Best Samsung Phones: Quick Menu
Alongside Apple, Samsung is perhaps the world’s most prominent phone maker, with a reputation for creating feature-rich devices with great camera technology, refined designs and heaps of innovation.
There’s a level of ability and consistency from Samsung’s phones that frequently lands them in several of our top buying guides; especially prominent lists like best Android phones and even best smartphones, when it comes to the company’s Galaxy S devices.
The company spends a huge amount of time and effort refining its phones’s photographic and video capture capabilities too, paying off by landing them in our best camera phones guide time and again, as well.
If you’re looking for something cutting edge, the company’s has cemented itself as the defining brand within the current foldables market too, with its latest Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 being among the best foldables in the world, right now.
We’ve tested thousands of devices over the years, from the best iPhones to the best cheap phones and best gaming phones, so we know what we’re talking about.
Read on as we take you through the best Samsung phones, with links to our in-depth reviews included alongside a quick overview of each model.
The quick list
This section gives you an abridged rundown of our pick of Samsung’s top phones, available right now. With details on design, key features and specs, our reasoning for why each phone is worth your time and money, and a star rating based of our in-depth reviews, which you’ll also find links to down below.
1. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
The best Samsung phone
A groundbreaking camera and bespoke chipset make the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra the best Samsung phone money can buy right now.
Read more below
The best value Samsung phone
Good looks, an excellent display and impressive cameras combine to make the Galaxy A54 one of the best value options on the market.
Read more below
3. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
The best foldable Samsung phone
Not just the best foldable Samsung but also the best foldable overall, the Z Fold 5 is a do-everything device with few compromises. Pricey, though.
Read more below
4. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
The best clamshell Samsung phone
The compact Z Flip 5 fixes most of its predecessor’s biggest flaws to become, without question, the best clamshell phone you can buy.
Read more below
5. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
The best Samsung phone from 2022
A big, powerful, and attractive Android phone with incredible cameras plus S Pen-enabled productivity smarts. Better value now than last year.
Read more below
The best compact Samsung flagship
The standard S23 is small, fast, and offers a reliable Android experience on what is mostly an incremental update. Buy it if you don’t need a bigger screen.
Read more below
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7. Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus
The best compromise option
The Galaxy S23 Plus is a good compromise between the bigger and more expensive Ultra and the smaller base S23.
The best discounted option
Now over a year old, Samsung’s former Galaxy flagship is a great option if you’re after a top-tier Android for a lower price.
The best budget Samsung phone
The Galaxy A13 is a seriously cheap smartphone that manages to be good enough in most of the areas that matter.
The best Samsung phones in 2023
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Below you’ll find full write-ups for each of the best Samsung phones on our list. We’ve tested each one extensively, so you can be sure to trust our recommendations.
The best Samsung phone overall
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Buy it if
✅ You want the best camera phone: Put simply, the Galaxy S23 Ultra offers the best pocket-sized photography experience money can buy. Here, you’re getting an absolutely huge 200MP camera sensor, as well as a veritable smorgasbord of other photo capabilities that no other phone can match.
✅ You need as much power as possible: The Galaxy S23 Ultra delivers some phenomenally good performance. If you need a smartphone that can handle multiple power-hungry tasks at once, there’s really no better device on the market.
✅ You want the best Android phone: There’s little the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra doesn’t do and do well by modern smartphone standards. It has everything you could need as an Android fan, plus a few extras.
Don’t buy it if:
❌ You’re on a budget: The S23 Ultra is eye-wateringly expensive, and even pricier than its predecessor in a lot of markets.
❌ You don’t like big phones: The S23 Ultra is not just big: the squared silhouette of this mammoth phone means it’s especially poorly suited to pockets. One-handed use is a challenge, even if you do have big paws.
❌ You hate One UI: Samsung’s take on Android, with its own fonts, additional features and distinct aesthetic, won’t be for everyone. It’s customisable, but you won’t be able to hide the Samsung-specific touches outright.
The bottom line
📱 The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the very best of what Samsung can pack into a smartphone. Provided you’re not dissuaded by its steep asking price, the phone’s tougher build, faster memory, more efficient battery, custom-tuned chipset and new 200MP main camera make the Galaxy S23 Ultra one of the best handsets in the world. ★★★★½
What you need to know
Despite looking identical to the S22 Ultra, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is packed with improvements that help it rank as the best Samsung phone available in 2023. In a nutshell, this phone has a tougher build, faster memory, a more efficient battery, a custom-tuned chipset and a new 200MP main camera that blows its competitors out of the water.
Design: The S23 Ultra offers only subtle refinements to its predecessor’s already excellent design. There’s a similar pill-shaped top-down profile, with curved front and back glass feeding into a metal frame. One change is the reduced radius of the curved edges of the display, which offers a greater flat surface area.
Display: Aside from that reduced curvature along its edges, the S23 Ultra’s display offers a familiar viewing experience to its predecessor. As on last year’s Ultra, you get a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel, with a resolution of 1440 x 3088 and a dynamic refresh rate that can scale between 1Hz and 120Hz.
Camera: The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s camera setup is incredibly versatile. It boasts a wide, ultrawide, and two telephoto cameras, giving you optical zoom at 3x and 10x, respectively. Add to that an absolutely huge 200MP sensor for the primary camera, and the S23 is easily the best camera phone money can buy.
Performance: Previously, Galaxy S phones were powered by either Samsung’s own Exynos or Qualcomm’s Snapdragon silicon, but the S23 series has the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset worldwide. This eliminates performance disparities that previously left users of Exynos-powered phones feeling behind the curve. And it’s fast. Very fast.
Battery life: The S23 Ultra keeps the same 5,000mAh battery as its predecessor, as well as the latter’s support for 45W wired charging, and wireless and reverse wireless charging. In testing, the phone delivered some of the longest screen-on time per charge (approximately eight hours) of any device we’ve sampled recently.
Value for money: Naturally, the S23 Ultra’s phenomenal hardware comes at a price, and the phone is even pricier than the S22 Ultra in a lot of markets. No handset that demands a four-figure sum can reasonably be described as ‘good value’ – but if you can afford it, this is the best Samsung phone money can buy.
Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Double the storage, but even more expensive that the S22 Ultra in most markets | ★★★☆☆ |
| Design | Attractive and well built, but no more pocketable than its predecessor | ★★★★☆ |
| Display | A stunning display with even greater color accuracy than previously | ★★★★★ |
| Camera | Iconic Ultra versatility with a new sensor that improves low light shooting | ★★★★★ |
| Performance | The best-performing Android phone, if not the best-performing phone outright | ★★★★★ |
| Battery life | Efficiency improvements deliver far greater battery life | ★★★★★ |
The best value Samsung phone
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Buy it if
✅ You want a stylish mid-ranger: Although it’s a little chunky, the A54 is a good-looking phone, with a clean design and some noteworthy colors to consider, not to mention it’s IP-certified against dust and water ingress.
✅ You want a strong camera at a mid-range price: The Galaxy A54 might not be the best cameraphone out there on a budget, but it’s a competent all-rounder, with some smart features and surprisingly good low-light performance.
✅ You plan on using this phone for a long time: While the chipset might not have the most grunt in the world, so long as Samsung keeps to its promise of four years of OS updates and five years of security updates, the A54 should have much better staying power than a lot of similarly-specced or priced rivals.
Don’t buy it if:
❌ You value performance overall: While the A54’s software promise is strong, like its predecessors, Samsung’s latest mid-ranger still feels a little behind the curve when it comes to raw power. It’s not a problem from the get-go, but does raise questions about how well the user experience will age.
❌ You want the best bang for your buck: The A54 isn’t priced badly, but it’s also not the best deal out there, considering what it has to offer; this is particularly true in the UK, where the generational price hike is an added sting.
❌ You hate One UI: Samsung’s build of Android doesn’t look or behave quite like the cleaner experiences found on the likes of Pixel and Motorola phones, so keep that in mind if you’re not comfortable with change.
The bottom line
📱 The Samsung Galaxy A54 is the cornerstone of Samsung’s 2023 A-series mid-rangers and packs in some nice upgrades over its predecessor, even if battery life claims fall a little short of what’s promised. ★★★★
What you need to know
The A54 is essentially a ‘lite’ version of the Galaxy S23 further down this list, bringing lots of ‘S-range’ features to a lower price point. It’s not the absolute cheapest phone Samsung makes by some distance, but it unquestionably mid-range, and definitely worth considering if you’re on a budget.
Design: The phone measures 158.2 × 76.7 × 8.2mm and weighs 202g, so we’d call it medium-sized. It’s not so big that it’s uncomfortable to use, so long as your mitts aren’t massive. It’s also undeniably attractive; adopting the floating camera design language found on the S23 series. Other colorways are similarly pretty.
Display: The Samsung Galaxy A54 boasts one of the best-looking screens you’ll see on a phone for this price. It’s a vibrant, colorful 6.4-inch Super AMOLED panel, with a FHD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate and 1,000 nits max brightness, marking some nice upgrades over its predecessor.
Cameras: The main camera is an optically stabilized 50MP f/1.8 sensor, joined by a 12MP ultra-wide and – after ditching its predecessor’s depth sensor (thanks to all-focus pixels on the new main sensor) – a 5MP f/2.4 macro sensor. The snappers take photos that are bright and colorful, which makes shots of wildlife, food, landscapes or people ‘pop’. There’s good dynamic range for a phone at this price and pictures are sharp too, as long as you take them on the main camera.
Performance: The Galaxy A54 may lap same-price rivals in the camera and display departments, but it falls behind on performance. The chip here is the Exynos 1380, which is a home-brewed piece of mid-range kit from Samsung – and, while capable, doesn’t measured up to similarly-priced rivals.
Battery life: The 5,000mAh battery is on the big side, though we see lots of mid-rangers pack this kind of power. That bright screen and 5G require a lot of juice, and we found that the phone comfortably lasted a day between charges, but no more.
Value for money: The Samsung Galaxy A54 gives you some surprisingly top-end specs for its price in some departments, but in others it’s weaker than its rivals.
Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy A54
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Worse value than key rivals but better than its predecessor | ★★★½ |
| Design | A chunkier rendition of Samsung’s flagship design language, with IP68 certification | ★★★★ |
| Display | A lovely screen with nice upgrades over the A53 | ★★★★ |
| Performance | Adequate but behind rivals | ★★★½ |
| Cameras | Suprising image quality that surpasses expectations | ★★★★½ |
| Battery life | Samsung overpromised but a comfortable day’s use in in reach | ★★★½ |
The best foldable Samsung phone
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Buy it if
✅ You want two devices in one: There’s a decent, if narrow smartphone on the outside and a lovely mini tablet within. It’s a flexible and versatile Android 13 device.
✅ You’re ready to try a foldable phone: Even though the Google Pixel Fold has a better cover display, Samsung’s Z Fold 5 is the more refined foldable experience, especially when you unfold it and look at the main screen, which cuts down the bezel and gives you a more expansive display.
✅ You want quality photography: Samsung didn’t change the cameras on the Z Fold 5, but they’re still a formidable collection of lenses and are now backed by the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, for better image processing.
Don’t buy it if:
❌ You’re on a budget: At $1,799, this is one of the most expensive Android phones on the market. At the very least, look for deals before you buy.
❌ You want faster-charging: The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 can fast charge at an okay speed, through wired or wireless powering, but most top-end and even mid-range phones power up more quickly.
❌ You demand the best in camera optics: For the best in Samsung photography, you’ll have to look elsewhere, like at the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, which has higher megapixels and 10x optical zoom.
The bottom line
📱The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a do-everything device that presents few compromises. It’s good for photography, multi-tasking and watching Netflix, and it finally folds flat. However the high price might put off some buyers. ★★★★½
What you need to know
With the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, Samsung hasn’t tried to reinvent the genre or radically alter the foldable’s display or design, save for the ability to finally fold flat. Instead, it brings a number of small-but-welcome enhancements over the Z Fold 4, plus a new processor but leaves further room for improvement.
Design: While the Z Fold 5 isn’t radically different from the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, its flat-folding form design finally addresses the series’ biggest design faux pas. Excellent build quality and IP-certified water resistance make it a trend-setter.
Display: The main screen is a 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 2176 x 1812 resolution and which supports an adaptive refresh rate of 1 to 120Hz. The low end of the range is useful for saving battery life by not refreshing the screen when it’s not needed, while the high end means smoother gameplay and video action. The cover screen, meanwhile, is a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED panel with a 2316 x 904 resolution. It also has an adaptive refresh rate, but the narrow aspect ratio isn’t the best.
Camera: The Z Fold 5 has similar sensors underneath (though they’re backed by a more powerful chipset here) to the previous two generations of Fold, and the same. There’s also a selfie camera on the cover screen, and a low-grade selfie cam under the main screen.
Performance: We’re happy that the Z Fold 5 has Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, as it needs all the power it can get for the multi-tasking gymnastics it’s capable of.
Battery life: The battery lasted approximately 15 hours, which is pretty good, though we would’ve liked more. Still, getting that far is a testament to the chipset’s power-management capabilities.
Value for money: It’s one of the most expensive phones – especially if you go for more than the base 256GB of storage. But if you want the best foldable on the planet, that’s the current price you’ll have to pay.
Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Expensive, but it’s a 2-in-1 device. Price should include S Pen | ★★★★ |
| Design | Samsung made it thinner, lighter, and flatter but might want to rethink the cover screen width | ★★★★ |
| Display | Cover display is pretty but now fees cramped. Even with crease, Main display is excellent | ★★★★ |
| Camera | These are good cameras but no movement on optics and sensors since Z Fold 4 | ★★★★ |
| Performance | Qualcomm’s custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Samsung is a winner | ★★★★½ |
| Battery life | Improved battery life over the Fold 4 but could be better | ★★★★½ |
The best clamshell Samsung phone
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Buy it if
✅ You want the most powerful clamshell foldable on the market: The Z Flip 5 offers flagship performance against folding foes that just don’t quite pack as much of a punch.
✅ You want a durable foldable: Sure that Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back picks up cosmetic scratches more readily than we’d like, but that doesn’t stop this from being one of the hardiest clamshells out there right now.
✅ You love creating content: The Flip 5’s form factor, paired with the expanded cover display mean you can setup to capture photos and videos basically anywhere; not to mention there’s plenty of space and power to store media and edit on the go.
Don’t buy it if:
❌ You’re on a tight budget: To be the best, you can’t skimp on parts, engineering, software support or anything really, and that means this clamshell champ comes at a premium, especially if you’re buying in markets other than the US.
❌ You want the best-looking clamshell foldable: While the engineering that’s gone into improving the Flip 5’s design is undeniable, it just doesn’t look as good as Motorola’s latest Razr Plus / Razr 40 Ultra; not least because the colorways this year feel a little insipid, especially when sat next to the Razr’s eye-watering Viva Magenta signature hue.
❌ You hate One UI: While Samsung’s One UI is a powerful and highly customizable take on Android, it looks pretty different to more-stock takes on Android from the likes of Google, Sony or Motorola, so comes with an additional learning curve.
The bottom line
📱 The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 addresses some of the Flip 4’s biggest pain points; mainly by way of more usable battery life and a design that truly folds flat, plus that larger cover display expands on its functionality. Price versus performance remains unmatched, not least because this is still one of the only water-resistant foldables out there. ★★★★½
What you need to know
Samsung didn’t reinvent its clamshell-style foldable, but the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 does all that it needs to do for the company to hold onto its foldable crown.
Design: A more prominent improvement compared to the move from the Z Flip 3 to the Flip 4. The black ‘visor’ has been replaced by a more expansive external cover display and it now officially folds flat. It’s also the hardiest clamshell foldable out there, thanks in part to IP-certified water resistance.
Display: You get a 6.7-inch Full HD+ (2640 x 1080) ‘Dynamic AMOLED 2X’ panel with a pleasantly smooth 120Hz refresh rate that can scale down to 1Hz to extend battery life. The external cover display, which now covers the top half of the phone’s exterior expands functionality massively.
Camera: You’ll find three cameras on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, which at first blush look very familiar to those on the Z Flip 4’s. Aside from a new lens coating to reduce lens flare, the main upgrades come in the form of image processing improvements and new FlexCam features.
Performance: Although the Flip 5 focuses on compact portability over the Fold 5’s productivity, it doesn’t skimp on performance, with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 silicon running the show.
Battery life: After disappointing longevity from previous entries in the Flip series, the power efficiency of the chip, paired with a 3,700mAh battery, mean all-day battery life is now possible. Wireless charging in a clamshell is also a welcome novelty.
Value for money: There’s a lot more competition in the flagship foldable space in the time of the Z Flip 5, but the design, hardware and software blend means that even at this phone’s high price, it’s still one of the smartest buys in its category.
Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Pricey but still the best value clamshell foldable | ★★★½ |
| Design | The best-designed clamshell and the only one with water resistance | ★★★★★ |
| Display | A great viewing experiences and a greatly improved cover screen | ★★★★½ |
| Camera | Lacks optical zoom but great for selfies | ★★★★ |
| Performance | More grunt than you might expect | ★★★★½ |
| Battery life | The Flip 5 can finally last all day | ★★★★ |
The best 2022 Samsung phone
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Buy it if
✅ You’re a productivity junkie: Beyond its successor, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more capable mobile device than the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
✅ You’re a compulsive note-taker or artist: If you love to take notes by hand, or you’re an artist who has brilliant ideas on the go, the S Pen is now always with you. It’s also versatile enough to support everything from scribble-to-text conversions to fine art creation, simple doodles, and markup.
✅ You love photography: The camera array here is excellent, and the zoom capabilities will finally let you capture what your eyes can see. The S23 offers even more, but this is still a great camera.
Don’t buy it if:
❌ You thought you’d get two days of battery life: The phone’s 5,000mAh battery is huge, but so is the phone. That screen and the powerful mobile CPU might be a little more power-hungry than expected. You’ll still get a very full day (sunrise to well-past sunset) though.
❌ You have tiny hands: This is a big phone. Even the curved edges don’t completely cut down on the size. Also, yes, it’s a slippery device. Want a smaller Galaxy S? Look at the S23 here or the S23 Plus here.
❌ You’re a fan of wired headphones: If you still rely on 3.5mm, wired headphones, this isn’t the phone for you. Samsung removed the 3.5mm headphone jack from the device (and does not ship with a wired set of headphones). Naturally, the handset works like a charm with wireless and Bluetooth earbuds.
The bottom line
📱 The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is a big, powerful, and attractive Android phone (if you like them monolithic). It’s super-versatile, ready for important work, hand-written notes, gaming, and casual big-screen web browsing – and the cameras are a clear highlight, with the Space Zoom capabilities taking you to infinity and beyond. And, yes, you’ll pay handily for all these features. ★★★★½
What you need to know
Though it’s now been superseded by the S23 Ultra, last year’s model remains a fantastic choice for anyone who wants a big, powerful phone – not least because its price has dropped since the 2023 version landed.
Design: The frame is a solid Armor Aluminum that resists bends. Polished on the outside to a near-chrome finish, the metal is sandwiched between Gorilla Glass Victus+ plates. The front glass is high-gloss, and the back is a warm satin finish; both repel fingerprints. It’s also waterproof to the IP68 rating.
Display: The 6.8-inch AMOLED screen is another highlight. It supports up to 3088 x 1440 pixels (WQHD+) resolution, which works out to 500 ppi and which matches the S23 Ultra. The iPhone 13 Pro Max, by contrast, has 458ppi on its 6.7-inch 2778 x 1284 screen. It’s worth noting that the S22 Ultra’s default resolution is the lower FHD+, which Samsung says uses less battery life – although we switched halfway through our testing and didn’t notice much difference.
Cameras: The camera is an obvious highlight on the S22 Ultra. There are two 10MP telephoto lenses: one is f/2.4 with a 36-degree field of view (FOV) and the other is f/4.9 with an 11-degree FOV. There’s also a 12MP ultrawide with a 120-degree FOV, plus a 108MP main wide camera (f/1.8) with an 85-degree FOV. The S22 Ultra’s zoom capabilities simply blow away anything we’ve ever seen before from a phone camera. Obviously, the 3x and 10x optical zoom are not only solid but offer clear images of distant objects with enough clarity that you can crop in on details without seeing much pixelation.
Performance: Over almost a week of intense testing, the S22 Ultra never let us down. It’s a fast and powerful phone. The 4nm processor (in our test phone it’s the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset – UK or Australia get Samsung’s own Exynos 2200 chipset) doesn’t outperform Apple’s A15 Bionic in Geekbench benchmarks, but raw numbers never tell the full story. Apple’s numbers are better, but the S22 Ultra didn’t feel any slower across all tasks. Perhaps the only situation where we detected a small stutter was on 8K video playback.
Battery life: Like the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the S22 Ultra features a beefy 5,000mAh battery and wireless charging. In our tests, the battery was good for a full day of varied activity but not much more. We were a little surprised that such a large battery didn’t provide a day and a half of battery life.
Value for money: The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is a premier phone at a premier price, but that price is now slightly lower than it was before the arrival of the S23. Given all that you’re getting here, it’s arguably better value than the 2023 model – although of course you do miss out on upgrades to the camera, battery life and processor.
Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Expensive, but there are often great deals | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Solid, attractive, Note-like design | ★★★★★ |
| Display | Big, S Pen-friendly and high-resolution | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | Not the absolute fastest, but more than enough power for most | ★★★★☆ |
| Cameras | Excellent overall and Space Zoom will blow you away | ★★★★★ |
| Battery life | Good but could be better | ★★★★☆ |
The best compact Samsung flagship
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Buy it if
✅ You’re on a budget: This isn’t the cheapest Android phone, but it’s a good deal for a top-of-the-line Samsung S-series handset.
✅ You want a small phone: The 6.1-inch Galaxy S23 is just what smaller hands ordered, so if you find most modern mobiles too big, this is a great alternative. We think it looks great, too.
✅ You need a powerful phone: Qualcomm’s bespoke Snapdragon Gen 2 chipset will give you plenty of power for gaming, video editing and other demanding tasks.
Don’t buy it if:
❌ You have big-screen dreams: A 6.1-inch display, even an FHD one like this, can feel a little cramped, especially if you’ve been living with a 6.5-inch or above handset.
❌ Your budget stretches to the Ultra: We’ve not been shy about our preference for the S23 Ultra – if you can afford that super-powered Android phone, we’d recommend you go for it.
❌ You have a recent Samsung S phone: If you’re only upgrading from the S21 or S22, the fact that this is an incremental upgrade might put you off – not too much is new here beyond processing power.
The bottom line
📱 The Samsung Galaxy S23 isn’t the biggest handset or best photography phone around, but it does offer a clean and reliable Android experience. It’s an incremental update over its predecessor, but upgrades to the phone’s design, processor, and selfie camera are welcome. ★★★★
What you need to know
The Samsung Galaxy S23 is the small fry of the Galaxy S23 range, but it’s easily one of the most capable Samsung phones ever made and, quite possibly, the best-looking of the lot.
Design: Like its predecessor, the Galaxy S23 is a phone that’s small enough to slip into your pocket and forget about. In today’s world of oversized phones (like the larger Galaxy S23 Ultra detailed above, its 146.3 x 70.86 x 7.62mm chassis feels puny, but Samsung has done a great job of making it look sleek.
Display: The S23’s 6.1-inch display remains the same as its predecessor’s, which is by no means a bad thing. The 120Hz refresh rate and crisp 1080 x 2340 resolution keep things feeling smooth and looking sharp, while the phone is plenty bright enough to maintain good visibility in sunlight.
Cameras: The S23’s rear camera array is identical to that of the S22. You’ll get a 50MP main lens, 12MP ultrawide lens and 10MP telephoto lens (with 3x optical zoom), which rivals Apple’s iPhone 14 phones. It would have been nice to see Samsung give the S23 a 108MP main lens, but the device does get an impressive 12MP selfie camera that trumps its predecessor’s equivalent.
Performance: As with the S23 Ultra, the base S23 boasts Qualcomm’s bespoke Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset across the board. Practically, Qualcomm’s latest processor delivers exceptional performance for all manner of mobile tasks, so you’ll rarely find yourself lacking power with the S23.
Battery life: The Galaxy S23 gets a slightly bigger battery than the S22, with Samsung jumping from 3,700mAh to 3,900mAh. The phone supports the same peak 25W wired charging as the S22, though, along with fast wireless charging and wireless PowerShare.
Value for money: The vanilla S23 is a (relatively) affordable way to get in at the top of the Galaxy line. Naturally, you don’t get everything the Ultra offers, but that’s why this phone is far cheaper.
Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy S23
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Samsung boosted the power but held the line on price | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | It’s a clean look that holds onto all that’s good about the S22 | ★★★★☆ |
| Display | Gorgeous, bright, and smooth; all you can ask for in a smartphone display | ★★★★★ |
| Camera | A great camera array backed by better image processing, but we wanted more | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | The best silicon a Galaxy S phone has ever had | ★★★★★ |
| Battery life | All-day-and-more battery life that won’t let you down | ★★★★★ |
The best compromise Galaxy phone
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Buy it if:
✅ You want a top-tier Android flagship: The S23 Plus will remain a top-tier handset for several years thanks to its industry-leading processor and magnificent display.
✅ The Galaxy S23 is too small: Although we prefer the Galaxy S23’s more compact size, the S23 Plus is perfect for those who’ve grown accustomed to beefier phones.
✅ You need long-lasting battery life: The S23 Plus has a giant 4,700mAh battery, which is 200mAh larger than the one in its predecessor and 800mAh larger than the battery in the standard Galaxy S23.
Don’t buy it if:
❌ You’re on a budget: The S23 Plus is more affordable than the S23 Ultra, but the S23 is cheaper still. Given that the Plus doesn’t offer much more beyond a bigger screen and battery, the base model may be a better fit for you.
❌ You own the S22 Plus: Despite its slightly superior battery life, processor and storage options, the S23 Plus is not a must-upgrade device for S22 Plus owners.
❌ You want the best camera phone: The S23 Plus’ high price isn’t justified in the camera department. For the best Samsung camera phone, pick up the S23 Ultra instead.
The bottom line
📱 The Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus bundles its smaller sibling’s impressive design, performance and camera credentials into a larger but more expensive package. As such, it may prove an attractive proposition for Galaxy newcomers in the market for a big-screen all-rounder, but anyone with the means to make the more rewarding jump up to the Galaxy S23 Ultra should consider doing so. ★★★★
What you need to know
The Galaxy S23 Plus is an excellent like-for-like alternative to the standard S23, but its significantly higher price makes it a hard sell to anyone content with its smaller sibling’s much more compact size. What’s more, since there aren’t too many notable upgrades over the S22 Plus to be found here beyond processing power, battery life and more storage options, this is probably a phone best suited to Galaxy newcomers – or those who just aren’t able to shell out on the eye-wateringly expensive S23 Ultra.
Design: Thanks to the removal of Samsung’s once iconic Contour Cut metalwork from around the camera array, the S23 Plus boasts the same attractive design as the standard 23, albeit in a larger 76.2 x 157.73 x 7.62mm package.
Display: The S23 Plus’ 6.6-inch, 2316 x 1080-pixel screen is big, bright, and responsive, even if largely unchanged from its predecessor. The phone’s adaptive refresh rate and brightness settings are a big positive, too.
Camera: The S23 Plus has the same three rear cameras as its predecessor: a 50MP f1.8 main, a 12MP f2.2 ultrawide and a 10MP f2.4 telephoto with 3x optical zoom. On the front, you’re getting an improved 12MP camera. This isn’t a bad setup, by any means, but we hoped the S23 Plus would inherit the S22 Ultra’s 108MP sensor.
Performance: The S23 Plus boasts a bespoke Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset that delivers industry-leading performance. Whether you’re rapidly swiping across its home screen, multitasking with various apps or photographing using one of its power-hungry camera modes, the phone is near-flawlessly responsive, and gaming is impressive, too.
Battery life: The S23 Plus’ 4,700mAH battery is larger than its standard sibling’s equivalent and delivers almost two days’ worth of charge. The phone supports 45W wired fast charging, too, where the smaller S23 only supports 25W.
Value for money: A $999.99 / £1,049 / AU$1,649 starting price for a phone of this quality is to be expected, but we’d suggest opting for the more reasonably priced standard S23 if you’re not fussed about the Plus’ larger display and battery size.
Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | In line with other premium phones | ★★★☆☆ |
| Design | Handsome look, but impractical button positioning | ★★★★☆ |
| Display | Big, good looking but not exceptional | ★★★★☆ |
| Camera | Strong rear camera setup, but minimal improvements over predecesor | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | Industry-leading power thanks to bespoke Snapdragon processor | ★★★★★ |
| Battery life | Almost two days of general use | ★★★★★ |
The best discounted Galaxy phone
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Buy it if:
✅ You want a former flagship for a good price: Now over a year old, the still excellent Galaxy S22 is discounted at several retailers (including Amazon) in 2023.
✅ You want a small phone: The 6.1-inch Galaxy S22 is just what smaller hands ordered, so if you find most modern mobiles too big, this is a great alternative.
✅ You need a powerful phone: Despite no longer being top-of-the-line, the Galaxy S22’s chipset will still give you plenty of power for gaming, video editing and everything else.
Don’t buy it if:
❌ You have big-screen dreams: The phone’s 6.1-inch display, even a FHD one like this, can feel a little cramped, especially if you’ve been living with a 6.5-inch or above handset.
❌ Your budget stretches to the Ultra: We’ve not been shy about our preference for the Galaxy S22 Ultra – if you can afford the jump, we recommend you go for it.
❌ You want the best vanilla Galaxy phone: The Galaxy S22 has since been replaced by the S23, which brings (admittedly minor) improvements to power and battery life.
The bottom line
📱 The Samsung Galaxy S22 is now more than a year old, but that doesn’t stop this former flagship from being an exceptionally solid – if not exactly groundbreaking – Android device. Put simply, the Galaxy S22 has enough of everything. It pushes no boundaries in terms of photography, screen size, or battery life, but its discounted price means it now compares even more favorably to Apple’s $799 / £849 / AU$1,339 iPhone 14. If you’re after a top-tier handset for a good price in 2023, look no further than this. ★★★★
What you need to know
The Samsung Galaxy S22 is the kind of phone you get if your tastes are upscale but your budget is a bit downrange. The phone’s 6.1-inch screen can feel cramped if you’re coming from virtually any similarly-priced Android handset, but its cameras should satisfy most average mobile photography users and its Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset (or Exynos chipset in regions outside of the US and Asia) is snappy and capable. In 2023, the S22 is also better value than ever.
Design: In today’s world of oversized phones (like the larger Galaxy S22 Ultra), the S22’s 70.6 x 146 x 7.6mm, 168g chassis feels puny, but it’s perfect for small hands.
Display: The edge-to-edge Dynamic AMOLED display has a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels, which is good, though it is lower than the iPhone 14’s Super Retina XDR 2532 x 1170 display. Samsung makes up for that deficit by having a smaller black bezel around the screen, and no intrusive notch.
Camera: The S22 has a capable (if unremarkable) three rear camera setup comprising a 50MP f1.8 main sensor, a 12MP f2.2 ultrawide sensor and a 10MP f2.4 telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom. On the front is a 10MP selfie camera, which is disappointingly unchanged from the Galaxy S21.
Performance: In the US and Asia, the S22 sports a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, while Samsung’s own Exynos 2200 processor takes up the mantle everywhere else. Both chipsets are paired with 8GB of RAM. In practice, the S22 packs more than enough power for casual mobile tasks, with extra juice on hand for videos, games, 4K video shooting, and editing.
Battery life: It’s not clear why Samsung opted to shrink the S22’s battery down by 300mAh (to 3,700mAh) versus its predecessor, but the impact proved negligible in our testing. We got roughly 12 hours of battery life with varied and almost constant use, which is perfectly adequate for a phone of this price.
Value for money: The S22 went on sale in February last year for $799 / £769 / AU$1,249, but the arrival of the S23 continues to push its price down. The phone is currently on sale for 10% less than RRP on Amazon, for instance.
Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy S22
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Although still pricey, the S22 is now better value than ever | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | For small hands, the S22 is perfect, though it may be too dinky for those used to beefier phones | ★★★★☆ |
| Display | Bright and responsive, but not market-leading | ★★★☆☆ |
| Camera | Competent, if unremarkable, three-camera setup | ★★★☆☆ |
| Performance | Regardless of the processor you get, the S22 is powerful enough for almost every task | ★★★★☆ |
| Battery life | Well over 12 hours of battery life is in line with comparable devices | ★★★★☆ |
The best budget Samsung phone
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Buy it if
✅ You need an affordable phone: You won’t find many brand new smartphones for less than the price of the Samsung Galaxy A13.
✅ You want a decent camera: The quad-lens camera on the back of the Samsung Galaxy A13 isn’t exactly going to wow you, but it’s one of the best snappers at this price.
✅ You’re a Samsung fan: The Samsung One UI skin for Android isn’t for everyone, but it does give you plenty in the way of customizations, as well as Samsung apps to replace most of the Google defaults.
Don’t buy it if:
❌ You want 5G: At the time of writing, there’s no 5G variant of the Samsung Galaxy A13 in the UK or Australian markets, while in the US the 5G model is a quite different phone.
❌ You need top performance: The Galaxy A13 has a slow processor and not much in the way of RAM. You’ll be able to get by, but don’t expect much more than that.
❌ You’d like premium extras: Sometimes, you get what you pay for – and the Samsung Galaxy A13 lacks some extras including wireless charging and waterproofing.
The bottom line
📱 While the Samsung Galaxy A13 is only ‘good enough’ in most of the areas that matter for a smartphone (from the camera to the battery life), its super-low price still makes it a tempting value-for-money deal. ★★★½
What you need to know
You can save yourself around $1,000 (or £1,000 or AU$1,500) by buying this phone instead of the lowest spec’d version of the Samsung Galaxy S22 elsewhere in this list – that’s a massive saving, though you’d be making some pretty major compromises along the way. It’s all a question of what you want from a smartphone… and how much you have to spend.
Design: This feels like a phone that’s going to last, and we like the way that the rear camera module is embedded into the back of the phone, up in the top left corner – something Samsung did in all of its 2022 Galaxy handsets.
Display: The Samsung Galaxy A13 comes with a 6.6-inch, 2408 x 1080 LCD screen that does a decent job with websites, photos, videos and games. It’s suitably bright, vivid and crisp, and while there’s no support for HDR or anything above a 60Hz refresh rate, we didn’t have any real complaints in this regard.
Cameras: There’s no doubt that spending a bit more money is going to get you a phone camera that captures significantly better pictures, but at the same time the Samsung Galaxy A13 isn’t going to let you down most of the time
Performance: You’ll be able to run everything you want to be able to run, but you’re going to have to put up with slower speeds than you would get from a more expensive handset.
Battery life: We tested the phone with an hour of video streaming at a low volume, and with the screen set to maximum brightness – that knocked the battery level down by 10%, suggesting around 10 hours of playback in total. Dim the screen and you’d be able to stretch that out further, so you’d be okay for watching films on long-distance trips.
Value for money: If you want value for money and you want Samsung, then the Galaxy A13 is worth a serious look. There are plenty of competing phones even at this low, low price point however, including the likes of the Moto G22 and the Nokia G21.
Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy A13
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Incredibly affordable | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Solidly built, unremarkable looks | ★★★★★ |
| Display | Decent size, just a standard 60Hz refresh rate | ★★★☆☆ |
| Camera | More lenses than you expect | ★★★☆☆ |
| Performance | Below average performance | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Battery life | Up to 2-days battery life on a charge | ★★★★☆ |
How to choose the best Samsung Galaxy phone
Different things are important to different people, but price, screen size and battery life are three key considerations for many buyers.
A big screen has obvious benefits – making the phone generally better for watching videos and playing games on, and even for using other apps, but this also makes the phone larger and generally heavier, as well as making it harder to use with one hand.
There are other important aspects to a screen too, such as their refresh rate and resolution, with higher numbers being universally better here.
Beyond that, consider what else matters to you in a phone – be it the power, the camera or anything else – and focus on getting something that’s good for that.
The entry for each of the best Samsung phones above details the key points, but if you’re still unsure then head through to our full reviews for more in-depth information.
How we test
How we test the best Samsung Galaxy phones
We only include phones that we’ve fully reviewed in this guide, so every entry has been extensively tested. As such, we can be confident of how each model compares to other Samsung phones, and to the wider smartphone landscape.
As well as the review score, we consider the specs of a phone, how well it all comes together in practice, how much it costs, how good value it is, and how it compares to the competition.
To come to these conclusions we’ll make use of every key feature of a phone, see how it performs under different circumstances, and see how the battery holds up under different use cases. We’ll also run benchmarks.
With all that information combined, we’re then able to see exactly how each Samsung phone stacks up.
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