The best Samsung phones in 2022
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The best Samsung phones in 2022
To many casual smartphone users in the US, Android means Samsung; the company positively dominates the market here. While we might wish for more competition, it's hard to say Samsung hasn't earned its reputation. It makes many of the best smartphones you can buy today and across a wide range of prices.
Eyeing a Samsung upgrade? Here are our top picks right now, with options from $160 to $1,800.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the Android flagship to beat right now.
With crazy fast performance, a positively fantastic 1440p, 120Hz display, and a Note-style built-in S Pen stylus, it's got every bell and whistle you could ask for in a phone that doesn't fold in half. Powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset and up to 12 gigs of RAM, the S22 Ultra handles the basics (calls, texts, social media, that sort of thing), plus more strenuous workloads like gaming and multitasking, all without breaking a sweat. Its 6.8-inch display is positively immaculate: it's very pixel-dense at a resolution of 1440p, colors are vibrant as all get-out, and its 120Hz refresh rate means animations are as smooth as you could ask for.
The S22 Ultra has a very robust camera array, with a 108-megapixel primary camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide, and not one, but two telephoto cameras at 3x and 10x magnification (both 10 megapixels). It even has a 40-megapixel wide-angle selfie camera. Whether it beats the Pixel 6 Pro on photo quality comes down to preferences, but the two camera setups are in the same league.
With its built-in S Pen (plus its outstanding build quality, big, beautiful screen, and impressive cameras), the Galaxy S22 Ultra has taken up the Note mantle. If you've missed the Note devices of yesteryear, this is the one for you — if you've got the $1,200 to drop on it, anyway.
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
- Display: 6.8-inch 1440 x 3088 OLED @ 120Hz
- RAM: 8,12 GB
- Storage: 128, 256, 512, 1024 GB
- Battery: 5,000mAh, max 45W charging, 15W wireless
- Operating System: Android 12 with One UI 4.1
- Front camera: 40MP f/2.2, 26mm
- Rear camera: 108 MP f/1.8 primary, 12 MP f/2.2 ultrawide, 10 MP f/2.4 3x telephoto, 10 MP f/4.9 10x telephoto,
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e; Bluetooth 5.2; 5G mmWave and sub6
- Dimensions: 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9 mm, 229 g
- Price: Starting at $1,199
- Huge, terrific display
- Outstanding build quality
- Built in S Pen
- Big, sometimes awkward to handle
- Very premium at $1,200
- No charger in the box
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold3 is an incredible piece of engineering. Not only does it fold out into a small tablet, but it manages to still be a solid phone besides — it's even water-resistant, which, given all the moving parts, is very impressive. It's our premium pick because it costs an arm and a leg — its MSRP starts at a positively blistering $1,799.99, though it's down to $1,400 these days — but also because it's gloriously, undeniably excessive. Say what you want about the productivity enabled by multitasking on its 7.6-inch interior screen, but the Z Fold3's best feature might be how dang cool it is.
More practically, it's a very capable phone: it's got a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset — not cutting edge in 2022, but no slouch, either — and 12 gigs of RAM, so it's plenty fast. Its cameras won't give the S22 Ultra a run for its money, but they're still quite good: it has 12-megapixel primary, ultra-wide, and telephoto cameras that kick out 2020 flagship quality photos. Aside from the downsides inherent to the form factor — namely, high price and relatively low durability — battery life isn't all it could be, either; you'll probably need to charge the Fold3 every night. Still, you're getting a lot here you can't get anywhere else right now.
If you want the most cutting-edge foldable you can get your mitts on, though, the Galaxy Z Fold4 should be announced quite soon. Right now, we'd advise holding off on your foldable purchase until we've seen what Samsung has to announce on August 10.
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
- Display: 6.70-inch OLED @ 2268 x 832, up to 120Hz, 1,500 nits peak (external); 7.6-inch OLED @ 2208 x 1768, up to 120Hz, 1,200 nits peak (internal)
- RAM: 12 GB
- Storage: 256 GB, 512 GB
- Battery: 4,400 mAh dual-cell
- Operating System: Android 11 with One UI
- Front camera: 10MP f/2.2 (cover); 4MP f/1.8 (internal)
- Rear camera: 12MP f/1.8 main w/ OIS, 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (123°), 12MP f/2.4 2x telephoto w/ OIS
- Dimensions: 128 x 158 x 6.4mm (unfolded); 67.1 x 158 x 16mm (folded); 271g
- Colors: Black, green, silver
- Impeccable industrial design and build quality
- Water resistant and more durable than previous models
- It's a folding pocket tablet!
- Under-display selfie camera is cool in theory, but crummy in practice
- Battery life is only okay
- The Fold4 is just around the corner
The Galaxy A13 is the opposite of the Z Fold3: it's not fancy by any stretch of the imagination, but it gets the job done — and for just $250. Day-to-day performance is as good as you could hope for in a budget phone — fine, but not quite fast. Its cameras can manage some decent photos in broad daylight, too, though they struggle considerably in darker settings, particularly indoors. Battery life is strong: In our testing, we easily made it past the 24-hour mark with moderate use. It's even got 5G, which still isn't guaranteed in phones this inexpensive (not ultra-fast mmWave, but you almost certainly wouldn't benefit from that anyway). It's also worth pointing out the A13's impressive update commitment: it's set to get two years of Android platform updates, plus four years of security patches. Whether you'll want to rock this particular device into 2026 is a different question, but the fact that you feasibly could is very impressive.
- CPU: MediaTek Dimensity 700
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 64GB
- Battery: 5,000 mAh
- Operating System: Android 11 with OneUI 3.1
- Front camera: 5MP f/2.0
- Rear camera: 50MP f/1.8 primary, 2MP f/2.4 macro, 2MP f/2.4 depth
- Dimensions: 164.5 x 76.5 x 8.8mm
- Display type: 6.5" 720p PLS TFT LCD, 90Hz
- Weight: 195g
- Price: $250
- Adequate performance
- Good battery life
- Long software support
- Display is 90Hz, but otherwise isn't great
- Questionable build quality
- Middling-to-bad camera performance
The base-model Samsung Galaxy S22 is one of the last options for Android users who want a small flagship. It's not really small; it's got a 6.1-inch display. But considering there are phones on this list with screens approaching seven inches (or larger, if you count foldables), it's downright mini by modern standards.
With the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 as the larger S22 phones (including the Ultra), there's not much this phone can't handle. Just be aware its 3,700-milliamp hour battery might need more babying than the 4,500- to 5,000-mAh cells found in most other modern flagships — and that, as a consequence of being so compact, it tends to warm up a bit under strain. Still, if you're not very demanding of your phone and want something nice and highly portable, this is the one for you.
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (US/Japan) Samsung Exynos 2200 (ROW)
- Display: 6.1" 1080p OLED, 120Hz
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 128GB, 256GB. expandable by Micro SD
- Battery: 3700mAh
- Operating System: Android 12 with One UI 4.1
- Front camera: 10MP f/2.2
- Rear camera: 50MP f/1.8 primary; 10MP f/2.4 3x telephoto; 12MP f/2.2 120˚ ultra-wide
- Dimensions: 146 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm
- Colors: Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green, Pink Gold, Graphite, Cream, Sky Blue, Violet
- Weight: 167 g
- Charging: 25W wired; 15W wireless
- IP Rating: IP68
- Price: $699 USD
- A relatively compact flagship — rare in 2022
- Really great display
- Consistently strong performance
- Camera performance isn't all it could be
- Relatively weak battery life
- Can get warm under strain
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 is a more affordable folding phone than the Fold3 — and because it folds in half vertically rather than horizontally, it has a much smaller folded footprint that means it can fit in pockets other modern phones don't. "Affordable" is relative, though; the Flip3 still has an MSRP of $999, and compared to other thousand-dollar devices, it's not especially fast. It also has mediocre battery life and cameras that just aren't good enough for a phone so expensive.
But what the Flip3 lacks in objective value, it makes up for in novelty. It's also frequently available well under full price lately, so if you want a taste of the foldable life without dropping four figures, keep an eye out for sales.
Be aware we could see the Galaxy Z Flip4 quite soon as Samsung is projected to announce its new foldables in August, just as it did last year with the Z Flip3. If you care about having the newest versions of things, you should give it some time.
- CPU: Snapdragon 888
- Display: 6.7" 1080p OLED, 120Hz
- RAM: 8 GB
- Storage: 128 GB, 256 GB
- Battery: 3,300 mAh
- Operating System: One UI over Android 11
- Front camera: 10MP f/2.4
- Rear camera: 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (123°), 12MP f/1.8 main w/ OIS
- Connectivity: 5G (incl. mmWave), LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 Supports eSIM and/or Nano-SIM
- Dimensions: Unfolded - 72.2 x 166 x 6.9mm Folded - 72.2 x 86.4 x 15.9-17.1mm 183g
- Colors: Cream, Green, Lavender, Phantom Black, Gray, White, Pink
- Fits in smaller pockets!
- Water resistant and generally sturdy
- Cover screen is useful
- Battery life isn't very good
- 15W wired charging is too slow
- Cameras aren't up to snuff
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE keeps the best parts of last year's Galaxy S21 series and trims some fat to offer a more affordable version. It has an outstanding 120Hz display, very strong battery life, and good performance — but at an MSRP of $700, it's up against the Pixel 6, which offers similar performance and more capable cameras for $100 less (it's worth noting that the S21 FE is practically always on sale lately, though). At a sale price of $600 or so, the S21 FE is a great value for anyone looking for a conventional, high-end Samsung experience without having to spend too much. It's not as easy to recommend at full price — it's only $100 cheaper than the S22 — but it's still worth considering.
- CPU: Snapdragon 888
- Display: 6.4" FHD+ (2340x1080) OLED, 120Hz
- RAM: 6-8GB of RAM
- Storage: 128 or 256GB
- Battery: 4,500mAh battery, 25W wired charging, 15W wireless
- Operating System: OneUI 4.0 (Android 12)
- Camera (Rear, Front): 12MP f/.1.8 primary, 12MP f/2,2 ultra-wide, 8MP f/2.4 telephoto (up to "30x space zoom"), 32MP f/2.2 selfie
- Connectivity: 5G (sub-6 and mmWave), NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6E
- Others: Dual-SIM, IP68, optical in-display fingerprint sensor, no MST, no headphone jack
- Dimensions: 74.5 x 155.7 x 7.9mm, 177g
- Colors: White, graphite, olive, lavender
- Price: Starting at $700
- Excellent display
- Two-day battery life
- Strong performance
- Cameras aren't as good as the Pixel 6's
- 6 gigs of RAM is low for a $700 phone
- Not quite the great value the S20 FE was
The Galaxy A53 does a lot right for $450. Samsung somehow managed to fit the phone with an excellent, 120Hz display while also maintaining good performance and battery life — an impressive combination at this price. It's guaranteed security updates into 2025, too, so you can safely use the thing for a long time. Its cameras are frequently slow to start, though, which can lead to missed shots. And while it may be $50 less expensive than last year's A52 5G, that price reduction comes with a couple of noteworthy downgrades from the prior model: the A53 does not have a headphone jack and does not come with a charger in the box. If none of those things sound like deal-breakers to you, the A53 will meet your needs just fine.
- CPU: Exynos 1280
- Display: 6.5" 1080p OLED, 120Hz
- RAM: 6GB
- Storage: 128GB, expandable by MicroSD (up to 1TB)
- Battery: 5,000mAh
- Operating System: Android 12 with One UI 4.1
- Front camera: 32MP f/2.2
- Rear camera: 64MP f/1.8 primary, 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide, 5MP f/2.4 macro, 5MP 5/2.4 depth
- Dimensions: 6.28 x 2.94 x 0.32"
- Display type: 6.5" 1080p OLED, 120Hz
- Weight: 6.67 oz
- Charging: Up to 25W wired
- IP Rating: IP67
- Price: $450
- The best screen you'll see in a phone this price
- Really good battery life
- Less expensive than the previous generation
- The A52 had a headphone jack, the A53 doesn't
- No charger in the box
- Unreliable camera performance
The Samsung Galaxy A03s is cheap. It's got a 720p LCD display, cruddy cameras, and just 32 gigs of storage space — very cramped by modern standards. But it's also a fully functional smartphone for just 160 bucks — and it even has features like USB-C, NFC for contactless payments, and a fingerprint sensor (last year's A02s didn't have any biometric security to speak of). If your smartphone needs are very simple or if you just want to spend as little as possible on your next phone, the A03s is likely right up your alley.
- CPU: MediaTek Helio P35
- RAM: 3GB
- Storage: 32GB, expandable by MicroSD (up to 1TB)
- Battery: 5,000 mAh
- Operating System: Android 11 with One UI 3.1
- Rear camera: 13MP f/2.2 primary; 2MP f/2.4 macro, 2MP f/2.4 depth
- Connectivity: LTE only, no 5G
- Dimensions: 164.2 x 75.9 x 9.1mm
- Colors: Black
- Display type: 6.5" 720 LCD, 60Hz
- Weight: 196g
- Charging: 7.75W wired
- IP Rating: n/a
- Price: $160
- Great update commitment for a budget phone
- Has a fingerprint sensor
- Just $160
- Crummy cameras
- Not particularly quick
- 32GB storage is low for 2022, even in a budget phone
Samsung offers an extremely wide range of phones at an extremely wide range of prices. All those choices can be overwhelming, which is why we make guides like this one.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold3, and Galaxy Z Flip3 are all high-end, unique devices. They're quite different from each other, but they all share a few things in common: they all have some of the best screens you can get in any electronic device today, they're all immaculately built, and they all do things most other phones can't right now.
Of those three, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the most powerful and the least fragile (though we'd hesitate to call any of them durable). If you want to keep your next phone for four or five years, the Ultra's probably the way to go (it's pricey, but we're always on the lookout for good deals on the S22 series). If you want something fun and unusual, both folding models will be worth a look.
The Galaxy S22, Galaxy S21 FE, and Galaxy A53 cost substantially less than Samsung's top-tier offerings. If you like a smaller screen and can deal with middling battery life, go for the base-model S22. If you need a larger display, choose one of the other two — whichever works for your budget.
On the less expensive side, the A13 and the A03s offer basic smartphone functionality at very reasonable prices. Neither's exactly a powerhouse, but if your budget can bear it, we'd recommend the A13 over the A03s — it's better in every way, but it also costs $90 more. Entertaining less expensive phones from companies other than Samsung? Check out our picks for the best budget Android phones across manufacturers.
We hope you like the items we recommend and discuss! AndroidPolice has affiliate and sponsored partnerships, so we receive a share of the revenue from some of your purchases. This won’t affect the price you pay and helps us offer the best product recommendations.
Taylor Kerns (1199 Articles Published)
Taylor was a phone nerd long before joining Android Police in 2018. He currently carries a Pixel 6 Pro, which he uses mostly to take pictures of his dogs.
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