Best Samsung phones 2024 (2024)

There's been some big shifts in the best Samsung phones rankings thanks to the Galaxy S24 series' arrival. And we may not be done, now that the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 are here.

But if you're looking to buy now, you've still got an amazing selection to pick from. Samsung Galaxy phones run all the way from basic Galaxy A models to cutting-edge Galaxy Z foldables, with a diverse range of price points that'll hopefully suit any budget you have.

If you do wind up grabbing a Samsung device, make sure you check out the first app you should install on your Samsung Galaxy phone and all of the Samsung hidden features that will change the way you use your phone.

The quick list

Best Samsung phone overall

With the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Samsung offers many of its best smartphone features, including great battery life, photography and a long schedule of updates to keep the phone fresh down the line. But the main attraction this year is the addition of Galaxy AI, which adds things like live in-call translation, note and web page summaries and powerful generative photo editing, to name just a few.

Unfortunately, all these goodies, plus the phone's new titanium body, have meant the basic price of the Galaxy S24 Ultra has increased since last year. We're also not happy that Samsung got rid of its 10x telephoto camera to add a 5x one, albeit with a higher-res sensor. These points don't detract from the fact this is as good as the Samsung Galaxy experience gets right now, with the S24 Ultra sitting pretty near the top of our best phones overall guide.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review.

Best value Samsung phone

The Galaxy A54 provides a low-cost alternative to Samsung's Galaxy S flagships, but don't dismiss it as a mere budget device. Samsung has packed a lot of value into the A54, starting with the same 50MP main camera that the Galaxy S23 uses. That camera helps the Galaxy A54 produce quality photos that outshine many of the other camera phones in its price range.

The Exynos 1380 powering the Galaxy A54 doesn't exactly impress in terms of performance, but it does help the phone last a long time on a charge. (The 5,000 mAh battery plays a role, too.) And we like the fact that Samsung didn't rest on its laurels with last year's Galaxy A53 display, making the Galaxy A54 screen even brighter than before.

As impressive as the Galaxy S23 models are, not everyone can pay $799 or more for a new phone. The Galaxy A54 means you don't have to, and you can still get a very capable device in return.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy A54 review.

Best choice for most people

The cheapest Galaxy S24 model is just as capable as its bigger siblings when it comes to performance and AI features. It's also received upgrades to battery life and display quality since last year, which is an impressive achievement considering the petite size of the phone.

It's a pity Samsung made no hardware upgrades to the Galaxy S24's cameras, and that it's returned to its split-chipset strategy where U.S. customers get better Snapdragon chips while the rest of the world has to settle for Exynos models. However, this is likely the optimum new Galaxy S model for the majority of people in need of a new flagship phone.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S24 review.

Best sub-$1,000 big-screen Samsung phone

There are more differences between the Galaxy S24 Plus and the basic Galaxy S24 than before, giving you more potential reasons to go for the larger model. Beyond having a bigger screen, a larger battery and faster charging, the Galaxy S24 Plus also boasts more RAM and a higher display resolution without costing any more than last year's version.

Some parts of the experience haven't changed, like the cameras, plus there's the matter of Galaxy S24 units outside the U.S. getting a different chipset. But if the Galaxy S24 Ultra's too much for you, either in price or features, the Galaxy S24 Plus offers a well-balanced alternative within the same family with all the same software update schedule and Galaxy AI benefits.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus review.

Best foldable Samsung phone

Samsung didn't make dramatic changes for the Galaxy Z Fold 5. In fact, Galaxy Z Fold 4 owners will likely be able to skip this version of the foldable phone without regret. But if you're new to foldables, this is Samsung's most polished version yet, thanks to a new hinge design that makes the Fold both thinner and lighter than it's ever been.

The biggest addition to the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy silicon. You get top performance from the chipset, which is the same one found in the Galaxy S23 series. But the bigger benefit is battery life. For the first time ever, a Galaxy Z Fold performs well on our battery test, holding out for more than 11 hours. That's not only better than the average smartphone, it's also an improvement over the Galaxy Z Fold 4's sub-10 hour time.

The newer silicon also helps with image processing, so the Galaxy Z Fold 5 turns out better photos than before even if the camera specs are unchanged from its predecessor. We wish Samsung would start adjusting the price on the Galaxy Fold, particularly with the Pixel Fold costing an identical $1,799, but Samsung's phone re-establishes itself as the best foldable phone overall.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 review.

Most affordable Samsung foldable

Like the Galaxy Z Fold 5, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 doesn't see big changes from its predecessor. The same Flex Hinge found in Samsung's other foldable is on display here, too, and the new design helps the Flip to fully snap shut at last. But the bigger change comes to the Flip's outer display — instead of a 1.9-inch strip, you now get a 3.4-inch panel that's big enough to run more widgets without ever having to open up the flip phone. Unfortunately, there's a limitation — you can only run select apps on the Galaxy Z Flip 5's outer display. (That's not something Motorola Razr+ owners need worry about.) Still, we're happy to see the Flex Window arrive on the Galaxy Z Flip 5.

We're also happy with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset powering the phone. You get better performance, sure, but you also get improved battery life over past Flips — the Z Flip 5 now comes close to the average battery life for smartphones on our test, which is a big improvement over the Z Flip 4. Unfortunately, other phones still outlast Samsung's flip phone.

At $999, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 remains Samsung's most affordable foldable phone. It's good news then, that Samsung continues to offer a solid phone at that price, though we'd like to see more substantial changes down the road.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review.

A low-cost telephoto lens

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE targets anyone who wants a Galaxy S flagship but balks at paying higher prices. You'll make some compromises for that lower price, like an older Snapdragon 8 chipset powering the phone. But that allows the Galaxy S23 FE to be the rare sub-$600 phone that offers a dedicated telephoto lens.

That zoom lens performed well in our testing, as did the main and ultrawide cameras that make up the Galaxy S23 FE's triple camera array. The Galaxy S23 FE also adopts the look of the Galaxy S23 lineup, and even though it uses cheaper materials, the phone still offers an IP68 water resistance rating to match its pricier siblings.

While the Galaxy A54 is a better overall buy for bargain hunters, people who have big camera expectations and limited budgets should take a look at the Galaxy S23 FE.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S23 FE review.

How to choose the best Samsung phones

Picking which Samsung phone to buy is primarily driven by budget considerations. You're not going to spring for a Galaxy S23 Ultra, for example, if you're not prepared with at least $1,199 even if you opt to spread those payments out over time. But other factors need to be taken into consideration as well.

Start with how you use your smartphone. If it's primarily a productivity device, the Galaxy S23 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 5 are appealing, despite their high price tags, because they both support the S Pen. (Like the S22 Ultra before it, the S23 Ultra comes with an S Pen; the stylus is an optional add-on for Samsung's foldable.) If you turn to your phone for photography, the Galaxy S series is usually first in line for Samsung's camera innovations, and all three S23 models offer impressive camera features — particularly the 200MP main camera on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. (Check out our 200MP camera test results.)

Budget-minded shoppers have a plethora of options, from the reduced price tag of the Galaxy S22 to the midrange Galaxy A series. The Galaxy S23 FE has also arrived as another Samsung phone with a low starting price. Additionally, you can find discounts on Samsung phones by buying directly from the phone maker and trading in your current device. Check out the best Samsung phone deals for the latest savings.

How we test the best Samsung phones

In order for a smartphone to make our best phone list, it needs to excel on several tests that we run on every handset. We perform some of these tests in our labs and some in the real world. See our detailed explanation on how Tom's Guide tests and reviews smartphones for more information.

When it comes to performance, we rely on such synthetic benchmarks as Geekbench 6 and 3DMark to measure graphics performance. These tests allow us to compare performance across iPhones and Android devices. (Note that some phones in the chart below are still showing their Geekbench 5 numbers.) We also run a real-world video transcoding test on each phone using the Adobe Premiere Rush app and time the result. (We unfortunately have to skip this test on some phones due to app compatibility issues, but we attempt this benchmark with each device we get in to review.)

To measure the quality of a phone's display, we perform lab tests to determine the brightness of the panel (in nits), as well as how colorful each screen is (DCI-P3 color gamut). In these cases, higher numbers are better. We also measure color accuracy of each panel with a Delta-E rating, where lower numbers are better and score of 0 is perfect.

One of the most important tests we run is the Tom's Guide battery test. We run a web surfing test over 5G (or 4G if the phone doesn't have 5G support) at 150 nits of screen brightness until the battery gives out. In general, a phone that lasts 10 hours or more is good, and anything above 11 hours makes our list of thebest phone battery life.

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 take shots of landscapes, food, portraits and more, and also allow you to be the judge with side-by-side comparisons in our reviews.