The Best Samsung Phones For Every Type Of User
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In the second quarter of 2025, Samsung held the top spot in the global smartphone market with a 19.7% market share. It's a popular choice, because they offer high-quality Android phones that are packed with the latest features and cater to varied price points. While the flagship Galaxy S series continues to set the standard for premium Android phones, the foldable Z series offers futuristic form factors that appeal to both tech lovers and creative users.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy A series delivers great performance and essential features at affordable prices, making it ideal for students, first-time smartphone users, and budget-conscious shoppers. In this guide, we'll round up the best Samsung phones for different kinds of customers so that you can find the right device to fit your needs, lifestyle, and preferences. We've based our choices on a combination of all the things you need to consider when buying a new phone, such as processing power, display size, battery backup, and, of course, camera performance.
Best overall: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is our top choice for anyone who wants a premium, power-packed device that supports great productivity, photography, and gaming. It sports the blazing-fast Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, paired with up to 16GB of RAM, and Samsung's cutting-edge Galaxy AI features like Note Assist, Transcript Assist, and Live Translate. These make meetings, research, and multitasking seamless, while the built-in S Pen is a game-changer for taking notes, sketching, or annotating documents.
With a 200MP main camera, enhanced by Samsung's ProVisual Engine, the Galaxy S25 Ultra ensures incredible detail, allowing you to crop, edit, and share your photos without losing clarity. The enhanced 10x optical zoom and up to 100x Space Zoom let you capture distant subjects with precision, making it perfect for all kinds of shoots. It's no wonder this phone tops Amateur Photographer's 2025 roundup of the best camera phones for photography.
At the same time, gamers will appreciate the stunning 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate, adaptive brightness, and rich HDR. At the same time, the improved vapor chamber cooling system ensures sustained performance during long sessions. This phone will easily last you through the day, as our tests have revealed that the Galaxy S25 Ultra has almost identical battery life to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which is its closest competitor. At $1,299, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is certainly pricey, but it's often available at a slight discount on Amazon.
Best AI features on a budget: Samsung Galaxy S24 FE
If you want to benefit from powerful Galaxy AI features without splurging on the latest flagship S25 series, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is an unbeatable, affordable choice. It's priced at $650 and comes with the full Galaxy AI suite — including Circle to Search, Live Translate, Interpreter Mode, Note Assist, and Generative Edit. This makes it easy to search, translate, summarize, and creatively edit without extra apps. At the same time, the AI-powered camera stands out with Nightography for low-light shots, AI Zoom for crisp details, and Super HDR for lifelike colors. Features like Generative Edit, Portrait Studio, and Instant Slow-Mo help you enhance and personalize photos and videos effortlessly.
Under the hood, the Exynos 2400e processor and improved cooling ensure smooth performance for AI workloads and gaming alike. It packs 8GB of RAM and a beautiful 6.7" Super AMOLED display. You also get OS and security updates until 2031, which means these AI tools will stay relevant and secure well into the future. Therefore, the Galaxy S24 FE offers the perfect balance of performance, creativity, and value. Tech YouTuber Kevin Breeze has termed it Samsung's best-kept secret for the incredible value it offers. However, if you don't mind spending a bit more or prefer a smaller, lighter phone, go for the newer Samsung Galaxy S25 that has the upgraded Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and 12GB RAM. It retails at $799 but is usually discounted on Amazon.
Best budget option: Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
At just $199, the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G is the best Samsung phone for anyone on a budget. Despite its affordable price tag, it delivers impressive performance for everyday use, thanks to its efficient processor and 4GB of RAM. In fact, according to data by CounterPoint Research, this phone was the fifth best-selling smartphone in the world in Q1 of 2025, preceded only by iPhones. That's a big feat for a budget Android device, and seals its place as a reliable choice for all your everyday activities like browsing, streaming, and using social media. The large 6.5-inch display offers a bright and immersive viewing experience, while the 5,000 mAh battery can power through a full day of use. Moreover, you also get the benefit of 25W fast-charging, which can take the battery from 0 to 100% in about 90 minutes.
This budget phone has an impressive 50MP rear camera with a 5MP ultra-wide lens and a 2MP macro lens. It also has a 12MP front camera, which gets pretty good selfies. For first-time smartphone users, teens, or anyone seeking a dependable everyday phone at a great price, the Galaxy A16 5G offers exceptional value without sacrificing essential features. However, if you want a slight bump in specs, like 6GB RAM, upgraded cameras, 45W fast charging, and the newer One UI 7 operating system, the mid-range Samsung A36 5G is also a great option, retailing at $399.
Best for fans of compact phones: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7
If you're nostalgic for the ultra-compact flip phones of the past, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 is a great choice replete with all the modern features you need. It's the latest in Samsung's foldable phone lineup, sporting a vibrant 6.7-inch AMOLED display, 12GB RAM, the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, and the latest One UI 8 operating system. YouTuber Patrick Rambles has lauded this device as innovative and futuristic because, despite its size, the Flip7 delivers the performance you'd expect from a flagship Samsung device. Users on Quora back this up, sharing that it's a great choice for anyone who wants the best of power and portability. Furthermore, a user review on Reddit claims that performance is similar to the iPhone 16 Pro, and the battery gives 7–9 hours of screen-on time for general everyday tasks like browsing and texting.
The standout feature is the handy cover screen that lets you check notifications, reply to messages, take video calls, control music, and even snap selfies without opening the phone. Moreover, the Galaxy Z Flip7 now has Samsung DeX support, so you can connect it to a display and wireless keyboard to use it as you would a laptop. That's certainly quite a productivity booster that elevates the device from just a good-looking phone to a reliable tool for work and school. The base model with 256GB storage is priced at $1,099 and is available in black, blue, and red variants.
Best for Power Users: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is the ultimate device for power users who demand peak productivity, multitasking, and cutting-edge innovation in one sleek package. With a massive 7.6-inch inner display that unfolds into a tablet-like workspace, it offers unmatched screen real estate for running multiple apps side by side. Samsung has further refined the foldable hinge and durability, making the Fold7 slimmer, lighter, and more robust than ever. The 120Hz AMOLED display is incredibly responsive, and the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor ensures ultra-fast performance even during heavy workloads, from video editing on the go to gaming or running enterprise-level apps.
Power users will also appreciate S Pen support, which turns the Galaxy Fold7 into a sizeable notepad, sketchbook, or annotation tool — perfect for creatives, designers, and business users. The upgraded taskbar, improved multi-window functionality, and Samsung DeX mode make it feel like a mini laptop in your pocket. Add to that a long-lasting battery, excellent camera system, and seamless app continuity between folded and unfolded modes, and you get a true powerhouse device. It also offers the perfect canvas to make the most of Samsung's AI features while they're still free, as the company may soon charge a fee for Galaxy AI. Ultimately, the Galaxy Z Fold7 is in a league of its own for seamless mobile productivity and a premium experience. It'll cost you about $2,000 on Amazon for the 256GB variant.
How these products were selected
To select the best Samsung phones, we used a combination of our technical experience, reviews from experts and users online, and hands-on performance analysis. We considered factors like processor specifications, camera quality, battery life, design, productivity features, and overall value for money. By drawing on our years of tech knowledge and insights from people who've bought these phones, we've curated a list that reflects what matters most to different kinds of smartphone users.