Best Samsung phones: finding the right Galaxy for you

Samsung is the biggest name in Android phones, and for good reason, since the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S9 are among the best phones you can buy.

But the company has manufactured many phones and it's worth looking for them beyond the latest flagships, according to their needs and budget.

So, with this in mind, here is a guide to the best Samsung phones available. Covers new and old (er) in a range of price points, along with different screen sizes, specifications and features.

1. Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

The best Samsung phone you can buy

Large double-aperture camera

Impressive screen

Expensive

Not so different from S8 Plus

The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus is Samsung's best phone , and also the best-ranked phone in our general list of best phones at the time of writing.

It is large, in fact, its 6.2-inch screen would make it very large, if it were not for the almost complete absence of bevel and curved edges, which ensure that it is quite manageable in the hand. The screen is also one of the best: it is clear and looks great colors.

The Galaxy S9 Plus also stands out for its dual 12MP cameras, one of which is double-aperture, which means it can switch between f / 1.5 for dark scenes and f / 2.4 for everything else.

Other highlights include impressive stereo speakers and a large 3,500 mAh battery. There is also a flagship product and all the features that tend to accompany it, such as an elegant metal and glass construction, water resistance, wireless charging and various biometric security options, including a fingerprint scanner, an iris scanner and a face scanner.

Read our full review of Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

2. Samsung Galaxy S9

A solid successor of a classic smartphone

Excellent display

Very powerful

Very similar to S8

Only has a single lens camera

The Samsung Galaxy S9 is smaller, more economical (but still expensive) alternative to the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus.

The 5.8-inch screen makes it potentially preferable if you have smaller hands or pockets, and as with the S9 Plus, it is more compact than you would expect, thanks to its slim bevels and curved screen.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 has many of the same high points as the S9 Plus, including a crisp and vibrant display, high-end construction, lots of power and several biometric security options.

It only has a single lens camera, but it's still a very good one, and the battery is smaller, so it's definitely the weakest phone in general, but it's still one of the most impressive phones you can buy in 2018.

Read our full article Samsung Galaxy S9

3. Samsung Galaxy Note 8

A bestial phone for stylus fans

Awesome camera

Great screen

Weak speaker

Expensive

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is Samsung's other flagship, designed for those who want a true massive 6.3-inch screen and a stylus (known as S-Pen) to make the most of it.

Apart from that, it has much in common with the Galaxy S range, with a similar glass (and similar) metal frame and back, a QHD curved screen and a two-lens rear camera.

There is also a lot of power, although you are using a 2017 chipset instead of a 2018, so it does not match the S9 range. But now it's also a bit cheaper than the S9 Plus and still has water resistance, wireless charging and plenty of storage space.

Read all Comment of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8

4. Samsung Galaxy S8

Strong camera

Large and sharp screen

Biometric problems

Bixby is not very useful

The Samsung Galaxy S8 was one of the best phones of 2017 and it still occupies a high place now. In fact, the Samsung Galaxy S9 is just a pretty small update.

The S8 has a 1440 x 2960 OLED screen with a sharpness of 5.8 inches, which, of course, is curved. It has an excellent design, with a metal frame, a glass back and a minimum bezel, it has a 12MP camera that surpasses most phones and even now it is very powerful.

It is also water resistant, supports wireless charging and has a fingerprint scanner, a face scanner and an iris scanner, although the latter two do not work as well as in the Galaxy S9 and the first is in a more annoying position . Still, they are small complaints about what would otherwise be a minor classic in the world of smartphones.

Read our full review of the Samsung Galaxy S8

5. Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus

A great big-screen option

Release date: April 2017 | Weight: 173g | Dimensions: 159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm | Operating system: Android 8 | Screen size: 6.2 inches | Resolution: 1440 x 2960 | CPU: Snapdragon 835 / Exynos 8895 | RAM: 4GB | Storage: 64GB | Battery: 3,500 mAh | Rear camera: 12MP | Front camera: 8MP

Huge screen

Large battery

Only has a single lens camera

Defective biometrics

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus is a large screen alternative to the Samsung Galaxy S8, but it is not only the 6.2-inch screen that is larger, the 3.500mA battery is also.

Otherwise, this is a very similar phone, with many of the same pros and cons. It gets a sharp screen with great contrast and colors, a powerful chipset, but now a bit outdated, a 12MP single lens camera that stands out in most of the lights and more biometric options that you'll know what to do.

It's also cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus or the Galaxy Note 8, which makes the Galaxy S8 Plus a slightly more affordable large-screen option, although it lacks the two-lens cameras of those phones.

Read all our [19659016] Review of Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus

6. Samsung Galaxy S7

This time the flagship is still a powerful upper mid-ranger

Release date: March 2016 | Weight: 152g | Dimensions: 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9 mm | Operating system: Android 7 | Screen size: 5.1 inches | Resolution: 1440 x 2560 | CPU: Snapdragon 820 / Exynos 8890 | RAM: 4GB | Storage: 32GB | Battery: 3,000mAh | Rear camera: 12MP | Front camera: 5MP

Compact screen

Good camera

Only 32 GB of internal storage

Internal protections

The Samsung Galaxy S7 was one of the best phones of 2016, which means that it is still very decent, especially since the price has dropped a lot since launch.

But it could attract not only those with a low budget, but also those who want a fairly compact phone, since it is 5.1 inches the screen is small by modern standards. However, it is the best that is expected from Samsung, thanks to the use of Super AMOLED and its QHD resolution, although unlike most Galaxy S phones in recent years, the screen is flat.

The Galaxy S7 also has a water-resistant construction and a highly-capable 12MP camera, in addition to specifications that were once high-end and still remain in the mid-range.

Read our full review of the Samsung Galaxy S7

7. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

The best smartphone of 2016 it's still a big buy

Release date: March 2016 | Weight: 157g | Dimensions: 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7mm | Operating system: Android 7 | Screen size: 5.5 inches | Resolution: 1440 x 2560 | CPU: Snapdragon 820 / Exynos 8890 | RAM: 4GB | Storage: 32GB | Battery: 3,600 mAh | Rear camera: 12MP | Front camera: 5MP

Clear and curved screen

Large battery

Light plastic feel

Only 32 GB of storage

The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is another alternative big and more the Samsung Galaxy S7. The larger 5.5-inch screen has the same resolution (and therefore a little less sharp) but is still super sharp and vibrant, whi
le curves ensure that the design is more modern.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge also has a large 3,600 mAh battery making it one of the most durable Samsung phones you'll find, and it has the same great camera as the standard Galaxy S7.

Your chipset is improving a bit, but it still withstood phones with similar prices, and there's only 32GB of built-in storage, but you also get a microSD card slot, so even bad points are not that bad.

Read our full review of Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

8. Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)

Release date: January 2017 | Weight: 157g | Dimensions: 146.1 x 71.4 x 7.9 mm | Operating system: Android 7 | Screen size: 5.2-inch | Resolution: 1080 x 1920 | CPU: Exynos 7880 | RAM: 3GB | Storage: 32GB | Battery: 3,000mAh | Rear camera: 16MP | Front camera: 16MP

Good battery life

Powerful OLED display

OIS cameraless

Mediocre chipset

The Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) was released as a range medium alternative to the Galaxy S range, and it stays well, thanks in large part to its AMOLED 1080p screen capable of strong colors.

The Galaxy A5 is also compacting mid-range power and a quality metal and glass construction that is quite similar to the Samsung Galaxy S7.

The life of the battery is much better than you would expect, with a phone that lasts more than a day comfortably, but the 16MP camera is a little lower in quality of the S7 range. [19659002] Read our full review of Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)

9. Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)

The flagship is seen at a much lower price

Release date: January 2017 | Weight: 138g | Dimensions: 135.4 x 66.2 x 7.9 mm | Operating system: Android 7 | Screen size: 4.7 inches | Resolution: 720 x 1280 | CPU: Exynos 7870 | RAM: 2GB | Storage: 16GB | Battery: 2,350 mAh | Rear camera: 13MP | Front camera: 8MP

Two-day battery life

High-end appearance

Camera produces mixed results

Only 16 GB of storage

The Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) seems much taller than it is, thanks to its metal frame and glass again. It is even resistant to water and dust. However, this phone has a price that barely reaches half.

Take a look at the specifications and the low cost becomes easier to explain, since there is only 2GB of RAM, a midrange chipset and a 720p screen, but that is still solid for your money, especially because it is a compact screen of 4.7 inches, so the pixels go beyond that on a large screen.

And despite its small cell size, you can get two days of life from the Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) with moderate use, which is something few phones can match.

Read our full review Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)