The best Samsung phones of 2026, tested and reviewed

Other Samsung phones to consider

If you don’t find a Samsung phone mentioned in this guide, it may be because it’s not sold in the US and is a little difficult to get one for testing. But here are some other Samsung phones I’ve tested to consider.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

Photo: Julian Chocato

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge at $1,220: Have you ever wanted a truly Thin and lightweight phone? no? Well, Samsung has an option for you anyway. The Galaxy S25 Edge (6/10, WIRED Review) sits in the middle of Samsung’s flagship lineup and matches many of the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s features, like a titanium frame, a stronger front glass, and 4K video recording at 120 fps. All cameras have autofocus. But it made many sacrifices to achieve its amazingly thin 5.8mm frame (the S25 Ultra, for example, is 8.2mm thick). There’s no stylus, no telephoto camera, and worst of all, the battery capacity is reduced. We’ve seen this before, thin phones always take a toll on battery life, and it’s no different here. I constantly had to use this phone’s 3,900 mAh battery with moderate to heavy usage, and that’s unacceptable. (The iPhone Air performed better.) If you find yourself constantly near a power source and think you’ll enjoy the thin and light design, go for it. Rumors suggest that Edge hasn’t performed well, and he may not see a successor in 2026.

Galaxy A17 5G.

Photo: Julian Chocato

Samsung Galaxy A17 5G at $200: On paper, the Galaxy A17 (5/10, WIRED review) looks like a really great deal. Six years of software support, an AMOLED screen, expandable storage, and a good camera. Unfortunately, this was hampered by lackluster performances. The problem specifically lies in the very limited RAM of 4GB in the US model, which severely ruins the entire experience of using the phone. If I had to use your smartphone in an emergency, I wouldn’t trust the A17 to be reliable. But if your needs are very minimal, it may be enough.

Galaxy A36.

Photo: Julian Chocato

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G for $395: The Galaxy A36 (6/10, WIRED review) doesn’t quite measure up to its Nothing and Motorola peers. Performance is very choppy, which is unacceptable at this price. It’s manageable, it’s not frustratingly slow, but you can do better. If your needs are minimal, it’s a good phone, good camera system, with all-day battery life, great AMOLED display, and 6 years of software updates.

Galaxy Z Fold6 and Flip6.

Photo: Julian Chocato

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 or Galaxy Z Flip6: If you don’t want to pay extra for a new foldable phone, consider the 2024 Galaxy Z Fold6 and Galaxy Z Flip7 (7/10, WIRED Review). The Fold6 has a close to “normal” smartphone experience on the 6.3-inch external display. Open the phone up, and you’ll find a massive 7.6-inch AMOLED display staring back at you, turning this foldable phone into a mini tablet. The Flip6 isn’t as pretty as the newer Flip7 – the latest model’s larger, brighter Cover Display is a step up – but it’s worth considering over the new Galaxy Z Flip7 FE. Technically, it’s almost identical to this phone, but the FE uses a Samsung Exynos chip instead of a Qualcomm processor, and performance may not be as smooth. Main drawback? Battery life isn’t great. Make sure you don’t pay MSRP for these 2024 phones.

If you’re looking to save some cash, you’ll be fine buying Samsung’s Galaxy S23 lineup or Galaxy S23 FE from 2023, as long as the prices are significantly lower than the original MSRP. (Hard to find at most major retailers). These phones will still have support for a while, which is pretty cool. I don’t think it’s worth buying anything older.

Should you invest in Samsung’s ecosystem?

Photo: Julian Chocato

Samsung is one of the few smartphone manufacturers that can keep up with Apple in its hardware ecosystem. The company doesn’t just make smartphones, but you can also expand your experience by adding the Galaxy Watch8 smartwatch, Galaxy Buds3 Pro earbuds, Galaxy Ring fitness band, Galaxy Tab S11, and even a Galaxy Windows laptop.

There are some perks to this, like how some features on the Galaxy Ring and Watch8 are only available when paired with a Samsung phone, and the earbuds will automatically switch between Samsung devices based on what you’re using. There aren’t a lot of exclusive features when using a Galaxy phone with a Galaxy laptop, but features like Quick Share allow you to quickly send photos and documents between your devices.

Again, this isn’t necessary, and these other devices may not be the ones for you in their respective categories, but if you’re looking for parity between devices, you have that option with Samsung.

What is Galaxy AI?

Photo: Julian Chocato

With the Galaxy S24 series, Samsung has launched “Galaxy AI,” a selection of AI features, many of which are powered by Google’s large Gemini language models. These enable smart features that can come in handy day to day, like real-time translations during phone calls, real-time transcription in the Samsung Voice Recorder app, the ability to summarize long paragraphs of text in the Samsung Notes app, or change the tone of a sentence using the Samsung keyboard.

In the Galaxy S25 series, Galaxy AI technology has expanded to include Gemini as a virtual voice assistant and the ability for Gemini to work with multiple apps simultaneously. Also debuting is the Drawing Assist tool, which lets you draw or enter a prompt and have an AI-generated image. Now, you can also use real-time video with Gemini, even from the Galaxy Z Flip7’s cover screen.

You can find many of these features by heading to Settings > Galaxy AI To toggle it on or off. We have an explanation on how Galaxy AI limits on-device processing as well.

What is Samsung DeX?

Courtesy of David Nield

Launched in 2017, Samsung DeX (short for “Desktop Experience”) is a way to connect your Samsung phone to an external display and run a desktop version of the Android operating system, all fully powered by the phone. You can find a list of compatible Samsung phones here – the Flip7 is the first Galaxy Flip phone to support DeX – and you’ll need a monitor, mouse and keyboard, as well as a cable to connect the phone to the display. (You can also send DeX to identify screens wirelessly.)

When in DeX mode, you can resize Android apps and open them all in separate windows. It’s a decent computing platform, although you probably wouldn’t want to use it as a permanent laptop replacement or anything like that. It’s great if you’re visiting another office, working in a coffee shop or on an airplane (if you have a portable display). We have a complete guide to setting up and using DeX here.

How do I test phones?

I’ve been reviewing smartphones for a decade, but one of my oldest devices was the Samsung Galaxy Captivate, which I got “for free” from my carrier at the time. After working during college, I finally saved enough money to buy a Galaxy S3, my first flagship phone. I’ve spent years using Samsung phones in my personal life and started reviewing them for work not long after.

With every Samsung smartphone, I always put my personal SIM card inside and spend as long as possible (a few weeks) using the phone as my own phone. I test the camera and compare the results to similarly priced devices, measure performance, play games that require graphics to see how well it performs, try out all the new features, and even take calls to make sure the ol’ stuff is still working fine.

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