Best Samsung phones 2024

There's never been a better time to look at the best Samsung phones, as this year's crop of flagship Galaxys are now on sale and better than ever.

We're talking about the Galaxy S24 here, and the  recently launched Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6. But you'll find cheaper models such as the Galaxy A55 or older but still good Galaxy S23 on here too if that's your budget.

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 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

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 looks oddly familiar to older Z Folds, but we still have to admit this this installment is the best Samsung's made so far.

Samsung widened and lightened the body to make it easier to use, as well as tougher and dust-proof for the first time. The screens inside and out are better than ever, and the chipset is the best you can get in an Android phone right now. But the standout are the addition of Galaxy AI features, including some unique ones like the Interpreter mode (which relies on the phone being open at 90 degrees) and Sketch to Image, that lets you turn S Pen doodles into much more impressive pieces of art.

These upgrades seem to have caused Samsung to increase the price since last year, which we're not happy about. And photography still isn't on par with the Galaxy S24 series. We're still more than happy to recommend this phone though (if you can afford it), as it is truly unique among Samsung's portfolio and uses 

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review.

Most affordable Samsung foldable

There are a number of Galaxy Z Flip 6 upgrades made by Samsung this year, and they've helped elevate the smaller of the company's two foldables to new heights.

A new 50MP main camera has given the Z Flip 6 a new lease on life with its photography, while the upgraded Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset not only unlocks better performance, but new AI-powered abilities. Particular shout outs go to Interpreter mode and Photo assist, as well as the 7 years of software updates you now get.

It's a pity that Samsung raised the price to $1,100 dollars this year,  and that even with a new larger battery, it doesn't last that long on a single charge. We still find the Z Flip 6 quite charming though, and definitely the foldable to try if you don't want to spend the extra for a Z Fold model.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review.

Best value Samsung phone

It's very annoying that Samsung's not selling the Galaxy A55 in the U.S. this year, but it's still great that this phone's available for users beyond North America who want a balanced budget phone.

Samsung hasn't fixed the one issue plaguing previous Galaxy A5x models - the lacking performance - despite upgrading its chipset. Fortunately with a new larger display, more generous memory spec and still impressive battery and photo performance, everything else you'd want from this phone is in place.

U.S. users instead get the Galaxy A35 as their budget Samsung this year — full review incoming. It shares many specs with the A55, but until we test it properly, we can't confirm if it's as good as the Galaxy A55, or an even better deal.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy A55 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.

A cheaper flagship Galaxy

It's over a year old, but that's no reason to write off the Galaxy S23. Still on sale at Samsung but now discounted, the S23 still has the bearing of a flagship phone, using a top-quality Snapdragon chipset, a sharp and colorful display, and a well-balanced array of cameras (although we wish the selfies were up to par with what the rear cameras can produce).

Battery life has improved, but as a small-bodied phone it can't compete with its larger siblings with newer, more efficient hardware. Also 25W is still on the slow side for charging, even if it's par for the course with most of Samsung's phones.

But all said and done, perhaps your best choice from this list of Samsung phones is the older model you may not have considered. It's still gaining new tricks after all, as Samsung's recent Galaxy AI update has shown.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S23 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 the best 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.