Update, 09/01/2022: We’ve reviewed our recommendations and replaced our best foldable pick with the newly released Galaxy Z Fold 4.
What to Look for in a Samsung Phone in 2022
It may sound a little silly to need a plan for shopping for phones from just one company. How hard can it really be? Well, Samsung makes a lot of phones. A lot of phones. Which one is best for you?
You may be familiar with some of the common Samsung phone lines, such as the Galaxy S series or the Galaxy Note series. However, those are just a few of Samsung’s smartphone lines. The company has a smartphone at practically every price point.
There’s more than just price to take into consideration, though. How important is size to you? Do you need an excellent camera? Is long battery life a necessity? We’ll give you some options for a few different categories and price points.
One nice thing about Samsung phones is they all run the same software: One UI. Whether you’re looking for the biggest and baddest or something low-key and affordable, the software will look the same across Samsung phones. There aren’t any compromises on that front!
The important thing when buying any smartphone—not just Samsung phones—is the entire package. A big selling point toward that idea is how Samsung provides great software support, even better than Google’s offerings. There’s a Samsung device that fits everyone’s needs, so let’s start finding them.
RELATED: The Best Android Phones of 2022
Best Samsung Phone Overall: Galaxy S22
Pros
- ✓ Sweet spot size
- ✓ Beautiful display
- ✓ Same performance as the Ultra
Cons
- ✗ Not as many cameras as the Ultra
Samsung typically releases a few different models of their flagship series every year, and the standard model is the best for most people. This year, that’s the Samsung Galaxy S22. It’s got many of the same great features as the most expensive model, but it’s in a more compact and affordable package.
The Galaxy S22 has a nice 6.1-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, 8GB of RAM, up to 256GB of storage, and a 3,700mAh battery. That’s a lot of the same power you can get from the bigger, more expensive Galaxy S22 Ultra.
On the camera side of things, you’re looking at a 50MP main camera, 10MP 3x telephoto, and 12MP ultrawide on the rear. The front camera is 10MP. It’s a very similar camera setup to the Galaxy S21, which was very solid. Three cameras on the rear give you a lot of flexibility.
Let’s talk about what you’re missing if you opt for this model instead of the Ultra. The Galaxy S22 Ultra has an additional 10MP 10x telephoto camera, a bigger 6.8-inch display, up to 12GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage. Those are some big things, but probably not critical to most people.
The Galaxy S22 starts at $800, which is considerably cheaper than the S22 Plus ($1,000) and the S22 Ultra ($1,200) for many of the same features. This is really the sweet spot model for the majority of smartphone users.
Best Mid-Range Samsung Phone: Galaxy S21 FE
Pros
- ✓ Same processor as the S21
- ✓ Triple cameras on the rear
- ✓ Big screen with 120Hz refresh rate
- ✓ Large battery
Cons
- ✗ Kind of expensive for a mid-range phone
The “FE” series has become Samsung’s middle-of-the-road series. Not quite high-end, but more powerful than budget devices. The latest is the Galaxy S21 FE and it brings some nice features for a lower price.
For $699, you get 128GB of storage, a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with 2340×1080 resolution (bigger than the standard S21), and a 120Hz refresh rate. One area of sacrifice is RAM. The FE version starts with 6GB, while the standard S21 has 8GB.
The Galaxy S21 FE has the same Snapdragon 888 as the other Galaxy S21 devices. Similarly, the S21 FE has a 32MP selfie camera and triple cameras on the rear. Those cameras are a 12MP ultra-wide, 12MP main lens, and an 8MP telephoto shooter. Lastly, it’s packing a beefy 4,500mAh battery.
As mentioned, the Galaxy S21 FE is available at $699 for 128GB. That’s not as cheap as some other mid-range devices, but it does come with Samsung’s great software support and a brand you can trust.
Best Mid-Range Samsung Phone
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
With an AMOLED screen, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a Snapdragon 888, the Galaxy S21 FE is a great mid-range phone to pick up.
Best Budget Samsung Phone: Galaxy A32
Pros
- ✓ Costs less than $300
- ✓ Great battery life
- ✓ Multiple cameras is a bonus at this price
Cons
- ✗ Display is lackluster
Samsung has a phone for every price range, and that includes the budget category. The Galaxy A32 is a phone with all the benefits of a Samsung-made device with a price that comes in under $300.
The Galaxy A32 has a 5,000mAh battery, so it gets great battery life as a result. It’s powered by the Mediatek Helio G80 processor and 4GB of RAM, which is decent at this price point. There’s also a microSD card slot, so you can upgrade your storage if you need to.
Cameras are a big part of smartphones, but budget devices usually suffer in this area. The Galaxy A32 offers a triple camera setup on the back, with 64MP, 8MP wide-angle, and 5MP macro cameras. They aren’t the best out there, but you do get options, which is always a bonus, especially compared to other budget phones.
One area where the Galaxy A32 struggles is in the display. It’s 6.4-inches and Super AMOLED, but the resolution is lower than mid-range and high-end models. For most people, it’s not a problem, but you may notice it if you’re used to something with higher specs.
As mentioned, the Galaxy A32 costs only $280. That’s a great price for a budget phone with 5G connectivity, and the device will still get Samsung’s four years of updates, so it won’t become outdated anytime soon.
Best Samsung Phone for Battery Life: Galaxy S22 Ultra
Pros
- ✓ 5,000mAh battery
- ✓ Five total cameras
- ✓ Super high-end specs
Cons
- ✗ Very expensive
- ✗ Very big
When battery life is your top concern, you’re going to need to come to grips with using a large phone. If you’re alright with that, the Galaxy S22 Ultra fits that bill.
It has a beefy 5,000mAh battery and a giant 6.8-inch display, so you’ll get great battery life and all the screen real estate you’d ever want. Joining that massive battery and display is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, up to 12GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage, and five total cameras.
The processor and RAM are just as important as the battery capacity when it comes to battery life. You want a processor that works efficiently and enough resources to not stress the device. A device that has to work overly hard to do what you need won’t have great battery life. So the S22 Ultra has all its bases covered.
Of course, a phone this big and with this many cameras and high-end specs aren’t going to be cheap. The base model of the Galaxy S22 Ultra costs $1,200. That might be worth it if you need a battery that lasts as long as you do.
Best Samsung Phone for Battery Life
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
A bigger phone means a bigger battery, and the S22 Ultra has a huge 5,000mAh battery to power all of the smartphone’s bleeding-edge features.
$1199.99 $1399.99 Save 14%
Pros
- ✓ Five total cameras
- ✓ Ultrawide and two zoom lenses for every situation
- ✓ Super high-end specs
Cons
- ✗ Samsung’s camera software isn’t amazing
- ✗ Very expensive
If cameras are super important to you, look no further than the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. This beast of a Samsung phone has five total cameras—four of them on the rear—including a 108MP main camera.
The 108MP main camera is joined by a 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x telephoto, and 10MP 10x telephoto. The front selfie camera is 40MP. The benefit of having all these cameras is you’re equipped for any situation. Ultrawide is great for stepping back to get a lot in the frame, and telephoto lenses help to see far-away things.
Two telephoto lenses mean you’re covered for two different distances without losing quality. You can zoom in 3x or 10x without needing to use digital zoom, which only crops photos and doesn’t look great. Samsung has also equipped the S22 Ultra with “Super Clear Glass” lenses to help reduce glare and lens flare.
As mentioned above, this is a beast of a phone all around. It has a gorgeous 6.8-inch display with 120Hz refresh rate, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, up to 12GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage, and a 5,000mAh battery. The kicker is these high-end features will cost you around $1,200 or more.
Best Samsung Camera Phone
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
With five incredible cameras and Super Clear Glass lenses, you’ll always be able to take the perfect shot. The S22 Ultra isn’t cheap, but it’s worth it if you’re big on taking pictures.
$1199.99 $1399.99 Save 14%
Pros
- ✓ It’s a phone that turns into a tablet
- ✓ Very powerful
- ✓ Five total cameras
- ✓ Good productivity tools
Cons
- ✗ Still very expensive
- ✗ More fragile that typical smartphones
The foldable phone market has been expanding, but Samsung still has your only choice if you live in the U.S. The company has two foldable product lines, and we think the Fold series is the best of the two.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 promises the screen of a tablet in the size of a smartphone that can fit in your pocket. That’s a more compelling experience than the Z Flip 4, a small tablet that essentially folds into a smartphone.
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 has a 6.2-inch display on the outside—the display you use when the phone is closed—and a 7.6-inch display when you unfold the device. Samsung changed the aspect ratio of the outside “Cover Display” this time around, making it shorter and easier to use with one hand.
Powering the device is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and 12GB of RAM. That’s a slightly newer processor than the Galaxy S22 series and the same RAM as the Galaxy S22 Ultra. In short, it’s one of the most powerful Android devices around currently.
There are four total cameras on the outside of the device and one camera on the inside. When the phone is folded, there are three cameras on the back—a 50MP main camera, 10MP telephoto, and 12MP ultrawide.
The fourth outside camera is 10MP, which faces you when the phone is folded. The camera on the inside that you use when the device is unfolded is 4MP, and it sits underneath the display.
All this fancy hardware comes at a price, and you must be more careful with foldable phones over traditional ones. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 will cost you around $1,900. That’s $700 more than the non-folding Galaxy S22 Ultra, and not a price tag to take lightly. Still, if you want something truly unique, this will be worth the cost.
Best Samsung Foldable Phone
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
A smartphone that can fold into a tablet. It doesn’t get much cooler than that. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is about as much smartphone as you can buy.
