- Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: Samsung
- Galaxy Z Fold 3: Samsung
- Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Buy
- Samsung A52: T-Mobile
- Samsung Galaxy S21: Samsung
Samsung, the multinational, South Korea-based, conglomerate, is perhaps best known for its smartphone output. And every year, it offers up a plethora of high-quality phones. As such: figuring out which one to settle on can be perplexing. Price is always an issue for some when figuring out what’s the best for them, while others always gravitate to buying the latest-and-greatest model on the market.
Listed below are the five Samsung phones we think rise above the rest on the current market (all offer up 5G capabilities).
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
As member of Samsung’s Galaxy lineup (along with the Galaxy S21 and the Galaxy S21+), the Ultra is the king of the lot. They are all top-ranked devices, but if you want the best of everything that Galaxy has to offer — and if price isn’t a concern — the Ultra is it. Its battery capacity is a monster (5,000mAh), its display is amazing at 6.8 inches, it provides a quadruple-camera module and its camera’s zoom feature, Space Zoom, clocks in at 100X. Its storage is also massive at 512GB and can be purchased with either 12GB 16GB of RAM. Another bonus is it supports Samsung’s S Pen stylus (neither the S21 and the 21+ offer this feature). The S21 Ultra, simply put, deserves to be deemed Samsung’s best phone ever, though the S21 and 21+ are still more than worthwhile buys.
Galaxy Z Fold 3
This one can fall into the wants versus needs category, but if you’re in the foldable phone market, this is the one. A foldable phone, which basically has two screens that can be opened up to expand it to a tablet, is perhaps ideal for those who use their phones more for watching YouTube than checking email. The display is gorgeous, using a 7.6-inch panel. The battery is a 4,400mAh cell; it’s water-resistant and durable, thanks to the use of Gorilla Glass Victus; and it supports S Pen. One word of caution: When folded up, it’s pretty bulky, so it’s not ideal for slim-phone enthusiasts.
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Though released in 2020, this is still a solid buy (Samsung, moreover, decided not to release a 2021 version of the Note). It offers an amazing 6.9-inch, 120Hz display; you can stream the Xbox with it and it comes with an S Pen. The camera is excellent, boasting 50x zoom and top-notch autofocus. Aesthetically, the body of the phone is stylish, and its video-recording capability is sound: It can record 8K video with a 21:9 aspect ratio at 24 frames per second. Finally, it allows Microsoft Windows integration, which allows you to access your Windows 10 apps on your phone. All around, this is a rock-solid device.
Samsung A52
For those on a budget, this phone is the best bang for your buck. The camera doesn’t disappoint, boasts solid battery life and has a 120Hz refresh-rate display. It also incorporates a fingerprint sensor and is semi-water resistant: The phone can be plunged into water for roughly 30 minutes. To boot, it has a slick design and packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G chip with 6GB of RAM.
Samsung Galaxy S21
Among the company’s mid-range devices, the S21 is a solid buy. It has full HD resolution, It has a 6.2-inch screen (with what it calls Dynamic AMOLED 2X,), and the longevity doesn’t lag (with its 4,000 mAh battery) and provides Snapdragon 888 chip, along with 8GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage. In hand, it feels great and strikes you that it’s well made and durable. And besides black, it also comes in other colors such as gray, pink and white. There are some downsides, though: It does not have a MicroSD slot, and the wall charger doesn’t come in the device’s box. But if those things aren’t a dealbreaker, this is a no-brainer buy (and the S21 also comes in pricier: the S21+ and the S21 Ultra).