I've tried both Samsung Keyboard and Gboard — here's which one stays on my Galaxy

Our phone keyboards are probably our most used apps because we use them to type messages and emails and search web browsers. Samsung Keyboard and Google Gboard are popular keyboard apps that provide a fast and smooth interface with many extra tools for communicating with family and friends.

So, which one is more user-friendly and offers the best user experience? I tested them both and explored all their features to determine what exactly they offer to help you make the right choice.

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Free typing apps for different platforms

Samsung / Google / Pocket-lint

Samsung Keyboard is built into Galaxy phones as the default typing app. It’s smooth and responsive and uses the latest AI tools to help with tone, translation, and more to improve your writing. Optimization for Galaxy devices means that Samsung Keyboard shares the phone’s themes and settings and includes an offline translation tool.

Google’s Gboard is baked into Android phones as a free typing app and is also available for free on iOS devices. It’s known for its simplicity and includes numerous customization tools, fun emojis, and other animations to liven things up.

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User Interfaces

Unique looks to choose from

Samsung / Google / Pocket-lint

Samsung Keyboard’s default interface has smallish buttons with large spaces between them, so you don’t accidentally press the wrong keys. The key layout comprises five rows with the numbers at the top, then three rows of letters, with the large spacebar, full stop, comma, enter button, and symbol key at the bottom. Above the keys is the toolbar with shortcuts to useful extra features. These include the AI tools, emojis, clipboard, and other settings. When you’re typing, the toolbar is replaced with predictive text suggestions.

Everyone has different typing preferences, and switching the interface between the standard, one-handed, split, and floating keyboard styles is easy. Samsung includes settings for changing the letters’ layout, size, transparency, and font size.

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In its default configuration, Gboard has larger buttons with smaller spaces between them because it cuts out the numeric row at the top and integrates it into the QWERTY row below, where it’s accessible with a long press. The minimalist design and bigger buttons make Gboard user-friendly, and you can always add the numbers at the top via the settings if that’s what you prefer. Otherwise, Gboard has a similar interface to Samsung messages with a toolbar at the top that offers predictive text suggestions when typing. The spacebar, symbols, and the enter button are similarly placed at the bottom below the letters.

The Preferences menu lets you activate the one-handed mode, and you can choose between a left or right-handed interface, depending on what hand is dominant. You can also change the keyboard size or add a floating style. Changing the font size is just as easy, with options to use the system or Gboard defaults.

Handy options to improve your typing

Samsung / Google/ Pocket-lint

Samsung Keyboard includes AI tools to improve your typing experience. Composer can draft emails or follow other suggestions to create text in standard, polite, or professional formats. The Writing Style tool highlights the text you’ve already written and can change its style to match professional, social media, or casual requirements. The Spelling and grammar checker goes through your text to correct errors and provides suggestions to improve the flow and readability.

With the Samsung keyboard, you can use the company’s proprietary translation app, which offers limited languages but works offline. It also supports Google Translate, which needs an online connection but offers more languages. The app lets you choose between Samsung voice input or Google voice typing, and it’s up to you to decide which you prefer.

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Animations and emojis add fun to your messages, and Samsung Keyboard offers an extensive range of emojis and stickers in numerous categories. It also lets you download more through apps like Bitmoji or create your own via the AR Emoji tool.

Gboard includes a handy voice typing tool that is perfect for when you’re busy doing other stuff and need to send a message. It’s also linked to Google Translate, which allows you to change your text to another language or vice versa. The text correction tool does the job with many customization features but lacks the AI capabilities of Samsung Messages.

Sprucing up your messages is a breeze, with dedicated buttons to access emojis, stickers, and GIFs. Gboard has a slightly wider selection and lets you download more and create more stickers with Bitmoji.​​​​​​​

Customization options

Modify the appearance and fine-tune your keypresses

Samsung / Google/ Pocket-lint

Samsung Galaxy has built-in light and dark themes and can change your keyboard’s colors to match the phone’s theme. That’s about it, and if you want something more colorful, you’ll need to create your own with the Theme Park app that’s part of the Good Lock customization suite. The high-contrast option is great for use in the dark and other low-visibility situations because it makes the keys more legible.

When it comes to typing options, Samsung Keyboard offers multilingual text prediction and the option to double-tap the spacebar to add a full stop. It also lets you replace the symbols with ones that may be more useful in your professional field.

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Gboard’s default all-white color matches most Google products and offers various themes to customize its appearance. It offers light and dark themes plus a dynamic color option to match your phone’s theme. You can also choose between various pre-installed colors or download landscape or gradient themes if you want something different that stands out. Swapping the toolbar icons lets you replace the shortcuts you don’t use with more useful options.

The extensive typing customization options in Gboard let you fine-tune your typing experience. These include the sound and haptic feedback on key presses, adjustable vibration strength, and key long-press delay. Those who like swipe texting can adjust the flick input sensitivity.​​​​​​​

Samsung Keyboard or Google Gboard: Which keyboard app is best for you?

One is more user-friendly, while the other has advanced tools

Samsung / Google/ Pocket-lint

Samsung Keyboard only works on Galaxy phones and isn’t available on other platforms. It provides an excellent typing experience and includes the latest AI tools to correct and improve your text. Some app features, like translation and voice typing, offer versatility and let you choose between the proprietary options or Google equivalents.

Google Gboard has a user-friendly, minimalist design and offers better customization options than Samsung Keyboard. It’s available on more devices, so you can use the same keyboard on your Android and iOS phones and tablets.

Which is better is subjective and comes down to your own personal choice. I think Samsung Keyboard is better if you need the latest AI tools and offline functionality. Gboard is better if you don’t need them because of its Google integration and extensive customization options.

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