Need some help choosing the right Samsung smartphone? Our list has something to suit everyone, from the latest flagship Samsung Galaxy to midrange handsets.
Looking for the best Samsung phones? Samsung’s lines, particularly the well-regarded Galaxy series, include a wide range of models for different types of users, and there’s something to suit all budgets. Picking one out on your own can be hard, but we’ve fully tested the range to create our list of the best Samsung smartphones.
After much debate, we’ve landed on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra as our choice for the best overall Samsung smartphone because of its impressive screen, excellent camera, and substantial battery life. We’ve got suggestions for the best midrange Samsung smartphone, Samsung’s best foldable, and the best productivity smartphone from Samsung coming up too, among others. Our list of the top Samsung phones includes details on what makes them great plus links to in-depth reviews for each phone. Check it out below to see which phone is best for you.
Why you should buy this: You get a slim, elegant smartphone with a gorgeous screen, a highly capable camera, and outstanding battery life.
Who it’s for: Anybody looking for the most powerful smartphone Samsung has to offer.
Why we picked the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: The S22 Ultra is expensive looking with its sleek, flat design — even though that can mean it’s kind of slippery in hand —and the raised camera module of its predecessor is gone. It’s also the dearest of the S22 range. It features a stunning 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED screen, and weighs in at 229 grams, making it the heaviest in the series too. You can pick it up in a range of sophisticated colors, including Burgundy, Green, Phantom Black, and Phantom White.
The display is stunning, with a 3088 x 1440 pixel resolution, support for HDR10+, and a whopping 1,750 nits of brightness that ensures everything looks stunning, even outdoors under direct sunlight. The adaptive 120Hz refresh rate helps conserve battery life and makes a real difference to the phone’s performance, particularly when playing the latest demanding games.
Dig deeper and the S22 packs a powerful punch. In the U.S., you’re getting the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, while in Europe, the U.K., and some other markets, you’ll get Samsung’s Exynos 2200 chip. The base model packs 8GB of RAM with 128GB of storage, but you can upgrade to 12GB of RAM and 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of onboard storage, though, as with its predecessor, there’s no microSD card slot here. Whichever variant you choose, the S22 Ultra should give you zero performance issues, and it’s an excellent multitasker.
Battery life hasn’t changed from the S21 Ultra: The 5,000mAh battery easily gets you through a day of heavy use, including playing the latest games and watching videos. Lighter use may see you through two days. There’s also faster 45W charging, so you’ll be juiced up again in no time — though you won’t find a 45W charging brick in the box — as well as 15W wireless charging and reverse PowerShare.
The cameras here are impressive too: a 108-megapixel main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto (10x optical zoom), and 10MP telephoto (3x optical zoom) plus a 40MP selfie camera and 8K video recording. Samsung’s added some great features like Nightography this time around: the Big Pixel Sensor lets in more light with minimal noise, while the Super Clear Glass and Lens tone down lens flare for excellent shots in low-light conditions. There’s also improved 3x, 10x, and 30x zoom.
But perhaps the main standout feature here is the addition of the S Pen. With the demise of the Galaxy Note, the S22 Ultra steps up with a built-in S Pen ready to tackle your productivity tasks, and do lots of fun things. The S Pen features a new, grippy coating and has a quicker response time than ever before. It stashes handily away in the bottom of the phone when not in use.
The S22 Ultra is one of the most forward-looking phones you can buy right now, with its powerful processor, excellent cameras, and gorgeous display. right now and you’ll get upgraded to the 256GB variant for free.
If you can’t quite justify the price of the S22 Ultra, the Galaxy S22 is an excellent alternative that will save you $400 — and if you buy from Samsung, you’ll get a free upgrade to the 256GB variant. Compared to the S22 Ultra, it’s a whole lot more compact, with its 6.1-inch screen, yet it boasts the same processor. However, battery life is disappointing, with its 3,700mAh battery seeing around four to five hours of screen-on time with fairly demanding usage. Lighter usage should see it last through a full day, but there are still some issues with idle battery loss here.
Charging is slower than the S22 Ultra too, at 25 watts, and there’s no charger in the box. Finally, the rear camera packs a triple rather than a quad lens. It’s lighter than the S22 Ultra, weighing in at 168 grams, so if you prefer your phones pocketable or like to use them one-handed, the Galaxy S22 is an excellent choice.
Why you should buy this: Now the Galaxy Note is no more, the Fold 4 is a productivity buff’s dream, with its dual display, up to 1TB of storage, and robust yet light Armor Aluminum frame.
Who it’s for: Anybody who wants a productivity punch and top-notch specs bundled into a foldable format.
Why we picked the Galaxy Z Fold 4: Put simply, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is the best phone for productivity on the market right now, sporting a cool foldable form factor. You can pick the phone up in Gray Green, Phantom Black, Beige, or a Samsung-exclusive Burgundy color. The first thing you’ll notice are the productivity-focused dual screens: The 6.2-inch front display and 7.6-inch main display both boast a 120Hz variable refresh rate that adapts depending on what you’re doing. There’s a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, and a robust yet lightweight Armor Aluminum frame with Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the cover screen and back, for added durability.
With the Z Fold 4, you’re getting the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip in both the U.S. and U.K., with 12GB RAM and up to 1TB of onboard storage, though there’s no microSD card slot. The 4,400mAh battery should see you through most days with plenty of change, and there’s up to 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging, though there’s no charger in the box.
On the camera front there’s a 50MP main sensor, a 12MP wide-angle lens, and a 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom and digital 30x Space Zoom mode. There’s also a 4MP Under Display Camera.
But where the Z Fold 4 stands out is its productivity features. There’s support for the S Pen, but no storage slot, though you can pick up a case with included storage. The Z Fold 4 comes with Android 12L with One UI 4.4.1, which gives you the Taskbar. This works like a Windows PC taskbar to allow quick switching between apps, yet handily disappears when you don’t want it — for example, when watching full-screen videos.
You can use up to three apps on the unfolded screen and add a fourth app over the top, which can be used as a floating window. Altering the shape and size of each app window is a breeze, and it’s really easy to activate multitasking. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 also works with Samsung’s DeX mode, turning your smartphone into a desktop computer as well as providing access to Microsoft’s Xbox Games Pass. You’ll also get 5G connectivity and four Android OS updates, as well as five years of security updates, ensuring this phone will last for years to come.
You can pre-order the Galaxy Z Fold 4 from Samsung right now, starting from $1,800. The phone goes on general sale from August 26.
Our runner-up is the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Though it currently costs around the same as the Z Fold 4, it’s likely to drop in price once Samsung’s next-gen foldable goes on general sale at the end of August. Both screens are the same size, but it boasts a narrower form factor, there’s a slightly less powerful processor (the Snapdragon 888), and the same 4,400mAh battery. You get the same 25W charging speeds, though wireless charging speeds are a smidge slower at 11W. You also get up to 512GB of storage compared to the up to 1TB on offer with the Galaxy Z Fold 4, and the same 12GB of RAM. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a worthy contender to the new Z Fold 4, with only minor differences between the two, but it’s definitely worth waiting until it comes down in price.
Why you should buy this: The S22 Ultra packs one of the best smartphone cameras around right now, with 8K video recording and quirky A.
