Samsung has a phone for practically every spending plan. Whether you’re seeking to invest up of $1,000 or under $500, there’s an alternative for everybody. Expensive phones like the $1,200 (₤ 1,149, AU$ 1,849) Galaxy S22 Ultra generally have advanced cams, the most recent processor and a bigger screen. But even Samsung’s midrange and spending plan phones include almost borderless screens, long battery life and several cams. However, video camera quality will differ and these phones generally operate on weaker processors.
Samsung has actually currently released numerous phones this year, so there are lots of brand-new alternatives to select from. The Galaxy S21 FE debuted in January, followed by the Galaxy S22 lineup in February and the just recently revealed Galaxy A53 5G, which debuts on April 1. All of these phones have a long life process ahead of them given that they’re still brand-new.
< div class ="shortcode video v2" data-video-playlist="[{" id="" galaxy="" a53="" announced:="" lower="" price="" bigger="" battery="" new="" budget="" phone="" looks="" like="" a="" promising="" upgrade="" to="" last="" year="" news="" video="" wp_automatic_readability="6.5">
Watch this:
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Announced: Lower Price, Bigger…
4:32
That means it’s an ideal time to consider buying if you’re in the market for a new device. Samsung also committed to supporting four generations of Android and Samsung operating system updates on these devices, which is an improvement from its previous three-year pledge.Â
Finding the best Samsung phone will ultimately come down to preference. Choosing between so many options can get complicated, so here’s how to decide which Samsung phone is best for you.
Samsung
The $1,200 Galaxy S22 Ultra is Samsung’s most expensive phone that isn’t a folding phone. With its giant 6.8-inch screen and four-lens camera, it’s best for those who want the largest screen and best camera possible in a new Samsung phone. Unlike last year’s model, the Galaxy S22 Ultra also comes with Samsung’s S Pen stylus at no additional cost, just like Samsung’s older Galaxy Note devices.Â
At 6.8 inches, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is noticeably larger than the 6.6-inch Galaxy S22 Plus and 6.1-inch Galaxy S22. The camera is also one of the biggest reasons you should consider this phone over Samsung’s smaller and cheaper devices. While all three new Galaxy S22 phones can take better photos in the dark and have improved color and contrast, the S22 Ultra is the only one with two telephoto lenses. As a result, the S22 Ultra has the closest zoom of any Samsung phone — and perhaps any phone, period. It also has a 108-megapixel main sensor similar to the one in last year’s phone, along with a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera and the two 10-megapixel zoom lenses.Â
The Galaxy S22’s high price and large size are probably too much for most people, and its battery life could be better. But for those who love big screens and who really want a superior zoom camera and the S Pen for taking notes, the S22 won’t disappoint.
Richard Peterson/CNET
The Galaxy S22 Plus is the middle child of the Galaxy S22 lineup, but don’t overlook it. Its 6.6-inch screen size is just right for most people, it has a sharp new glass-and-metal design and the camera has gotten a major upgrade compared with the S21 generation. Although it’s a bit pricey at $1,000, it feels like the right option for those who want a screen that’s big but not gigantic paired with one of the best cameras around.Â
Many of the updates Samsung made across the Galaxy S22 lineup are iterative, like the phones’ new processors and refreshed designs. But the jump from the Galaxy S21’s 12-megapixel camera to the S22’s 50-megapixel camera is perhaps the most noticeable improvement. Both the Galaxy S22 Plus and regular Galaxy S22 have this new camera system, along with other internal camera enhancements, which results in better low-light performance, color and detail. The Galaxy S22 Plus also lasted the longest in CNET’s battery test of Samsung’s Galaxy S22 phones, although battery life still felt average rather than impressive.Â
Overall, the Galaxy S22 Plus is the best choice for those who want a premium phone with a top-notch camera and a large, bright screen.
Richard Peterson/CNET
Android users don’t have much choice when it comes to small phones, but Samsung is changing that with the Galaxy S22. The standard Galaxy S22 has a 6.1-inch screen, whereas many competing Android phones have displays that measure around 6.4 inches or larger.
The $800 Galaxy S22 otherwise brings many of the same benefits as the Galaxy S22 Plus. That includes a 50-megapixel camera with better low-light photography, a new processor and a revamped design that feels more elegant than the S21. It’s essentially a smaller version of the Galaxy S22 Plus, except the Plus also has a bigger battery, faster charging and ultrawideband support.Â
The Galaxy S22 is the best option for those who want a more compact phone that still has most of the premium features found in Samsung’s bigger and more expensive phones. Just keep in mind that the Galaxy S22’s smaller size also comes along with shorter battery life than the S22 Plus and S22 Ultra.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
The first S20 FE seriously impressed us with its balance of performance and price, and the new Galaxy S21 FE takes that further with a solid triple camera, a vibrant display and the same powerful processor found in the flagship S21. It has a 6.5-inch screen, making it an ideal choice for those who want a phone that’s larger than the regular Galaxy S22 without the Galaxy S22 Plus’ high price. Although it’s missing some of the Galaxy S22’s bells and whistles — like improved night photography and a newer processor — this phone has a sharper front-facing camera for selfies and video calls.
The Galaxy S21 FE faces some tough competition from Google’s Pixel 6, but if you’re after a great overall Samsung phone and don’t want to pay top dollar for the flagships, then the S21 FE is well worth considering.
Angela Lang/CNET
Samsung’s original folding phone was a novel idea but the latest generation — the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 — refines it further. It’s still essentially a tablet that folds in half to become a phone, but this smartphone has an improved hinge, better specs all round, 5G connectivity and a bigger display on the outside that actually makes it usable as a phone. Folding phones may not be to everyone’s taste and they certainly come at a premium, but if you’re after a futuristic foldable, the Z Fold 3 is the best one to buy.
Read the Galaxy Z Fold 3 review here.
Â
Patrick Holland/CNET
If the Galaxy Fold is a tablet that folds in half to become a phone, the Z Flip is a phone that folds in half to become a smaller phone. When open, this Samsung Galaxy smartphone has a big 6.7-inch display, but fold it in half and it becomes a small square that’s easy to slide into a jeans or jacket pocket. We like its neat design, along with its decent all-round specs and 5G connectivity and it’s a more affordable Samsung Galaxy folding option than the powerhouse Galaxy Fold 3.
Read our Samsung Galaxy Z Flip review.
Â
Sarah Tew/CNET
Samsung’s A52 5G sits at the top of Samsung’s more affordable A series of phones. It has a big 6.5-inch display, 6GB of RAM, a multiple rear camera setup (including a 64-megapixel main lens and wide-angle and macro cameras) and 5G connectivity. It’s a midrange phone option that offers a solid all-round set of specs for a price that’s much more approachable than the top S22 models.
But Samsung just announced the Galaxy A53 5G, the newest version of this phone that launches on April 1 (although Verizon and T-Mobile will start carrying it on March 31). You’ll likely want to hold off on buying the A52 5G at this point since the newer model has a larger battery and improved camera for $50 less.
Samsung
The A42 5G Android phone sits just below the A52, provides less RAM, loses the macro camera and has a lower-resolution front-facing camera. It still has 5G connectivity though, along with a bigger battery and a marginally bigger display, which could make it a great affordable Samsung phone option for those of you who watch a lot of videos on the move.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
If 5G speeds are your top Android phone priority but you don’t want to spend much money, Samsung’s Galaxy A32 5G is where you should be looking. Its low price makes it one of the cheapest 5G-enabled phones that it’s possible to buy right now, and you still get a big 6.5-inch display and a multiple rear camera setup. It’s not challenging the overall performance of the S21 line, but it’s a solid all-rounder device for the money.
Samsung
The Galaxy A12 is one of the cheapest phones Samsung sells and it’s the one to consider for those of you who simply want a phone for all of life’s essentials. If you don’t care for extravagant cameras or supercomputer-levels of processing power, you won’t have to pay for them with this model. It doesn’t have 5G, but it does have four rear cameras, a 6.5-inch display and a capacious 5,000-mAh battery. Given the generally low demands of the specs, that battery should easily last a full day.
Samsung also recently launched the $250 Galaxy A13, which has 5G, more storage and a sharper 50-megapixel camera, which could be worth considering if you can stretch your budget.
