The best Samsung phones to buy in 2025

If ever someone wanted to solidify the argument that Samsung currently rests too hard on its laurels, the Galaxy A17 5G makes for the perfect piece of evidence, but it’s far from a bad phone. It would be nice if Samsung could do more to beef up the secondary cameras, but that’s a minor blemish on what is overall a great option for anyone interested in buying a mid-range phone. The fact that the phone is a whole £150/$150 cheaper than the S25 and comes with the full promise of seven years of software updates just makes it even better. You’re also getting a larger display than the standard S25 with a sizeable 6.7-inch AMOLED panel, which is great for catching a bit of entertainment on the go, and the stereo speakers boast impressive sound for when you’re watching Netflix at home.

Best Samsung phone under $400

But if that $1,299 starting price puts you off, not to worry — Samsung has a wide range of phones at different price points, ready to meet any budget. Like all cheap smartphones, budget Samsung offerings come with significant compromises. They also all run One UI, the company’s customised Android skin, which is among our favourites – making Samsung phones easier to use than a lot of Android alternatives.

• If there’s one area that could still do with some improvement it’s in the battery life, not just in longevity but also the speed of the charging (25W is simply too slow in 2025).
• It’s bright too, with 2600 nits, so unless you’re after a specific use-case, there’s a good chance that you won’t need to use the interior display most of the time.
• Fantastic performance from the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy is paired with some of the most impressive cooling I’ve experienced on a smartphone.
• Put simply, you really can’t go wrong with any of the phones Samsung has launched this year.
• Carriers also mask the true cost of a smartphone.

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The brand was also the first smartphone maker to offer a mainstream foldable smartphone with the introduction of the Galaxy Z Fold more than half a decade ago. I’ve been testing smartphones for years, including Samsung’s Galaxy lineup. Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Below, you can see a gallery of shots we’ve taken with various Samsung phones featured in this guide. Last but not least, we take the best phones out in the field to take photos outdoors, indoors and at night in low light to see how they perform versus their closest competitors. (We’re waiting for the U.S. release of the Galaxy A56 to test that phone’s display in our lab, which is why it’s not listed below.)

At less than $200, this is an easy pick if you’re looking for a first phone for your kids or even a reliable option for an older loved one. Interestingly, the Galaxy A26 5G features a single down-firing speaker and a fixed 120Hz or 60Hz refresh rate, both of which represent departures from the more expensive Galaxy A options. At the very least, you’ll get reliable, postable snaps from the main 50MP camera, which is a Samsung staple by now. Also, as always, the Galaxy A56 5G comes equipped with a trio of rear cameras, much like its more premium counterparts. That said, as a Galaxy A model, the Galaxy A56 5G makes a few concessions to keep its price down, starting with its Exynos 1580 chipset. We generally like the color profile — it’s punchy without overcooking the reds and greens — but the processed images often appear slightly soft, lacking a lot of contrast.

I’ve used every new Samsung phone: These are the best ones to buy in 2025

With this latest phone, Samsung has finally hit the right balance of value and performance. Sure, the phone might not be a massive change over the Galaxy S24 Ultra, but it’s still an outstanding package overall. Its titanium chassis is designed to withstand plenty, just as the Corning Gorilla Armor 2 is meant to minimise the chance of any cracks or scratches appearing over time. This is one of the few phones that truly delivers on the concept of a premium experience, with flagship-level specs across the board.

Best Samsung foldable phone

• Instead of the cramped and weirdly ratioed outer screen of the Galaxy Z Flip 6, the Flip 7 takes a leaf out of Motorola’s book in offering an external display that’s almost end-to-end, making it much better suited for using full-fat apps at short notice.
• Since there are no surprises, it’s not a bad price for those who know what they’re getting and are willing to pay a premium for thinness.
• The former shares a display panel with the Edge, while the latter has the same high-resolution primary camera.
• I relied on the above functionality constantly when using the Z Flip7 as my primary phone.
• The Fold6 has a close to “normal” smartphone experience on the exterior 6.3-inch screen.
• The newly launched Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge has the same primary camera, but it lacks a telephoto unit.

In every day use, the Galaxy A56’s battery held up well — we’ll run our official battery test now that there’s a U.S. release — and I appreciate the ample screen space the A56 provides. You really have to be swayed by the thin look of the Edge to justify that cost, since other features — including performance and Galaxy AI support — are identical. Comparing zoom shots from the Edge to those with phones that have a telephoto lens, you’ll see the difference emerge the more you zoom in.

Speeding up your smartphone

When Mark Spoonauer reviewed the Fold, he marveled at its design, noting that you no longer pay a penalty in extra bulk when you opt for this style of foldable phone. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 gets a long-awaited feature by adding Samsung DeX support, so you can now plug your flip phone into a display to use it as you would a laptop. As a result, the Galaxy S25 Ultra posted the best time ever for a Samsung device on our phone battery test, breaking the 17-hour mark.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus – Best Battery Life

I’ve used dozens of smartphones in the past year alone, learning the ins and outs — the tips and tricks — to make the most out of my handset. More recently, Samsung’s Head of Mobile Experience, TM Roh, told The Korea Times that the company is gearing up to launch a tri-foldable phone by the end of the year. Now, all eyes are on its rumored tri-foldable phone, which the company first teased back in January, when it suggested that there were several untapped form factors the company was exploring. A tablet/smartphone hybrid foldable and one of the most innovative Samsung devices available. When compared to the Google Pixel lineup specifically, Samsung wins out by having a more robust software experience, with greater customizability for users to modify settings, home screen setups, app behaviors, and more. Having tested the latest handsets from both brands (and others), I find that the Samsung Galaxy continues to offer the most features and capabilities at relatively competitive prices.

Given that Samsung spent so much time hyping up the design of this slimline phone, there’s no getting around the fact that it is a marvellous piece of engineering, and the inclusion of a large 6.7-inch display is impressive. What is important is that, unlike most of the phones you can find around the A36’s £399/$399.99 price point, you’re getting a full six years of software and security updates from the time of launch. With the stylus in hand and the phone’s large 6.9-inch LTPO AMOLED display, it’s perfect for jotting down notes and writing on documents, plus the 5000mAh battery paves the way for a full day of use without concern. Compared to 2024 and 2025 S series phones, the previous generation mainly falls short on Galaxy AI features and camera performance. The newest Samsung phones are the Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, both of which launched during the company’s July Unpacked event, and feature foldable designs that balance flagship mobile performance with portable form factors.

However, this design comes at the cost of great battery life and a versatile camera system, as it lacks an optical zoom. Battery life isn’t terrible, but it’s disappointing considering other phones have seen huge advancements thanks to new battery tech and more efficient (Snapdragon) platforms. The real star, however, is the new 4.1-inch cover screen, which features the thinnest bezels ever and finally delivers the useful, edge-to-edge experience we’ve been asking for. The excellent hardware is held back a bit by confusing software and the new Exynos processor, but this is still one of the best flip phones we’ve ever tested. It makes a perfect argument for the flip form factor, combining a huge 6.9-inch internal screen and powerful features like DeX into a compact, pocketable device. The Flip 7’s Exynos processor lags behind the Snapdragon chips in other Galaxy phones, and this impacts battery life, which was 6.5 hours less than the Moto Razr Ultra in our lab tests.

A Respectable Midrange Phone

Multimedia enthusiasts will appreciate the large, anti-reflective, 6.9-inch screen combined with enhanced cooling for smooth gaming and movie playback. We’ve run several camera tests between the S25 Ultra and competing phones like the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, and found the Samsung model to deliver the sharpest and vibrant imagery. For something more experiential, consider the Galaxy Z Flip 7, which flips and folds into a pocketable square and is accessibly priced. Samsung is heading into the fall season with some serious momentum, with several flagship Android phones already under its belt in 2025, including the highly capable Galaxy S25 Ultra and ultra-thin Galaxy S25 Edge. Samsung displays, Samsung memory, and processors made on Samsung’s foundries (including chips from other chipmakers), are often the highest quality available, and Samsung uses those components on its own phones. The Edge delivers excellent performance (just as powerful as the Ultra) and has superior cooling that, in our testing, passed a stress test that breaks other phones.

The Best Folding Phone

The cover screen is large but still hobbled by suboptimal software, to put it frankly. Samsung also enabled Samsung Dex for the first time on the Flip, which allows you to hook up an external display and get a more desktop-like app experience, which is great for productivity. That adds to the idea of the Flip 7 being one of the most compact phones you can buy alvexo — it fits nicely into a small handbag or the breast pocket of a shirt or jacket.

When you buy a carrier phone, it’s “locked” to that network. Make sure you back up your phone before installing any update. It’s worth keeping the company’s launch time frames in mind if you want the latest and greatest. If you want a really good Samsung phone, the company has updated every single model in its lineup for 2025.

So if you’re looking for absolutely top-notch photography, this phone isn’t the one for you. The S25 Ultra has larger and better camera sensors for all three cameras (and adds an extra telephoto besides). During my testing, I found that the phone can last a day, even with medium to heavy usage away from Wi-Fi, but only just. Samsung has tablets, laptops, and wearables that all work better with a Samsung phone in your pocket, so the S25 would be a good option for those who already have a Galaxy Watch 8, Galaxy Ring, or Galaxy Tab S10 FE.

Ryan is a tech journalist who’s been with Android Authority since 2019, tackling everything from deals and best lists to features and reviews. With each Samsung smartphone, I always put my personal SIM card inside and spend as long as I can (a few weeks) using the phone as my own. It’s great if you’re visiting another office, or working out of a coffee shop or airplane (if you have a portable display). (You can also cast DeX to select screens wirelessly.) Samsung’s DeX (short for “desktop experience”) launched in 2017, and it’s 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.

We still love its software, which is guaranteed seven years of updates, its speedy charging and its decent camera performance. It’s got all the same features as the regular Galaxy S25 models and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, but its $649 entry price means it’s the cheapest of the lot. As a result, the nearly 12.5 hours the Edge lasted on our battery test may outperform the average phone, but it’s the shortest time posted by any Galaxy S25 model.