Subscribe

Subscribe
in ,

Best Samsung phones in 2023

best-samsung-phones-in-2023
Readers like you help support Android Police. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More.

Whether you are on a $200 budget or looking to make a $1,800 splash for the latest and greatest foldable, Samsung has you covered. This smartphone and electronics titan has lofty expectations of itself and, luckily for Android fans, usually paves the way with some of the best Android phones money can buy. Some may criticize Samsung for its design choices or One UI software implementation, but these quibbles usually range from unwarranted to wildly inaccurate. So check out the best Samsung has to offer. There is surely a device here for you.

Our savvy selection of Samsung's top Galaxy phones in 2023

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra in Green

Source: Samsung
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Best overall

Premium, powerful, pen-touting perfection

Not only is the Galaxy S23 Ultra the best Samsung phone, but it’s also the best Android phone around if you can stomach that price tag. Power may come at a price, but it also comes with multi-day battery life, captivating cameras, and more One UI software features than you can shake an S Pen at.

Pros

  • One of the best smartphone screens available
  • All day battery life to match the beefy performance
  • Best stylus software and design in an Android phone
Cons

  • Feels boring compared to the S23 Ultra despite how impactful this year's upgrades were
  • Too expensive for most outside carrier incentives or major sales
  • Samsung's “Super Fast Charge” is no longer super or fast

Samsung isn't scoring any points for an exciting upgrade this year, but that doesn't mean the Galaxy S23 Ultra isn't an incredible phone. It takes everything we liked about last year's device and makes it better — or, at the very least, keeps the experience surprisingly consistent. A slightly refined design means the curved display is now flatter than ever, while the squared-off frame fits better in the palm of your hand. It's a small design change, but an appreciated one nonetheless. While S22 Ultra owners might find the look and feel pretty familiar — and, ultimately, not worth an upgrade — it's still some of the best Android hardware.

And that extends to the specs. Powering the S23 series, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset is impressive. Everything feels buttery smooth, from endlessly scrolling through Twitter to playing even the most demanding mobile games. And with a couple of exceptions, the chipset handles it all while keeping cool under pressure. Battery life is also exceptional. You can expect about a day and a half of runtime on a single charge. Unfortunately, charging speeds can't quite measure up. 45W isn't too slow, but you'll need a compatible PPS brick, and one isn't included in the box.

Really, though, the camera is where you'll find the biggest upgrade. With a massive 200MP ISOCELL HP2 sensor, the images this thing is capable of can blow your socks off. It struggles with motion and shutter lag, but all four lenses can score phenomenal photos and videos. All that, and we didn't even mention the S Pen. Truly, this is a powerhouse of a device. As long as you're willing to shell out at least $1,200 for it, you won't regret picking one up.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 in Beige

Source: Samsung
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
Premium pick

Part phone, part tablet, all awesome

Offering the productivity — or the extra gaming space — of a 7.6-inch tablet with the portability and convenience of an admittedly thick phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 shows exactly why Samsung owns the foldable market. Upgraded cameras allow users to finally take full advantage of using the outer screen as a detailed viewfinder during selfies or TikTok filming.

Pros

  • You can fit this tablet in your pocket (or purse)
  • Decent cameras
  • Solid construction with improved hinges
Cons

  • Doesn't charge fast enough
  • Thickness and weight can make it feel awkward
  • That sticker shock is killer

Like the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 was an incremental upgrade over the Z Fold 3. For the same super-premium $1,800 MSRP — though it regularly gets $300-$500 discounts now that it's been out for over six months — the Fold 4's screens are both a touch wider than before, making the phone easier to hold in tablet mode and the cover screen more useful as apps fit better on it.

Cameras had been a generation or so behind on the first three generations of the Fold, but the 4 made some significant upgrades. Granted, the Galaxy S23 Ultra's cameras are noticeably better, but it's progress. The true performance boon this year is from the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 has thermal issues on the Galaxy S22 series, but they were fixed on the 8+ alongside improving the efficiency. 12GB of RAM is a boon, especially when using multiple app windows, and adding a 1TB storage tier means that even the download hoarders should find no fault with the Fold 4 — well, assuming you can stomach the 1TB's price of $2,160. (But that's what carrier incentives are for.)

Best Buy“” data-modal-id=”single-image-modal” data-modal-container-id=”single-image-modal-container” data-img-caption=””””>

samsung-galaxy-a23-16-9

Source: Best Buy
Samsung Galaxy A23 5G
Best value

All the essentials of a solid Android phone

The number of truly reliable phones you can buy for $300 or less is rather small, but even if it wasn’t, the A23 would still be the one to buy. This phone has four years of security updates ahead of it, the same software stability and features you’d expect of One UI.

Pros

  • 120Hz display
  • Sub-6 5G connectivity
  • Security updates into 2026
Cons

  • Budget price, budget camera performance
  • No IP-rated water resistance

For $300, the Samsung Galaxy A23 is a meaningful upgrade from Samsung's more entry-level smartphones like the ultra-affordable Galaxy A03s. Compared to that much less expensive phone, the A23 boasts a Snapdragon 695 chipset (whereas the A03s has a budget MediaTek CPU), plus the A23 has an additional gigabyte of RAM for 4GB total. This smartphone also has double the built-in storage at 64GB, and its screen — a 120Hz, 1080p LCD panel — is excellent for the price. Plus, it has a 5,000 mAh battery to keep it going all day. It's also guaranteed security patches for four years from its initial US release. That's well into 2026.

Samsung Galaxy A23's cameras aren't anything special, though, despite the primary sensor's 50MP resolution. The better-equipped Samsung Galaxy A53 has also seen sale prices as low as $350, occasionally complicating the A23's value proposition. Still, if you cannot get a higher-end phone at a steep discount, the A23 is a great way to spend 300 bucks, especially if your carrier is offering any appealing incentives.

Samsung Galaxy S23+ in Cream

Source: Samsung
Samsung Galaxy S23
Best small Galaxy

As powerful as the Ultra for far less

The “baby” of Samsung’s flagship series, the Galaxy S23, features the same powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that the S23 Ultra does. Still, instead of being super-expensive and too big to fit in the sad excuses for “pockets” they put on women’s clothes, the S23 is a reasonable price and perfect for one-handed use, even for more petit hands like mine.

Pros

  • Improved battery life thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2's efficiency
  • The screen we already loved is brighter
  • Excellent performance
Cons

  • Cameras are fine, but are starting to feel stale
  • 25W charging is too slow these days

There's no such thing as a truly small flagship — the last one we had was the Galaxy S10e; RIP, you tiny angel — but the Galaxy S23 is as close to one as you can get today. Featuring the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 — admittedly with slightly less RAM — a screen that's just as bright but more reasonably sized, and new camera design, this 6.1-inch phone is sensible and reliable. While its big brothers might steal the spotlight, the Galaxy S23 is just as powerful and packs 95% of the same features, costing hundreds less than the S23+ and Ultra. It's also free with trade-in at all three major carriers, which is how I got my lovely little Lavender S23.

After years of preferring smaller phones, you get used to needing to top off your battery early, but I regularly get over eight hours of screen time on my Galaxy S23, though that may be slightly skewed by my tendency to use my phone on lower brightness. The cameras here are virtually identical to last year's Galaxy S22. While that means they're still pretty decent for photography during daylight hours or well-lit interior shots, it can still struggle a bit in lower light. Samsung's well-known photo processing can leave photos feeling oversaturated or over-brightened, but it'll still be fine in most instances. Hopefully, the Galaxy S24 gets an upgrade to its main and zoom cameras.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 in Blue

Source: Samsung
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
Most fun foldable

Large screen, extra-small footprint

You can keep your folding tablets; the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is a folding phone that’s a reasonable price, a captivating size, and super fun once you get a good case on it. You still get the camera convenience of Flex mode while video calling or interacting with some apps, but this phone will fit into any pocket you own, including the front pocket of your shirt.

Pros

  • Nostalgic form factor
  • Speedy performance
  • Cover screen is useful
Cons

  • Battery life isn't the best
  • Phone is thick when folded
  • Still a bit expensive

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 is Samsung's more affordable 2022 foldable. More affordable, mind you; this thing still costs a thousand bucks. But the Galaxy Z Flip 3 did, too, and the newer model is an objectively better device. Unfortunately, the newer Flip suffers the same pitfalls as the older one — crummy battery life and middling cameras, which aren't issues you'd expect to face in any non-folding phone that costs this much. But both aspects have been improved this year, with larger batteries (in the same size body) and enhanced low-light camera performance.

The Flip 4's hamburger-style folding screen means it's more or less a normal phone when it's open and an eminently pocketable little square when it's closed. The tiny cover screen is handy for checking the time or notifications without firing up the battery-hungry internal screen. It also simplifies taking higher-quality selfies using the phone's rear-facing cameras.

We won't dance around it: if you take away the wow factor folding phones still have, you're essentially getting a midrange experience at a premium price here. But it's hard to deny that the Flip 4 is extremely cool, and its build quality exceeds what you'll find in Samsung's A-series phones. Plus, none of those phones fold in half — not more than once, anyway.

galaxy-s21-fe 1

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
Flagship quality for less

It may be older, but it still gets the job done

We may be up to the Galaxy S23 these days, but the S21 FE offers a fair value if you can’t quite bring yourself up to full flagship price. You still get a large 120Hz screen, decent cameras, great battery life, and the flagship features you deserve, like fast wireless charging.

Pros

  • Two-day battery life
  • Excellent display
  • Strong performance
Cons

  • Cameras aren't as good as the Pixel 7's
  • Not quite the great value the S20 FE was

Samsung skipped the FE series for the Galaxy S22, but the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is still a pretty decent phone one year on — the S21 FE launched less than a month before the Galaxy S22 did. It has an outstanding 120Hz display, powerful battery life, and good performance. But at an MSRP of $600, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is up against the Google Pixel 7, which offers better performance and more capable cameras for $100 less — though it is worth noting that the S21 FE is practically always on sale.

Now that the Galaxy S22 has been dropped down to $700, the decision of whether to buy the S21 FE or S22 is a bit more complex — well, unless you're buying through a carrier, at which point, neither makes sense given the trade-in incentives for the Galaxy S23 — but the S21 FE has a larger screen and better battery life while costing less.

Samsung“” data-modal-id=”single-image-modal” data-modal-container-id=”single-image-modal-container” data-img-caption=””””>

samsung-galaxy-a53-16-9

Source: Samsung
Samsung Galaxy A53
Best of the A-Series

About to be replaced, but still awesome

One of the best budget phones on the Android market today — only outdone by the Pixel 6a’s best-in-segment cameras — the Galaxy A53 carriers a strong legacy offering what users want most in a phone. The battery won’t let you down, the screen punches above its weight, and the stability and long support life of Samsung’s software should help it last for years.

Pros

  • The best screen you'll see in a phone this price
  • Less expensive than the previous generation
  • Really good battery life
Cons

  • Cameras can be unreliable
  • No headphone jack (or in-box charger)

While Samsung is getting the Galaxy A54 ready for launch imminently, the Galaxy A53 still does a lot right for $450. Samsung somehow managed to fit the phone with an excellent, 120Hz display while 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 it for a long time. Its cameras are frequently slow to start, 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, the A53 will meet your needs just fine.

If you absolutely have to buy a Samsung Galaxy today and can't spend more than $500, the Galaxy A53 is the one to buy, but otherwise, we recommend waiting a few weeks for the Galaxy A54. We're always through March, and that's when the A53 launched last year, so we shouldn't be waiting much longer.

Galaxy A14 5G_Black_Front R30

Samsung Galaxy A14 5G
Budget Galaxy essentials

The lowest-prices Samsung phone you should buy

While Samsung makes phones in the Galaxy A0xx series, you shouldn’t go any lower than the A14. At $200, you still get decent overall performance and a gangbusters battery, but it still has to compromise somewhere. That compromise is the cameras, which is to be expected from every phone in the sub-$200 category.

Pros

  • Excellent display
  • Large 5,000mAh battery
  • Less expensive than the Galaxy A13 5G
Cons

  • Only the main camera is useful
  • Chipset is the same as the previous generation
  • Only available in black in the U.S.

If you are on a tight budget, you can’t do much better than the Samsung Galaxy A14. With a retail price of $200, this device gives you a fantastic screen and solid performance. Just don’t expect great results from its cameras. Samsung didn’t alter the power of the Galaxy A14 as it shares the same Mediatek Dimensity 700 chipset, 4GB of RAM, and 5000 mAh battery as its predecessor.

It does bump the display up to FHD+ while keeping the same 90Hz refresh rate which is impressive for a device at this price. To make it even better, the Galaxy A14 is $50 less expensive than the Galaxy A13 5G, and it ships with Android 13 and One UI 5.0. The Galaxy A14 is only available in black if you live in the United States. The rest of the world gets to choose between black, green, red, and silver.

The best Samsung phone for you

The Galaxy S23 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 4, and Galaxy Z Flip 4 are all high-end, unique devices. They're quite different, 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, are immaculately built, and do things most other phones can't do right now.

If you aren't ready to buy into the foldable lifestyle — it's not for everyone — the Galaxy S23 Ultra might be the phone for you. It's running on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the most powerful chipset you'll find in any Android phone day, complete with a higher clock speed exclusive to the S23 series. Its 200MP camera is seriously impressive. It's an expensive phone — priced even higher than one of the company's two folding options — but with five years of upgrades ahead of us, think of it as an investment in your mobile future.

The Galaxy S23, Galaxy S21 FE, and Galaxy A53 cost substantially less than Samsung's top-tier offerings. If you prefer a smaller screen, can deal with middling battery life, and need a phone right now, go for the base-model S23. Meanwhile, the S21 FE and Galaxy A53 are great midrange options, and both are larger than the base-model S23. That said, the Galaxy A54 is just around the corner, so it might be worth waiting for the company's next launch.

On the less expensive side, the A23 and the A14 offer basic smartphone functionality at very reasonable prices. Neither's a powerhouse, but if your budget can bear it, we recommend the A23 over the A14. While the two devices share much of the same DNA, the A23 is a better all-around performer and has a slightly better 120Hz display. However, it costs $100 more at retail, so if your budget doesn't allow for it, the A14 will suit your needs.

If you're interested in entertaining less expensive phones from companies other than Samsung, there are some great budget Android phones from other manufacturers, too.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra in Green

Source: Samsung
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Best overall

Premium, powerful, pen-touting perfection

Not only is the Galaxy S23 Ultra the best Samsung phone, but it’s also the best Android phone around if you can stomach that price tag. Power may come at a price, but it also comes with multi-day battery life, captivating cameras, and more One UI software features than you can shake an S Pen at.

Pros

  • One of the best smartphone screens available
  • We finally get truly all day battery life to match the beefy performance
  • Best stylus software and design in an Android phone
Cons

  • Feels boring compared to the S23 Ultra despite how impactful this year's upgrades were
  • Too expensive for most outside carrier incentives or major sales
  • Samsung's “Super Fast Charge” is no longer super or fast

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

oled-ipad-pro:-what-the-rumors-say-and-why-apple-is-making-the-switch

OLED iPad Pro: What the rumors say and why Apple is making the switch

you-aren’t-ready-for-this-galaxy-s23-vs.-iphone-14-pro-camera-test

You aren’t ready for this Galaxy S23 vs. iPhone 14 Pro camera test

Back to Top