17 exclusives for Pixel 11 owners.
One UI 9 is all about Galaxy AI
My FanCam edits videos to focus on the star of the show
One UI 9 is a pretty minor update, and that’s because Samsung splits its major feature drops into two updates. One UI 8.5 brought a slew of new features ahead of Android 17, and chances are, One UI 9.5 will have even more in tow. Compared to the Google and Motorola updates, One UI 9 has the least number of new features that I notice and use on a daily basis.
A new trick is My FanCam, which uses AI to reposition a video to frame it with a specific person in the center. If you take a wide shot or a landscape clip and want to reframe it as a vertical video for TikTok or Instagram Reels, you can do so with My FanCam in the Samsung Gallery app in One UI 9. Open a video, tap the Galaxy AI sparkle in the toolbar, and press My FanCam. Find the person you want to make the focus of the video, and My FanCam does the repositioning work for you.
It’s a cool feature, but not something I’d ever use on my Galaxy Z Fold 8. The other Galaxy AI upgrade adds custom Now Brief cards, so you can see information in your daily updates that isn’t included by default.
For now, it’s quite limited. You can ask for specific weather updates in your Now Brief, such as the pollen level or dew point. This information isn’t shown automatically, and it’s nice to have. Additionally, you can create custom cards related to Samsung Health, which is nice for Galaxy phone owners that have a Samsung wearable. The final category is YouTube video topics, but videos already appear in Google Discover, so they’re redundant in Now Brief.
Minor tweaks are the name of the game for One UI 9. Power users enjoy that you can now see the network speed in the status bar, and some are noticing battery life improvements. While I like One UI 9 on my Galaxy Z Fold 8, there wasn’t any one feature that changed how I used my phone.
Motorola’s Android 17 update adds Qira AI
Plus, themed icons, stackable widgets, and AirDrop support
Motorola’s Android update is a huge boost, and it’s partially driven by the company’s new Qira AI assistant. Motorola’s strategy thus far has been to provide its phone users with access to as many AI platforms as possible, including Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, and Gemini. Qira is now here as a context-aware AI assistant for Motorola phones and Lenovo laptops, and it can do things like summarize your meetings and see what’s on your screen.
There are a handful of non-AI features, too. To be fair, these are tools that other Android brands have had for years, but they’re still welcome additions to MyUX in Android 17. Widget stacks are convenient for saving space on your home screen, and themed icons finally apply to the entire system.
Better yet, the Android 17 update adds AirDrop compatibility to Quick Share on Motorola phones. Pixel and Galaxy owners have been using Quick Share and AirDrop together for nearly a full year, and now Moto users can join in on the fun. Live Updates are arriving on Motorola phones for the first time, which are widgets and status bar icons that update in real time for time-sensitive tasks.
Which brand’s Android 17 update is best?
I’ve found myself enjoying One UI 9 on my Galaxy Z Fold 8 the most, but admittedly, it’s not because of the Android 17 upgrades. The operating system and user interface are both refined, but don’t feel much different from their Android 16 or One UI 8.5 versions.
Google’s Android 17 update for Pixel phones brought the most new features, with app bubbles, Screen Reactions, and Pause Point stealing the show. And Motorola phones got the most quality-of-life updates of any Android 17 skin, in part because the brand has been slow in adopting some mainstream Android features.
There’s something for everyone in this year’s Android 17 update, but the features you get will vary based on the phone model you have.
