Concluding AppleInsider's in-depth comparison of flagship smartphones from dueling tech titans Apple and Samsung, we take a closer look at the pair's respective virtual assistant technologies, Siri and Bixby Voice.
While not as exciting as top spec sheet items like new processors and displays, smart assistants are an important feature that makes a big impact on day to day usage.
For our test, we set the devices side by side and asked a series of questions to test the speed, capability and effectiveness of each brand's technology. Queries ranged from system-level commands like photo viewing to internet- and app-based questions.
For example, we asked both assistants to pull up recent photos and video, calendar entries and messages with varying success. Internet searches including weather forecasts and general queries fared a bit better, though the performance of app-based commands that rely on user privileges was spotty at best.
Overall, Siri works faster and more accurately understands our voice, but Bixby is more capable especially when it comes to requests to do specific things on the device like sending photos, changing settings, opening, using, and closing apps, and creating contacts. Apple's strict privacy and security protocols are to blame for many of Siri's shortcomings, as iOS limits voice commands to a very narrow set of actions.
That said, Bixby is a very capable assistant despite being fairly new to market. It's wide purview over Galaxy system controls is especially useful, though some users might find such access disconcerting.