The best Samsung phones for 2022: Best Galaxy phones around

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.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

Best overall Samsung smartphone

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.

Samsung Galaxy S22

Best overall runner-up

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.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4

Best productivity Samsung smartphone

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.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

Best productivity runner-up

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.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

Best Samsung camera smartphone

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.I. features like Single Take mode and Detail Enhancer.

Who it’s for: Anybody who loves taking photos — snaps taken on the S22 Ultra are amongst the best you’ll get with a smartphone.

Why we picked the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Although it’s already the winner of our best overall Samsung smartphone award, above, the Galaxy S22 Ultra deserves a second mention as the best Samsung camera smartphone. The quad-camera setup already sounds pretty great — a 108MP main, 12MP ultrawide, a 1oMP telephoto with 3x zoom, and a 10MP telephoto with 10x zoom — not to mention the 40MP selfie camera. But Samsung’s little extras help the S22 Ultra stand out.

There are improved 3x, 10x, and 30x zoom levels compared to the phone’s predecessor, with more natural and accurate colors. There’s also the newly-updated portrait mode, plus the versatile Single Take mode, which lets you shoot a video up to 20 seconds long. Then the phone’s AI generates multiple images and videos, such as filtered images, a slow-motion video, etc. This saves time spent wondering which mode to use and just lets you get to creating.

Speaking of creating, the S22 Ultra’s camera features are available in Instagram and Snapchat, so you can use different modes directly from these apps. There’s also Pro mode for stills and videos, plus the new Expert RAW app, which supports HDR capture, gives you control over telephoto cameras, and lets you save data as lossless files for editing in apps like Adobe Lightroom. Finally, there’s the Detail Enhancer, which uses Samsung’s AI to increase detail, sharpness, and color for shots taken with the 108MP main sensor.

Every image taken looks instantly pleasing with the S22 Ultra, so you’ll need to work pretty hard to take a bad shot. This is pretty much the best camera you’ll find on a smartphone right now, making it a great choice for amateur and pro photographers alike.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4

Best foldable Samsung smartphone

Why you should buy this: It’s the follow-up to Samsung’s best-selling foldable, the Z Flip 3, with a bigger battery, faster performance, slimmer hinge, and many more subtle — but important — improvements.

Who it’s for: Those who simply must have the latest and most popular foldable.

Why we picked the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4: The Z Flip 4 takes everything the Z Flip 3 offered — cute, compact design, a durable hinge, and excellent performance — and supercharges it. This time around, you’re getting an improved, refined design, with a slimmer hinge that feels just as satisfying to flip open and closed. The Z Flip 4 also boasts a flatter frame, giving it a sleeker, more appealing aesthetic compared to the rounded frame of the Z Flip 3.

There’s a 1.9-inch AMOLED cover screen with 260 x 512 resolution. Samsung has kept the cover screen the same size, but it’s still great for managing notifications or checking your calendar. Flipping the phone open reveals a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 2640 x 1080 resolution and variable 1Hz to 120Hz refresh rate.

You’re also able to choose from a wide range of colors, including Bora Purple, Pink Gold, Blue, and Graphite, as well as the Bespoke Edition, which allows you to customize the frame and front/back glass panel colors.

The Z Flip 4 packs Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip, with 8GB of RAM and up to 512GB internal storage (though there’s no microSD card slot here). This phone is fast; really fast. It flies through every task, handling multitasking with ease, and the processor combined with the variable refresh rate means everything is super smooth, too.

The Z Flip 4 also boasts improved battery life compared to its predecessor, courtesy of a beefier 3,700mAh dual cell battery. Combined with the new Snapdragon chip, battery life should be much improved, and you’re getting 25W wired charging, taking you from 0-50% charge in around 30 minutes. There’s also support for fast wireless charging and wireless PowerShare.

Finally: cameras. You’re getting a 12MP primary lens with optical image stabilization and dual pixel autofocus, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and a 10MP selfie camera. The main camera’s sensor allows for 65% brighter shots, meaning improved performance in low-light conditions. Added features like FlexCam, which lets you partially fold the phone, prop it up, and take photos at different angles, are a nice touch, and you can use this feature in Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook, as well as in the main camera app. There’s also Quick Shot mode, which lets you take portrait mode selfies and preview the results in the phone’s actual ratio.

If you’re in the market for a foldable, you won’t do better than the Z Flip 4. With an improved design, longer battery life, and powerful processor, it’s set to be every bit as much of a bestseller as the Z Flip 3. You can pre-order the Z Flip 4 from Samsung right now until August 25, starting from $1,000 for the 128GB variant. The phone goes on general sale from August 26.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3

Best foldable runner-up

Our runner-up is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, with its identical 6.7-inch 120Hz screen and 1.9-inch cover screen. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G chip, with 8GB RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage, but is let down by its minuscule 3,300mAh battery, which will really only see you through the day if you’re the lightest of users.

That said, if you’re after a Samsung foldable and want to save $100 (or more) you can grab the Z Flip 3 right now for $900 from Samsung — and once the Z Flip 4 lands, that price could drop further.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE

Best Samsung smartphone for gaming

Why you should buy this: You get flagship specs including an impressive 120Hz display, powerful performance, and a solid camera, plus Android 12 out of the box.

Who it’s for: Anybody who wants flagship specs and a gorgeous 120Hz screen for playing the latest games, without the S22’s price tag.

Why we picked the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE: The S21 FE launched at a bit of a strange time, almost a year after the S21 series landed (and its predecessor, the S20 FE) and right before the S22 reveal in February 2022. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth your time. It may be nothing to write home about design-wise, but it features a stunning 6.4-inch dynamic AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate that’s great for gaming, and comes in Graphite, Olive, Lavender, or White, depending on where you’re buying the phone.

First: that screen. With a 2400 x 1800 pixel resolution, the 1080p panel may not have the highest resolution, but this actually helps battery life, great for those lengthy gaming sessions. The phone is comfortable to hold one-handed, whether you’re grinding in Genshin Impact or playing COD: Mobile with friends. The display’s extremely bright too, so you’ll rarely need it set at full brightness, another boon for battery life. If we had one negative to say about the screen, it’s that accidental touches on the screen edge are frequent and could become annoying when playing some games, and those with larger fingers may also experience some issues with pressing small touch targets while gaming.

Under the hood, the S21 FE packs the same chip as the S21 Ultra: the Snapdragon 888 — though it’s a little disappointing Samsung didn’t pack in the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. That said, performance is great and this phone should be able to handle the latest games and multitasking with ease, although you may notice the occasional stutter with some more demanding games. You get 6GB or 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage too, but no microSD slot.

Heavy gamers might feel a little let down by the 4,500mAh battery. Yes, it should see you through a full day (unless you’re spending the entire day on Genshin Impact), but you’ll almost certainly need to top up come evening. Speaking of topping up, the phone has 25W fast charging and 15-watt wireless charging, the same as most of its competitors, so you’ll be back up and gaming quickly.

The cameras here aren’t anything particularly special and are very similar to the S20 FE. There’s a triple camera sensor with a 12MP main, 12MP ultrawide, and an 8MP telephoto, though the S21 FE can capture 1080p at 240fps. Results are great in daylight but you’ll need some ambient light to get anything good at night. Portrait mode does a brilliant job of picking out your subject’s edges while nicely blurring the background, but the zoom isn’t fantastic on this phone.

Overall, the S21 FE may seem like a strange buy when the S22 series is available, but for gaming enthusiasts looking for a phone with a bright 120Hz display and solid performance, it’s a great pick. Right now you can grab the 128GB version starting from $700 over at Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G

Best Samsung smartphone for battery life

Why you should buy this: As well as excellent battery life and a 6.5-inch 120Hz screen, the A53 5G packs a range of useful features including a microSD card slot and IP67 water resistance.

Who it’s for: Anybody looking for a capable, great value 5G phone offering two-day battery life.

Why we picked the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G: For $450, the Galaxy A53 5G is a no-brainer. It looks more expensive than it is, packs a gorgeous 6.5-inch super AMOLED screen and 5,000mAh battery, and comes in white, black, or two eye-catching shades, a sky blue or pale peach.

Weighing in at just 186 grams, this phone is a little lighter than its predecessor. The 6.5-inch screen has a 120Hz refresh rate you can easily lock at 60Hz to save battery life. Everything looks great, with vibrant colors and excellent contrast levels.

Under the hood is the octa-core Exynos 1280 chip with 6GB or 8GB of RAM, so the A53 5G should be able to power through most tasks. There’s up to 256GB of onboard storage and, notably, a microSD card slot to add more. You can also allocate up to 6GB of internal storage to use as virtual RAM — great for multi-tasking.

The battery here is a stand-out. The 5,000mAh cell gives you two-day battery life with general use at 120Hz, though this will likely drop with heavier usage or gaming. If you’re fed up having to charge your phone at the end of every day, this is the device for you. You also get 25-watt wired charging, but there’s no wireless charging, and no charger in the box, either.

If we had to say anything negative about the A53 5G, it’s that the 3.5mm headphone jack has sadly gone the way of most other Samsung phones.

For the price, the A53 5G packs a ton of features, including an IP67 water resistance rating, microSD card slot, and 5G. This is also the first A series phone to offer four Android OS updates and five years of security updates, making it an excellent, future-proof choice.

Samsung Galaxy A71 5G

Best midrange Samsung smartphone

Why you should buy this: It’s a fantastic midrange phone with a gorgeous display, quad lens camera, and excellent battery life.

Who it’s for: Anybody looking for the best bang for their buck — or an alternative to the iPhone SE.

Why we picked the Samsung Galaxy A71 5G: You’d be hard-pressed to find a better midrange phone than the Galaxy A71 5G. Boasting a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display with 1080p resolution, its razor-thin bezels give the phone an ultra-modern look, and it weighs just 6.63 ounces.

The Galaxy A71 5G runs on Samsung’s Snapdragon 765 processor, making it excellent at multitasking and gaming, with 6GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage, expandable up to 1TB via microSD. The 4,500mAh battery is impressive for a midrange phone and should see you through most days with plenty of change. The phone comes bundled with a 25-watt charger that takes it from empty to 50% in around 30 minutes — but there’s no wireless charging. There’s a headphone jack too — great if you’re not a fan of wireless earbuds.

When it comes to the camera, the A71 5G boasts a quad-lens setup, with a 64MP main sensor, a 12MP ultrawide lens, a 5MP macro lens, and a 5MP depth sensor. It takes great shots, but isn’t the best in low light conditions, as you might expect from a midrange phone.

With support for both mmWave and Sub-6GHz 5G, the Samsung Galaxy A71 5G is the phone to buy if you want 5G connectivity on a budget. If we had one criticism, it would be that it’s only available in one shade: Prism Black — but if you can live with that, you can pick one up on Amazon right now for just under $600.

Samsung Galaxy A51 5G

Best midrange runner-up

Available for under $400 on Amazon, the Samsung Galaxy A51 5G runs Android 10 and boasts a 6.5-inch OLED display, Exynos 9611 CPU, 128GB storage, and 4GB of RAM. Add to that a quad-lens camera, a 4,000mAh battery, a headphone jack, and 5G, and the A51 is hard to beat for the price.

Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro

Best rugged Samsung smartphone

Why you should buy this: It’s a rugged, military-grade phone with IP68 rating against sand, water, dust, and dirt that can withstand falls up to 5 feet — and it boasts a replaceable 4,050mAh battery.

Who it’s for: Those who want a rugged phone that can withstand anything.

Why we picked the Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Although it’s designed for industrial use, the Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro is a great choice for anybody who is tough on their phone. It can withstand falls up to five feet, has an IP68 rating, making it resistant to dirt, dust, water, and sand, and is MIL-STD-810 certified, meaning it won’t pack up at high altitudes or in hot conditions. There’s more to this phone than its rugged features, though — it boasts a 6.3-inch 1080p edge-to-edge display with Gorilla Glass 5 and a 2GHz Samsung Exynos 9611 octa-core processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage (that can be upgraded to 512GB with a microSD card). The screen boasts Enhanced Touch capabilities so that you can use it with wet hands or gloves, and the phone runs Android 10 and Samsung One UI 2.0.

Its best feature is its replaceable 4,050mAh battery that supports 15W fast charging and can be swapped out, not to mention the pogo pin connectors for docked charging or connecting accessories like scanners and card readers — the XCover Pro is EMV Level 1 certified, so you can use it as a point-of-sale terminal.

There are two cameras on the back — a main 25MP camera and a secondary 8MP ultrawide one — plus a 13MP front-facing camera and a headphone jack so you don’t need to worry about losing your wireless earbuds at work. You can pick up the XCover Pro for under $600 on Amazon right now.

You might want to wait for the new Galaxy XCover 6 Pro to land, already available in select markets across Europe, the U.K., and Asia, though no U.S. launch date has been set yet.

Samsung Galaxy S10e

Best rugged runner-up

You might be wondering why we’ve included a phone that isn’t particularly rugged as our runner-up. You can pick up a for under $20 on Amazon, with a 10-foot impact rating, solid core frame, and edge-to-edge rubber protection to absorb impact. We’ve chosen the phone itself as it boasts a smaller screen — 5.8-inches — than many of the Samsung smartphones on our list, with a dynamic AMOLED display, Full HD+ resolution, and HDR10+ certification.

The S10e is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage plus a microSD card slot, and runs Android 9.0 Pie and Samsung’s One UI interface. The only downside? The 3,100mAh battery supports Quick Charge 2.0 and Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, and should see you through most workdays. But if you’re planning a late one, pack your portable battery pack. Right now, you can pick up the S10e on Amazon for under $400.

Samsung Galaxy A50

Best budget Samsung smartphone

Why you should buy this: If you’re on a budget, this is one of the best under-$400 phones around, with its 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display, triple-lens camera, and impressive battery life.

Who it’s for: Buyers on a budget looking for a stylish, slim phone that packs an impressive processor and all-day battery life.

Why we picked the Samsung Galaxy A50: At under $300, the Galaxy A50 has the best display you’ll find for this price, featuring an impressive 6.4-inch super AMOLED screen with 2340 x 1080 resolution. The A50 has Samsung’s Exynos 9610 processor, 4GB RAM, and 64GB (or 128GB) internal storage — expandable up to 512GB with a microSD card. This is a solid midrange processor that’s comparable to the Snapdragon 670 (also used in the Google Pixel 3a), and although it offers excellent performance, things can get a little heated when playing the latest games with maxed visuals.

The A50 has a headphone jack and a triple-lens camera with a 25MP wide sensor, an 8MP ultrawide sensor, and a 5MP depth sensor, as well as a 25MP front-facing camera for selfies. The 4,000mAh battery provides enough juice to get you through a busy day, although charging is a bit slower than some of Samsung’s flagship phones, with a 15W charger, and wireless charging isn’t supported. In-screen fingerprint recognition proves a reliable feature that’s a definite boost for such an inexpensive device, although expect a slight delay when using it compared to traditional capacitive sensors.

You can pick up the Samsung Galaxy A50 new for $269 at Amazon right now, or grab a preowned version from $145.

Samsung Galaxy A20

Best budget runner-up

With its 6.4-inch Super AMOLED screen (1560 x 720-pixel resolution), Exynos 7904 processor with 3GB RAM, 4,000mAh battery (with 15W fast charging), and dual-lens camera, the Samsung Galaxy A20’s specs are impressive. It may only have 32GB of onboard storage, but that can be expanded up to 512GB with a microSD card. You can pick up a renewed Samsung Galaxy A20 for around $150 from Amazon right now.

Editors’ Choice