After years of relying on Google Photos on my devices, my loyalty to Google's cloud gallery has hit a wall.

Mainly, I stuck around because of my Google One storage plan, which bundled cloud backup with the rest of my Google services.

Recently, though, I started paying more attention to Samsung Gallery on my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Tab S10 FE.

To my surprise, I quickly grew to love it. It packs a handful of features, both basic and advanced, that I desperately wish Google Photos would copy.

Samsung Gallery is speedier

Loading and editing don't stutter on me

I used Google Photos heavily on my Google Pixel 9 Pro, and I carried that habit over to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7.

The primary issue I've always bumped into is how sluggish performance gets when browsing large media libraries, especially those heavy with videos.

The gap becomes obvious when scrolling through cloud-stored or non-local media. Loading times stretch out, and I sometimes feel it's not as snappy when swiping through photos.

I am not sure if it's my internet connection, but I largely blame Google Photos' processing for this. It confuses me that Google hasn't provided a proper fix.

I tried finding workarounds to speed up Photos, but they usually boiled down to preloading or indexing these media files so that opening items a second time would be quicker.

But the moment I close the app and relaunch it, the same unstable performance pops up again.

Samsung Gallery, on the other hand, scrolls noticeably faster. The image and video thumbnails load almost instantaneously, even for retrieving cloud-stored files.

That responsiveness extends to search and editing. Basic edits feel quicker in Samsung Gallery, particularly when applying styles and generating effects.

Likewise, searching through my photo library is more accurate and snappy. Searches show fewer mistakes and consistently pull up relevant results using a few keywords.

Secure Folder brings better flexibility

My sensitive images get extra security

Secure Folder remains one of my favorite One UI tools, and its integration with Samsung Gallery is fantastic.

It gives me a dedicated space to isolate images like product shots or sensitive screenshots containing account details while keeping them from cluttering my main gallery feed.

The result is a much cleaner gallery view where I prioritize family and travel photos.

Clearing out that extra clutter also makes everyday scrolling far smoother, as the app has fewer items to index.

When I need to access those hidden files, I can unlock them instantly using the same biometric or passcode settings tied to Secure Folder.

Plus, photos and videos can be managed similarly with the standard gallery when they are in Secure Folder, giving me access to the same suite of tools.

This setup offers an advantage over Google's Private Space on Android, which is the equivalent of Secure Folder. However, this limits locking only to select apps.

While Google Photos features a Locked Folder inside the gallery, Secure Folder provides a more flexible and robust solution for the stacks of photos and videos I want to secure.

Samsung Gallery offers a native Private Album feature, but Secure Folder has a few advantages. Among these are that I can create a customized or separate PIN, password, biometric, or a combination of the two for a stronger safeguard.

I still use Private Albums for redundant or miscellaneous photos, such as pets and plants. I love how the items in this album are isolated from Secure Folder, so they won't duplicate or overlap.

You can move photos and videos from Secure Folder by selecting the items, tapping the three-dot menu, and selecting Move from secure folder.

Editing is more reliable

Object Eraser is more precise and usable

If there's one recurring headache I've had to endure with Google Photos, it's the increasingly wonky Magic Eraser.

I rely on object removal for travel shots, especially for erasing stray photobombers or cleaning up ugly power lines.

Lately, though, Magic Eraser feels less dependable than it used to be.

That made using Samsung's Object Eraser a nicer upgrade. It handles generative fills much better even when using the Move tool to reposition or resize subjects.

I also appreciate how Samsung natively bakes the editing tools in the gallery. The suite includes a smarter AI Eraser powered by a capable on-device model. There are also tools for drawing or dictating objects directly into a photo.

On Google Photos, getting to equivalent features requires hopping into separate menus or navigating to the Create tab or another app, adding unnecessary steps even for a quick edit.

Gallery Assistant is a must-download

I can manage multiple images on the fly

Another killer addition to the Samsung Gallery setup is Gallery Assistant, a standalone module available through the Good Lock suite.

It unlocks advanced utility tools that aren't natively available in the standard Gallery app, such as batch cropping, resizing, and quick watermarking.

It brings Adobe Lightroom-style multi-image management into a mobile workflow.

My favorite built-in feature is the ability to compile multiple images into a single PDF file on the fly.

It even supports printing video thumbnails alongside standard photos, letting you organize frames into custom single-page layouts.

It's harder to leave Samsung Gallery

Now that I've settled into using Samsung Gallery on my Z Flip 7, going back to Google Photos sounds like a chore.

The deep system integration creates a seamless experience with Galaxy hardware and One UI services that Google's standalone app can't replicate.

Throw in the excellent privacy option of Secure Folder, and managing my media library becomes more secure and easier.

Google Photos is still fine for basic cloud backups and other core functions, but if there's always an option to use Samsung Gallery, I would definitely pick the latter.