The Best Samsung Phones of 2025, Tested and Reviewed
Other Samsung phones to consider
If you do not see a Samsung phone mentioned in this guide, it may be because it is not sold in the United States and is a little more difficult to find for tests. But here are some other Samsung phones that I tried to consider.
Samsung Galaxy A36 5G for $ 400: The Galaxy A36 (6/10, Wired Review) does not entirely measure his peers from nothing and Motorola. The performances are simply too jerky, and it is not acceptable at this price. It is manageable – it is not so slow that it will frustrate – but you can do better. If your needs are very minimal, it is an OK phone and the camera system is good, with a day’s battery life, a beautiful AMOLED screen and 6 years of software updates.
Samsung Galaxy A16 for $ 175: The Samsung Galaxy A16 still does not reach the heights of the Galaxy A14, and this is largely due to slow performance. Of course, Samsung promises six years of software updates, but this remarkable update window does not matter when the phone is slow and want to throw it out the window. If you just plan to use this device but want something of a reliable brand that will remain safe, the Galaxy A16 is very good. Its performance is simply not competitive with other phones at a similar price.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 for $ 1,900 or Galaxy Z Flip6 for $ 900: If you do not want to pay a premium for a new folding phone, then consider Galaxy Z Fold6 and Galaxy Z Flip7 from last year (7/10, Wired review). Fold6 has a smartphone experience close to “normal” on the 6.3 -inch outdoor screen. Open the phone and there is a large 7.6 -inch Amoled screen watching your face, transforming this folding phone into a small tablet. The flip6 is not as pleasant as the new Flip7 – the larger and brighter cover screen of the latest model is a step, but it is worth it to be considered on the new Galaxy Z Flip7 Fe. Technically, it is almost identical to this phone, but the FE uses a Samsung Exynos chip instead of a Qualcomm processor, and performance may not be so smooth. The main drawback? The battery life is not great.
If you are looking to save money, it is good to buy the Galaxy S23 range from Samsung or the Galaxy S23 FE from 2023, as long as prices are much lower than the original PDSF. (They are difficult to find in the greatest number of retailers.) These phones will always get support for a while, and they are quite good. I don’t think it’s worth buying something older.
Should you invest in the Samsung ecosystem?
Photography: Julian Chokkattu
Samsung is one of the few smartphones manufacturers that can correspond to Apple in its equipment ecosystem. Not only does the company make smartphones, but you can also widen your experience by adding a smartwatch galaxy watch8, Galaxy Buds3 Pro, a Galaxy fitness ring, a Galaxy Tab S10 + tablet and even a Galaxy laptop propelled by Windows.
There are certain advantages to this, such as the way certain features on the Galaxy and Watch8 ring are only available when associated with a Samsung phone, and its headphones automatically change between Samsung devices according to what you use. There is not much depending on the exclusive features when using a Galaxy phone with a galaxy laptop, but features such as Quick Share allow you to quickly send photos and documents between your devices.
Again, it is not necessary, and these other devices may not be the right ones in their respective categories, but if you continue the material parity, you have this option with Samsung.
What is Galaxy Ai?
Photography: Julian Chokkattu
With the Galaxy S24 series, Samsung has launched “Galaxy Ai”, a selection of artificial intelligence characteristics, many of which are fueled by Google Gemini language models. These allow intelligent features that can be useful day by day, such as real-time translations during telephone calls, real-time transcriptions in the Samsung vocal application, the possibility of summarizing long text paragraphs in the Samsung Notes application or modifying the tone of a sentence with the Samsung keyboard.
In the Galaxy S25 series, Galaxy AI has spread to include Gemini as a default vocal assistant and the possibility for Gemini to work simultaneously with several applications. He also made his debut on Drawing Assist, which allows you to sketch or enter an prompt and get an image generated by AI. Now you can also use the video in real time with Gemini, even from the Galaxy Z Flip7 cover screen.
You can find many of these features by heading to Settings> Galaxy AI To switch them to or deactivate. We have an explanator on how to limit Galaxy AI to the treatment on devices.
What is Samsung Dex?
With the kind permission of David Nield
The Samsung DEX (abbreviation of “office experience”) was launched in 2017, and it is a way to connect your Samsung phone to an external monitor and trigger an office version of the Android operating system, all entirely fueled by the phone. You can find a list of Samsung phones compatible here – the FLIP7 is the first Galaxy Flip to support Dex – and you will need a monitor, a mouse and a keyboard, as well as a cable to connect the phone to the monitor. (You can also launch DEX to select wireless screens.)
In Dex mode, you can resize Android applications and open them in separate Windows. It is an appropriate IT platform, although you will probably not want to use it as a permanent laptop replacement or anything. It’s great if you visit another desk or work in a coffee or plane (if you have a portable screen). We have a complete guide to configure and use Dex here.
How I test the phones
I have reviewed smartphones for a decade, but one of my first smart devices was a Samsung Galaxy Captivate, which I obtained for “free” from my transporter at the time. After working at university, I finally saved enough money for a Galaxy S3, my first flagship product. I spent years using Samsung phones in my personal life and I started to see them again for work shortly after.
With each Samsung smartphone, I always put my personal SIM card inside and I spend as long as possible (a few weeks) using the phone like mine. I do camera tests and compare the results with devices at a similar price, I be a benchmark performance and play graphically demanding games to see how they get out, I try all the new features and I even take calls to make sure that the function of OL is still working well.
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