Best Samsung phone: The 6 best Galaxy handsets money can buy

Which Samsung phone is best in 2020?

Thinking about getting a new phone? Then you’re likely at the very least considering picking up a Samsung Galaxy phone, and for good reason.

Samsung’s been the undisputed ruler of the top end Android market for years. And even now, it’s debatably one of the few firms that can still go toe-to-toe with Apple to command the top slot of the smartphone market each year.

This is because, though Samsung phones don’t tend to have one stand out feature like some competitors, they also don’t have any serious weaknesses, letting them offer users the best overall experience available on Android.

What’s more, with Samsung having cottoned on to the fact not everyone has £1000-plus to spend on a phone each year, the firms finally started pushing some top notch handsets for the mid and affordable market.

The added choice is a definite bonus, but it’s also a two edged sword that can make knowing which Samsung phone is right for you tricky for even the most informed buyer. Here to help we’ve created a definitive guide detailing the best Samsung phones we’ve reviewed that are still on sale.

• Best all-round performance: Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus
• Best S20 alternative: Samsung Galaxy S10
• Best S10 alternative: Samsung Galaxy S10e
• Best camera and screen: Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
• Best mid-ranger: Samsung Galaxy A7
• Best value: Samsung Galaxy M31

Now read our list of the Best Android phones.

1. Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus

The optimum option from the S20 range

Pros:

• Cool design
• Great screen
• Nippy performance
• Decent battery

Cons:

• Ugly UI
• 8K video recording is pointless

For our money, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus is the pick of the bunch when it comes to the S20 series. Crucially, it delivers in all the key areas: battery, performance, and camera. The battery easily lasted us through the day (although it wasn’t as impressive with the screen running at 120Hz), it packs a punchy performance that should satisfy mobile gamers, and the versatile camera delivered good results even in low light.

We have only minor grumbles about this phone; the software skin might not be to everyone’s tastes, and the 8K video recording option is more of a gimmick than anything. But we reckon that this is the best Samsung handset you can buy right now. 

• Read our full Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus review 

2. Samsung Galaxy S10

The best alternative to the S20

Pros:

• Enthusiast’s phone, accessible design
• Triple view rear camera
• Headphone jack

Cons:

• UK version not quite as powerful as US

Sometimes Samsung leaves the standard-size S-series phone a little less feature-rich than the XL-side Plus version, but the Samsung Galaxy S10 is every bit as good as the Plus model.

It has a smaller 6.1-inch screen, but you still get the triple-view camera on the back, and one of Samsung’s new Infinity-O displays. The Galaxy S10’s is better, if anything, as the cut-out, is smaller and therefore less distracting when you watch videos.

Unlike most flagships, the S10 series phones also have 3.5mm headphone jacks. That’s the best kind of blast from the past.

What does the Plus have that the standard S10 doesn’t? An extra front camera, which adds an additional field of view for selfies and enables smart depth effect processing.

• Read our Samsung Galaxy S10 review

3. Samsung Galaxy S10e

The best alternative to the S10

Pros:

• Lower price than the S10
• Some of the same high-end features

Cons:

• Lacks the curved front of the S10
• Still pricey

The Samsung Galaxy S10e is the lower-cost option in the S10 family. It has elements of the high-end duo but misses out on a few extras in each area.

The parts it keeps? Glass on the front and back, the Exynos 9820 processor and high-quality rear cameras led by a stabilised 12-megapixel one.

And the snipped-out bits? The Galaxy S10e has a much flatter screen, with clearer surrounds and a less glossy appearance. There’s no zoom lens on the back, the screen is smaller, and lower-res at 1080p and 5.8 inches, and the battery shrinks to suit too.

Samsung has tried to avoid this seeming like the “cheap” Galaxy S10, perhaps because the price isn’t all that low, by giving it some bolder colours. Most are still reasonably tasteful, but the highlighter pen yellow is an eye-opener.

• Read our Samsung Galaxy S10e review

4. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra

Best camera (and screen)

Pros:

• Zooming up to 10x is fantastic
• The screen is a delight
• Samsung’s software has never been better
• Very fast charging

Cons:

• It’s very expensive
• Battery can struggle to cope with 120Hz
• It’s just so big

If you’re after versatility in your camera phone, then the Galaxy S20 Ultra is a great choice. It packs three main rear cameras (wide, ultra-wide and tele), a sensor for calculating depth, shoots 8K video and captures selfies with a 40-megapixel front camera.

Instead of focusing on computational photography like the flagships from Google and Apple, the S20 Ultra goes for big wins with loads of megapixels. There are 108 in the primary wide camera, 60 in the telephoto and 12 in the wide.

That telephoto is arguably the pick of the bunch, allowing you to zoom up to 100x. While 100x photos aren’t the best, use it to zoom 10x, and you’ll capture some delightful shots with lots of detail.

When it comes to viewing photos you’ve got a 6.9-inch OLED panel that’s the best in the business. It’s big, bright, smooth and very responsive to the touch. Samsung has shrunk down the notch from the S10 to make it less obvious, and the curved edges feel steeper.

Inside the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, you’ll find a 5000mAh battery that can be charged via 25w fast charge or wirelessly, either a Snapdragon 865 or Exynos 990 and 12 or 16G RAM. It’s a 5G phone too, so if you’re on a 5G network transferring snaps, uploading to social media and backup services should be very fast. Storage options range sit at 128GB or 512GB, but there’s microSD expandability too – which might come in handy if you’re shooting a lot of 8K videos.

• Read our Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra review

5. Samsung Galaxy A7

The best budget Samsung phone

Pros:

• Triple rear camera
• Affordable

Cons:

• Fairly weak GPU

The Samsung Galaxy A7 was a test drive for Galaxy S10 range. It has three rear cameras, including a wide and an extra depth sensor, and a fairly large 6-inch screen.

As you might expect, no element, from the screen to the camera to the design, is quite Galaxy S10-level. But you get that Samsung Galaxy look and feel for around a third of the price. And, of course, one of Samsung’s famous bright and colourful OLED screens.

Cutbacks to consider include a relatively weak graphics processor and plastic coated sides, rather than metal ones. You can’t play high-end games like PUBG with the graphics maxed out here. However, we still consider the Galaxy A7 a pretty good phone for gaming thanks to its large display and extensive storage. Can gamers do better for the price? Yes, from a more value-driven series like the Moto G, or an Honor line.

• Read our Samsung Galaxy A7 review

6. Samsung Galaxy M31

Best affordable Galaxy phone

Pros:

• Includes AMOLED screen despite the price
• Fantastic battery life
• Solid main camera
• Great value for money

Cons:

• Lacklustre wide-angle camera
• Bland, slippery design
• Slow charging

The Galaxy M31 is the first M-series phone to launch in the UK/US for quite some time, despite being a familiar sight in India for quite some time. It sits below Samsung’s more established A-series as the firm’s entry level/affordable line. But, despite costing less than £250, it manages to maintain a surprisingly accomplished features set, making it an excellent option for any buyer on a budget.

The biggest perk is the phone’s 6.4-inch AMOLED, FHD+ resolution display. Though it doesn’t have the high 90Hz refresh rate seen on its arch-rival, the Moto G 5G Plus, the screen’s use of AMOLED is a huge bonus you won’t find on most competing phones. It lets the phone offer wonderfully immersive blacks and contrast levels competing handsets LCD panels simply can’t match. This makes it a great way to watch TV and movie content on the go.

The mid-range Exynos 9611 CPU and 6GB RAM are also ample power to keep the phone humming away happily with regular use. Add to this its stellar battery life and solid for the money quad-sensor rear camera setup and the Galaxy M31 easily earns a place as one of Samsung’s best affordable phones.

• Check out our Galaxy M31 review

More phone advice:

• Are photos important to you? These best camera phones should do the trick
• These are the best phablets you can buy right now

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