Which Samsung Galaxy Phone Should You Buy?
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The Best Samsung Phone(s)
Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24+
A Great Flip Phone
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6
Best Upgrade
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
A Capable Budget Samsung Phone
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G
There’s the iPhone, and then there are Galaxy phones. Apple and Samsung dominate the smartphone market share globally. But whereas Apple is the sole company behind the iOS mobile operating system, Samsung has more competition in the Android world. (And yes, Galaxy phones are Android phones, though Samsung calls its layer over Android “One UI.”)
Google’s Pixel phones are my favorite Android phones, but Samsung devices are just as great and often have better hardware. Alongside Google, it has the longest software support for its cheap and high-end devices. That means you don’t have to upgrade your phone as often, as it will stay up-to-date, secure, and free of bugs for a longer period. But the Korean giant has many, many models at varying prices. What’s the best Samsung phone? I sort it all out here—along with tips and tricks to get the most out of your shiny new hardware.
Be sure to read our other mobile guides, including the Best Samsung Galaxy S24 Cases, Which Galaxy S24 Should You Buy?, Best Android Phones, Best Cheap Phones, and Best Folding Phones.
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The best part of being in the world of Android is choice of hardware. Want a phone with a headphone jack? Sure! Want a gaming phone with two USB-C ports? Why not. Want a phone that fast-charges in less than 30 minutes? It exists. So why stick with the stalwart Samsung?
In my experience and research, Samsung’s smartphones have a track record of reliability, and because it’s a major player, it has a wider network of authorized repair centers than competing Android manufacturers. Yes, I remember the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco and even the issues with the first-gen Galaxy Fold, but Samsung now has a customer satisfaction score equal to Apple, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index. That said, I haven’t read great things about the company’s US customer support team.
Still, with its flagship phones, you’re often getting top-of-the-line specs and exceptional build quality with long software support. I primarily pick Pixel phones over Samsung because I prefer Google’s software experience, but there are plenty of people who like Samsung’s take on Android. As always, keep an open mind and consider all the other options available to you. Check out my Best Android Phones, Best Cheap Phones, and Best iPhones guides for other recommendations.
Is Now the Best Time to Buy?
Sort of. Samsung has launched all of its phones for 2024 in the US, and that means you can expect some stellar discounts on its priciest smartphones. This time of year is great to pick up a discounted Galaxy S24 or a Galaxy Z Flip6. However, it’s worth keeping the company’s launch time frames in mind in case you only want the latest and greatest.
- The flagship Galaxy S series usually launches early in the year during Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event, and the upcoming Galaxy S25 range will likely arrive in January or February 2025.
- The budget Galaxy A series typically arrives in the spring (April or May).
- The folding Galaxy Z series have always launched in the summer, roughly July or August, during Samsung’s second and last Galaxy Unpacked event of the year.
- The midrange Galaxy FE series is the “Fan Edition,” but this is more or less a slightly cheaper variant of the Galaxy S series. It typically launches in the fall, around late September or October.
Keep these dates in mind as you shop, because you may want to hold off and wait for the new model, or it can help inform you on when to expect the best discounts.
How Long Are Samsung Phones Supported?
Android phones used to have disastrously poor software support. Two years after you bought your $1,000 phone, it would no longer receive software updates. Welp. Thankfully, Google began promising longer software update cycles to its Pixel phones, which ended up pushing Samsung to match it.
The following Samsung phones will receive seven years of software updates from their release date, which includes Android operating system updates and monthly security patches. The latter keep your phone secure, and new OS versions can bring new features to your phone.
- Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra
- Galaxy Z Fold6 and Galaxy Z Flip6
- Galaxy S24 FE
Most other Samsung phones, like some in the Galaxy A series or older flagships, will receive four years of OS updates and five years of security patches starting from the date of release. You’ll find that budget devices are promised two OS updates and four years of security updates, which is still leagues better than what companies like Motorola offer. Some of this varies, as Samsung has kept changing its policy year over year, but there’s a little more helpful information here.
To find if your Samsung phone has a pending update, go to Settings > Software update > Download and install. It should check for any updates and download them, then you’ll see an option to install it. Make sure you back up your phone before installing any update. We have a guide here.
Why I Recommend Buying Unlocked
Most people buy phones directly from their carrier, but if you’re reading this guide, I suggest you buy an unlocked smartphone. When you buy a carrier phone, it’s “locked” to that network. That means if you want to switch carriers, like move from Verizon to T-Mobile, you’ll have to ask your carrier to unlock the device, and this can be a huge headache. (Especially if you’re traveling and want to use an international SIM card.) Asking a carrier to unlock a phone usually has a few requirements, like making sure your device is paid off, or waiting for a set period of time. Unlocked phones, on the other hand, don’t have this problem. You’re free to use whatever carrier you want, whenever.
Carriers also mask the true cost of a smartphone. AT&T may entice you with a $36 per month payment for a shiny new Samsung flagship, when in reality, that means you’re paying $1,300 on a smartphone over 36 months. Did you really want to spend that much? Or will a cheaper phone suffice? Also, you’re more likely to get software updates faster as they come directly from Samsung, and there’s often far less preinstalled bloatware to deal with.
All to say, buy unlocked! You can buy unlocked Galaxy phones directly from Samsung and most third-party retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart.
The Settings to Change on Your New Samsung Phone
Samsung has an annoying habit of announcing a bunch of cool new features with its smartphones, then leaving them turned off by default. If you’ve never fiddled around with your phone’s settings, there’s a good chance there are a lot of fun and helpful features you’re not using.
This can include things like changing the navigation from on-screen buttons to gesture navigation, adding the battery percentage icon next to the battery bar, or keeping the always-on display turned on instead of requiring a tap on the screen. Good news for you! As I routinely switch phones, I drummed up a list of the 21 most important settings to change when you get a Samsung phone. Read it here. Pro tip: I personally can’t stand using Samsung’s built-in keyboard, so I almost always change it to Google’s Gboard instead.
Exynos vs. Qualcomm Snapdragon
A Samsung phone sold in the US is not the same as a Samsung phone sold in the UK. That’s because Samsung’s Galaxy S series flagship phones have long relied on two different processors. Devices sold in the US and select markets are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors, whereas other regions have Samsung’s homegrown Exynos chipsets.
The gap isn’t as wide between these processors anymore, but there have been issues in the past. Exynos chips tended to overheat a few years ago, though they sometimes offer slightly better battery life than their Qualcomm counterparts. It even greatly impacted camera quality too as the chip handles the image processing. Again, none of this is as big of an issue as it used to be, but it’s worth keeping in mind as you shop.
With the Galaxy S24 series, Samsung launched “Galaxy AI,” a selection of artificial intelligence features, many of which are powered by Google’s Gemini large language models. These enable smart features that may be helpful day to day, like real-time translations during phone calls, real-time transcriptions in Samsung’s Voice Recorder app, the ability to summarize long paragraphs of text in the Samsung Notes app, or change a sentence’s tone with the Samsung Keyboard. You can even make sketches over your photos and have AI generate an image off the sketch.
You can find many of these features by heading to Settings > Galaxy AI to toggle them on or off. The following phones have been updated to support Galaxy AI, though not all features are available on older models:
- Galaxy S24, Galaxy S23, Galaxy S22, and Galaxy S21 series
- Galaxy S24 FE, Galaxy S23 FE
- Galaxy Z Fold6, Galaxy Fold5, Galaxy Fold4, Galaxy Fold3
- Galaxy Flip6, Galaxy Flip5, Galaxy Flip4, Galaxy Flip3
Courtesy of David Nield
Samsung’s DeX (short for “desktop experience”) launched in 2017 and it’s essentially a way to plug in your Samsung phone to an external monitor and trigger a desktop version of the Android OS, all completely powered by the phone. You can find a list of compatible Samsung phones here, and you’ll need a monitor, mouse, and keyboard, plus a cable to connect the phone to the monitor. (You can also cast DeX to select screens wirelessly.)
When in DeX mode, you can resize Android apps, and have them all open in separate windows. It’s a proper computing platform, though you probably won’t want to use this as a permanent laptop replacement or anything of the sort. It’s great if you’re visiting another office, or working out of a coffee shop or airplane (if you have a portable display). We have a whole guide to setting up and using DeX here.
I’ve been reviewing smartphones for nearly a decade, but the very first smartphone I ever bought was a Samsung Galaxy Captivate, which I got for “free” from my carrier at the time. After working throughout college, I had finally saved up enough cash to buy a Galaxy S3, my first flagship. I’ve spent years using Samsung phones in my personal life, and then started reviewing them for work not too long after.
With each Samsung smartphone, I always put my personal SIM card inside and spend as long as I can (usually several weeks) using the phone as my own. I do camera testing and compare the results with similarly priced devices, I benchmark performance and play graphically demanding games to see how they fare, I try out all the new features, and even take calls to make sure that ol’ function still works fine.
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Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
The Best Samsung Phone(s)
Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24+
If you’ve settled on buying a Samsung phone, the first place to start is the Galaxy S24 series (8/10, WIRED Recommends). This is the company’s current flagship lineup, though it’s due for a refresh in early 2025 (around January or February). The Galaxy S24 is the smallest of the lot with a 6.2-inch screen, and then there’s the Galaxy S24+ with a 6.7-inch display—choosing one largely depends on whether you want a small, pocketable phone or a big display. There are some slight differences in the specs, such as how the S24+ sports more RAM and has higher internal storage options, and the bigger size means a beefier battery that will keep the lights running a little longer.
You get every high-end feature you can think of, from UFS 4.0 storage speeds (only on 256 GB models and up) to brilliantly bright AMOLED displays with high 120 Hz refresh rates that ratchet down to 1 Hz to be more energy efficient. The batteries typically last more than a full day of use, and there’s an excellent triple-camera system with 3X optical zoom, an ultrawide in addition to the main camera, and a strong selfie shooter. These phones also put out some of the best native video footage out of the box, so they’re great for budding TikTokers. Performance is strong and it can handle most demanding games without issue, though the back of the phone can get quite warm. I’m not fond of the design—they’re a bit bland—but at least you can snag them in some unique colors (some of which are exclusive to Samsung.com).
Specs Display: 6.2 inch, 120-Hz LTPO, AMOLED Processor and RAM: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 8 GB RAM on S24, 12 GB RAM on S24+ Storage: 128 and 256 GB for S24, 256 and 512 GB for S24+ Battery: 4,000 and 4,900 mAh Cameras: 50-MP main camera, 12-MP ultrawide, 10-MP telephoto, and 12-MP selfie camera Updates (from date of manufacture): Seven years Extras: Wireless charging, IP68, fingerprint unlock, NFC Carrier compatibility: Works on all three major US networks -
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
A Great Flip Phone
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6
Want something with a little more personality? Samsung has been making folding smartphones longer than any other company, and the Galaxy Z Flip6 is the most refined version to date (7/10, WIRED Review). It’s not my favorite flip-style folding phone—that’d be the Motorola Razr+ and its larger external screen—but the Flip6 is a close second, and it one-ups Motorola’s device on a few fronts. The hinge design is more responsive and feels more durable, plus there’s longer software support and better cameras.
The main reason to buy a flippy folding phone? You get a normal-sized smartphone with the ability to fold it in half—perfect for smaller pockets and it’s just easier to carry. The main drawback? Battery life isn’t great. Even with average use, there’s a good chance you may need a top-up before the day’s end. Make sure to bring a battery pack! Also, while Samsung added a vapor chamber system for better cooling in this model, my unit still gave me a notification that the device needed to cool down after using GPS navigation on a hot day in Paris.
But a folding phone’s best trick is with its cameras: you can take selfies with the Flip6’s superior rear cameras by folding the device into a 90-degree angle and using the external display as a camera viewfinder to make sure you’re in the shot. Read my Best Folding Phones guide for more flipping fun.
Specs External display: 3.4-inch, 60 Hz, AMOLED Internal display: 6.7-inch, 120-Hz LTPO, AMOLED Processor and RAM: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 12 GB RAM Storage: 256 or 512 GB options Battery: 4,000 mAh Cameras: 50-MP main camera, 12-MP ultrawide, 10-MP selfie camera Updates (from date of manufacture): Seven years Extras: IPX8, fingerprint sensor, NFC, wireless charging Carrier compatibility: Works on all three major US networks
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Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Best Upgrade
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Want the best Samsung has to offer? That’d be the Galaxy S24 Ultra (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It’s in the name, after all! This phone shares a lot with the standard Galaxy S24 series, but I like its boxier shape. It has a titanium frame versus the aluminum, though this doesn’t mean it’s any less prone to breakage (use a case!), and the external glass employs Corning’s Gorilla Armor, which is supposedly superior in scratch resistance to the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on its cheaper siblings. It adds some extras that make it stand out above the rest—even amongst the competition. I have to start with the fact that there’s a whole stylus built into this device—you pull it out from the bottom and start writing on the screen to jot down notes or doodle when you’re bored on a Zoom call (oops). There’s lots more you can do with this stylus, but my favorite is the ability to use it as a remote shutter for the camera app. Just press the button on the stylus and the S24 Ultra will snap a pic.
It’s a big phone, and that means a big battery that often goes into the morning of the second day on a single charge. The cameras also go the extra mile—not only is the main camera a 200-megapixel shooter that can preserve more details, but there are also two telephoto cameras in addition to the ultrawide. At 3X and 5X, you have better zoom options with impeccable quality, though this starts to diminish in low light. (I do miss the 10X optical zoom from the Galaxy S23.) But just because this is Samsung’s best phone, it doesn’t mean this is the right phone for you. If you don’t care about a stylus and don’t use the camera much, there’s not much of a reason to spend so much on the S24 Ultra.
Specs Display: 6.8 inch, 120-Hz LTPO, AMOLED Processor and RAM: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 12 GB RAM Storage: 256, 512 GB, and 1 TB options Battery: 5,000 mAh Cameras: 200-MP main, 12-MP ultrawide, 10-MP telephoto (3X), 50-MP telephoto (5X), and 12-MP selfie camera Updates (from date of manufacture): Seven years Extras: Wireless charging, IP68, fingerprint unlock, NFC, integrated S Pen stylus Carrier compatibility: Works on all three major US networks -
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
A Capable Budget Samsung Phone
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G
Samsung makes solid budget phones, but not the best. I highly recommend glossing through my Best Cheap Phones guide because you might be better served with a Pixel 8A, OnePlus 12R, or maybe even a Nothing Phone (2a) Plus. The Galaxy A35 5G is OK (7/10, WIRED Review), especially if you can pick it up on sale for around $300. The 6.6-inch AMOLED screen gets nice and bright, has a smooth 120-Hz refresh rate, and it’s one of the few remaining smartphones these days with a microSD card slot to expand storage (it has 128 GB of internal space).
Performance with Samsung’s Exynos 1380 chipset is decent, but I did encounter stutters here and there, with slower app launches and janky transitions when you switch apps. It’s not so bad that it’s frustrating, just a little annoying. Also, despite the big 5,000-mAh battery, the A35 doesn’t impress here. I usually got a full day out of it with enough for the next morning (I was more impressed with the two-day battery life on the Galaxy A14 from 2023). At least the cameras are capable, though I rarely found good use for that third macro camera.
Specs Display: 6.6 inch, 120 Hz, AMOLED Processor and RAM: Exynos 1380 with 6 GB of RAM Storage: 128 GB Battery: 5,000 mAh Cameras: 50-MP main camera, 8-MP ultrawide, 5-MP macro, and 13-MP selfie camera Updates (from date of manufacture): Four Android OS upgrades, five years of security updates Extras: IP67, fingerprint unlock, NFC, microSD card slot Carrier compatibility: Works on all three major US networks
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Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
The Awkward Middle
Samsung Galaxy S24 FE
The newest addition to Samsung’s smartphone lineup is the Galaxy S24 FE—the “FE” stands for Fan Edition. This moniker never made much sense to me because wouldn’t a Samsung fan want to save up for the flagship? In any case, these phones were made to bring top-of-the-line features to a lower price. But therein lies the rub. The S24 FE starts at $650, which is $150 less than the base Galaxy S24. However, since it launched around eight months after Samsung’s flagship lineup, you can now usually find the Galaxy S24 or even the Galaxy S24+ for around $720 or $800, respectively, on Amazon. (Expect even steeper sales in the coming months, especially after the Galaxy S25 launches.) I think it’s better to save up an extra $100 and buy from the flagship line instead. However, I’ve been using the S24 FE for close to a month and have a perfectly fine time with it.
It uses Samsung’s Exynos processor, and I haven’t had any performance issues whatsoever; my benchmark scores put it a smidge below the Galaxy S24 and its Snapdragon chipset. You still get access to all the Galaxy AI features, nearly the same camera experience, the same software update policy, and perks like IP68 water resistance and wireless charging. What you miss out on are a higher resolution display, extra RAM, and more storage options. The bezels are a smidge thicker around the screen, which doesn’t support LTPO (the tech that allows the display to move from 1 Hz to 120 Hz to conserve battery life). The fingerprint scanner is also optical and not ultrasonic, and while it’s been quite responsive for me, ultrasonic scanners are often more reliable. Battery life has been solid for me; after several weeks of use, I average 30 percent left in the tank by midnight, and that’s with a few hours of GPS navigation and music streaming thrown in, not to mention too many hours of riffling through Instagram Reels.
I suggest waiting for a sale. I’ve seen the 2023 Galaxy S23 FE dip as low as $400 during Black Friday, and I think if you see the Galaxy S24 FE dip to $500 or below, it’s a good buy.
Specs Display: 6.7 inch, 120 Hz, AMOLED Processor and RAM: Samsung Exynos 2400e with 8 GB of RAM Storage: 128 GB Battery: 4,700 mAh Cameras: 50-MP main camera, 12-MP ultrawide, 8-MP telephoto (3X), and 10-MP selfie camera Updates (from date of manufacture): Seven years Extras: Wireless charging, IP68, fingerprint unlock, NFC Carrier compatibility: Works on all three major US networks -
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Samsung’s Flagship Folding Phone
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
If money is no object and you love two screens on your desktop, you’ll probably like the Galaxy Z Fold6 (7/10, WIRED Review). This iteration has a close to “normal” smartphone experience on the exterior 6.3-inch screen. It’s still a bit narrow but it’s more usable than its predecessors. Open the phone up and there’s a vast 7.6-inch AMOLED screen staring at your face, turning this folding phone into a tiny tablet. You can use your apps in this full-sized view (it’s especially great when these apps are tablet-optimized), or you can use split-screen and get two normal-looking app windows next to each other. A persistent taskbar follows you throughout the interface like the dock on MacOS or Windows, letting you hop into another app at a moment’s notice. It’s great for getting stuff done.
Unfortunately, this year’s model got a price bump despite minor changes, and the competition also feels like it has blown past what Samsung has been doing for years—the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has an even more normal exterior screen, and the OnePlus Open has richer multitasking capabilities. Honor’s folding phone is also the world’s thinnest. Samsung is set up to have the best repair network if something goes wrong though, and the build quality of the Fold6 is excellent.
Specs External display: 6.3-inch, 120-Hz LTPO, AMOLED Internal display: 7.6-inch, 120-Hz LTPO, AMOLED Processor and RAM: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 12 GB RAM Storage: 256, 512 GB, or 1 TB options Battery: 4,400 mAh Cameras: 50-MP main camera, 10-MP telephoto (3X), 12-MP ultrawide, 10-MP front camera, 4-MP inner selfie camera Updates (from date of manufacture): Seven years Extras: IPX8, fingerprint sensor, NFC, wireless charging Carrier compatibility: Works on all three major US networks
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Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Other Samsung Phones
If you don’t see a Samsung phone mentioned in this guide, that might be because it’s not sold in the US and is a little harder to source for testing. That includes devices like the Galaxy A55 or the entire Galaxy M series.
Samsung Galaxy A25 5G for $300: This is the only Samsung phone in the current lineup I haven’t tested. I did review an older model from a few years ago, the A23 5G, and had a pretty poor experience, but things can change drastically year over year. On paper, the specs look solid, though don’t expect snappy performance.
Samsung Galaxy A15 5G for $200: The Galaxy A15 was a bit of a disappointment because its predecessor was exceptional. Performance took a hit in this newer model, and I experienced lag and slowdowns. Not fun. It does have NFC so you can make contactless payments, not to mention longer software support, but it’s hard to be happy about those perks when the phone is annoying to use.
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Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
What About Older Samsung Phones?
If you’re looking to save some cash, I think it’s fine to buy Samsung’s Galaxy S23 range or the Galaxy S23 FE from 2023, as long as the prices are a good deal lower than the original MSRP. These phones will still get support for a while, and they’re pretty great. I don’t think it’s worth buying anything older, especially since the Galaxy S25 series isn’t far off.
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Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
It’s Worth Investing in Samsung’s Ecosystem
Samsung is one of the few smartphone manufacturers that can match Apple in its hardware ecosystem. Not only does the company make smartphones, but you can also expand your experience by adding on a Galaxy Watch7 smartwatch, Galaxy Buds3 Pro earbuds, Galaxy Ring fitness ring, Galaxy Tab S10+ tablet, and even a Windows-powered Galaxy laptop.
There are certain perks to this too, like how some features on the Galaxy Ring and Watch7 are only available when paired with a Samsung phone, and its earbuds will automatically switch between Samsung devices based on what you’re using. There’s not much in the way of exclusive features when using a Galaxy phone with a Galaxy laptop but features like Quick Share let you speedily send photos and documents between your devices.
Again, it’s not necessary, and these other devices might not be the right ones for you, but if you’re chasing hardware parity, you have the option with Samsung.
