Best Samsung phones in 2021 so far

Samsung is the biggest phone manufacturer in the world, so it’s no surprise it’s also the one that creates some of the best phones on the market. In this guide, we’ve collected some of the best Android phones you can buy from Samsung. If Samsung’s OneUI isn’t your favourite skin on top of Android, we also have a list of the best Google phones that provide a more vanilla, stock Android experience.

Read the guide and find out more about the best flagship and mid-range devices that Samsung has released this year. For those wanting something more affordable, we’ve also included some of last year’s best Samsung phones that can still compete today with the more recent premium phones.

Best Samsung Phone: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra comes with a number of improvements over its predecessor, the Galaxy S20 Ultra. If you’ve ever dreamt of a phone that has everything, from the best highest-end chipset, a premium build, all the cameras you could fit into a device, a large battery, a massive and responsive display and even support for the S-Pen, the Galaxy S21 Ultra has you covered.

It’s the most expensive and premium device in the Galaxy S lineup, and it doesn’t sacrifice on any of the features or software. It comes with a Snapdragon 888 5G chipset, 8/12/16GB memory options, and storage starts from 128GB. The display is massive at 6.8 inches and the battery is large as well at 5,000mAh. It has a 108MP main sensor, 10MP periscope telephoto for 10x optical zoom, 10MP telephoto for 3x optical zoom and a 12MP ultrawide. The selfie camera is 40MP.

Best for Most: Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus 5G

Picking the best device for most people is often very hard, but we have to look at what people have been buying in the past to understand what they might want in the future. The Galaxy S21 Plus aces this category with its high-end chipset and premium build quality. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 888 chipset, 8GB of RAM and has a large 4,800mAh battery.

The camera quality is one of the best you can find on a smartphone today, including a 12MP wide sensor, a 64MP telephoto with 3x hybrid zoom, and another 12MP sensor for ultrawide shots.

Best High-End Compact: Samsung Galaxy S21 5G

It’s the smaller sibling of the Galaxy S21 Plus, offering all the same functionality and great power in a small form factor. It has the same high-end Snapdragon 888 SoC, 8GB of RAM and a large 6.2-inch 120Hz high refresh rate AMOLED display with HDR10+ certification. The battery can also go for a full workday, thanks to the 4,000mAh capacity.

The camera quality is also the same as its larger sibling, offering the best experience at this price point, both day and night. Just like the rest of the Galaxy S lineup, the S21 is also IP68 water and dust resistant, although as always we’d strongly advise against trying that out.

Best with Stylus: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has a powerful, 5G enabled processor and everyone’s favourite S-Pen built-in. This might be the last Galaxy Note we see for a while, since Samsung isn’t expected to release a new version in 2021 due to a worldwide chip shortage issue. While the new Galaxy S21 Ultra could come to the rescue, since it’s compatible with the S-Pen, the Note 20 Ultra is excellent if you want to save some money.

If you’re happy with last year’s performance and a less responsive display, compared to the Galaxy S21 lineup, the Note 20 Ultra is a great choice. It has a perfect camera setup to capture images both day and night, and a long-lasting battery to get you through the day.

Best Value: Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G

While the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is still yet to be launched sometime later this year, last year’s Galaxy S20 FE is still a very capable device, not to mention it keeps receiving discounts, which makes it far more appealing. It has last year’s Snapdragon 865 5G chipset and 6/8GB of memory. While it might not be powered by the latest and the greatest, it’s still more than capable to play graphics intensive games and perform like a true flagship. Speaking of flagship, the camera certainly takes flagship quality images.

Best Affordable: Samsung Galaxy A52 5G

The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G has a large 6.5 inch 120Hz high refresh rate AMOLED display. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 750G 5G enabled chipset and has 6GB of RAM and expandable storage. The selfie shooter on the front is a 32MP, and the rear houses a 64MP, 12MP ultrawide, 5MP macro and another 5MP for depth sensing.

It’s a true mid-range flagship device as it has a lot of features and performance from its more expensive Galaxy S21 sibling. It can take about the same quality photos both day and night and can easily plow through a full workday on a single charge, thanks to the 4,500mAh battery.

Runner-Up: Samsung Galaxy A52 (4G)

The Samsung Galaxy A52 has all of the same features as its slightly more expensive sibling with 5G. However it has a slightly less powerful chipset and a 90Hz high refresh rate display, compared to 120Hz. If you want to save money and don’t worry too much about 5G, it’s a great option.

The camera quality of the A52 lineup is true flagship quality. You will only start to see some differences in some dark situations, but even then the quality of the image will still be social media ready, requiring little to no editing. The battery also performs well and can easily last you a full day.

Best from Last Year: Samsung Galaxy S20

If you’re on a tight budget, considering last year’s compact flagship might be the way to go. It has all the power you need on-the-go, a great display and an excellent camera quality. While it might not have all of the new features of the new Galaxy S21 lineup, it’s perfect for those wanting a true flagship experience without any drawbacks.

Best Foldable: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is Samsung’s best flagship foldable device yet. It has an excellent built quality and Samsung has fixed a number of issues that were present in its predecessor, the Galaxy Fold. Namely, the display is far more durable and less fragile, although it’s still not perfect, given this is the second iteration of the Z Fold lineup.

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is widely available in most markets and comes with a powerful chipset, providing excellent performance and a long lasting battery life, even though it has to power two displays. If you are looking for an all-around well refined foldable smartphone, the Z Fold 2 won’t disappoint.

Our Recommendation

If you can afford it and want more than you would probably ever want and use, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the ultimate smartphone that provides all the features and the best and most of everything a phone can offer. If however, your budget is slightly less, both the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 can provide high-end flagship features in a premium and elegant package.

Under $700, one of the best possible devices are the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE and the cheaper Galaxy A52 5G. If you don’t buy into the 5G hype, we won’t judge you. It’s not for everyone, especially not if it costs a bit more. Luckily Samsung also offers the Galaxy A52 4G variant that only has a few minor differences between the two models. The 5G model has a slightly faster chipset and a 120Hz display, compared to a slightly slower chipset and a 90Hz display. On paper, the difference is there, in real life experience however, the changes are barely noticeable.

Roland Udvarlaki

Roland is a technology enthusiast and software engineer based in United Kingdom. He is also a content creator and writer, and is best known under the name “Techusiast”.