So if you’re after a new Samsung phone, read on for a comprehensive guide.
Also Read: Top 10 Laptops in 2021
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
A top tier smartphone
SPECIFICATIONS
- Release date: January 2021
- Weight: 227g
- Dimensions: 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm
- OS: Android 11
- Screen size: 6.8-inch
- Resolution: 1440 x 3200
- CPU: Snapdragon 888 / Exynos 2100
- RAM: 12GB / 16GB
- Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB
- Battery: 5,000mAh
- Rear camera: 108MP + 10MP + 10MP + 12MP
- Front camera: 40MP
REASONS TO BUY
- The best camera zoom
- Mesmerizing design
REASONS TO AVOID
- Expensive at any level
- No microSD card slot
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is Samsung’s top, premium flagship for 2021, for the first time Samsung has offered S Pen support on an S-range handset here. So that you can optionally get the Galaxy Note range’s best feature.
But even without that, this is a stunning handset, with a brilliant quad-lens camera capable of 10x optical zoom.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra also looks great, with a smooth Gorilla Glass back that has a matte finish that looks better than the reflective Galaxy S20 range, while around the front there’s a curved edge-to-edge 6.8-inch screen.
And speaking of that screen, for the first time on a Samsung phone you get both a QHD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate at the same time. And being a high-end Samsung screen this is one of the best around.
Samsung Galaxy S21
Not the best of the S series, but nevertheless great
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SPECIFICATIONS
- Release date: January 2021
- Weight: 169
- Dimensions: 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm
- OS: Android 11
- Screen size: 6.2-inch
- Resolution: 1080 x 2400
- CPU: Snapdragon 888 / Exynos 2100
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 128GB / 256GB
- Battery: 4,000mAh
- Rear camera: 12MP + 64MP + 12MP
- Front camera: 10MP
REASONS TO BUY
- Fantastic, versatile camera
- Cheaper than the Galaxy S20
REASONS TO AVOID
- No microSD support
- Screen isn’t the best
The Samsung Galaxy S21 is the most basic and affordable of the Galaxy S21 range, but it has a lot going for it beyond its relatively low price.
The triple-lens camera is highly versatile and its including the three core lenses. So that we’d expect from a premium smartphone – namely a main one, a telephoto, and an ultra-wide. So they all perform well too.
There’s also high-end power, solid battery life, and an AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. At 6.2 inches it’s also a lot more compact than the rest of the S21 range, so it’s ideal if you don’t want a massive phone.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
The Ultra done right
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SPECIFICATIONS
- Release date: August 2020
- Weight: 208g
- Dimensions: 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1mm
- OS: Android 10
- Screen size: 6.9-inch
- Resolution: 1440 x 3088
- CPU: Snapdragon 865 Plus / Exynos 990
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB
- Battery: 4,500mAh
- Rear camera: 108MP + 12MP + 12MP
- Front camera: 10MP
REASONS TO BUY
- 5x camera zoom crushes it
- New useful S Pen features
REASONS TO AVOID
- ‘Ultra’ expensive
- Slower charging
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is a beast of a handset with a beast of a price. It has the best-looking screen of any phone and the best camera of any Android phone – one which is also brilliant fun to use, thanks to its 5x optical zoom, fun filters, and slick camera interface.
The camera here includes a 108MP main sensor, a 12MP periscope one, and a 12MP ultra-wide one, while the screen is a massive 6.9-inch 1440 x 3088 AMOLED one with 496 pixels per inch and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz.
But the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra doesn’t stop there, as it also stands out from rivals thanks to its S Pen stylus, letting you doodle on the screen, sync voice recordings with your hand-written notes, and more.
Plus, the phone also has top-end power of course, including 12GB of RAM and either a Snapdragon 865 Plus or Exynos 990 chipset. Which you get depends on where you are in the world, but they’re both exceedingly powerful.
There’s also 5G, loads of storage, a premium design, an in-screen fingerprint scanner, and a big battery, so this is a phone that almost has it all – though the charging could be faster and it’s slightly disappointing that you can’t use both a 120Hz refresh rate and a QHD+ resolution at the same time.
The biggest stumbling block though is simply the price, but if you have the money and want everything that the Note 20 Ultra is offering, then it’s a fantastic choice.
Top 10 Samsung phones: Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus is just right
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SPECIFICATIONS
- Release date: March 2020
- Weight: 186g
- Dimensions: 161.9 x 73.7 x 7.8mm
- OS: Android 10
- Screen size: 6.7-inch
- Resolution: 1440 x 3200
- CPU: Snapdragon 865 / Exynos 990
- RAM: 8GB/12GB
- Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB
- Battery: 4,500mAh
- Rear camera: 12MP + 64MP + 12MP + ToF 3D
- Front camera: 10MP
REASONS TO BUY
- Powerful yet sleek
- Much-improved zoom
REASONS TO AVOID
- Ever-higher price
- Improvements are mostly iterative
The design isn’t massively changed from the Galaxy S10 Plus, but most other elements have been upgraded. The screen now has a silky-smooth 120Hz refresh rate, so it packs a more powerful chipset, and its cameras have had a big boost.
The most exciting lens is its 64MP telephoto one, facilitating a 3x hybrid optical zoom, but there are also 12MP main and 12MP ultra-wide ones, as well as a depth sensor.
Add in a massive 4,500mAh battery, 5G support, and all the things you expect from a Samsung flagship. So it likes water resistance and an in-screen fingerprint scanner.
Top 10 Samsung phones: Samsung Galaxy S20
The most one-hand-friendly version of Samsung’s 2020 flagship
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SPECIFICATIONS
- Release date: March 2020
- Weight: 163g
- Dimensions: 151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9mm
- OS: Android 10
- Screen size: 6.2-inch
- Resolution: 1440 x 3200
- CPU: Snapdragon 865 / Exynos 990
- RAM: 8GB/12GB
- Storage: 128GB
- Battery: 4,000mAh
- Rear camera: 12MP + 64MP + 12MP
- Front camera: 10MP
REASONS TO BUY
- Good camera upgrade
- Samsung’s best display yet
REASONS TO AVOID
- Quite expensive
- Lowest spec in the range
The standard Galaxy S20 has a lower price going for it, as well as a more pocket-friendly size.
Though at 6.2 inches this is still far from a small phone, and with a QHD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and one of the best quality AMOLED screens yet put on a phone, the display is worth shouting about.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 also has an impressive camera setup, headlined by a 64MP telephoto sensor, which is joined by a 12MP main and 12MP ultra-wide one – so it misses out only on the S20 Plus’s depth sensor.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 is also available in a 5G flavor, has a large 4,000mAh battery, and top-end power, thanks to either a Snapdragon 865 or Exynos 990 chipset (depending on where in the world you buy it).
Top 10 Samsung phones: Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus
This is a top Samsung phablet
SPECIFICATIONS
- Release date: August 2019
- Weight: 196g
- Dimensions: 162.3 x 77.2 x 7.9mm
- OS: Android 9
- Screen size: 6.8-inch
- Resolution: 1440 x 3040
- CPU: Snapdragon 855 / Exynos 9825
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 256GB/512GB
- Battery: 4,300mAh
- Rear camera: 12MP + 12MP + 16MP + ToF 3D
- Front camera: 10MP
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REASONS TO BUY
- Handy S Pen stylus
- The best screen on a smartphone
REASONS TO AVOID
- Supremely expensive
- Camera isn’t ‘the best’
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus might have been superseded by the Note 20 Ultra, but it’s still one of the best stylus-toting phones available. It comes with a massive screen, powerful processor, and four rear cameras.
The highlight of this device is the aforementioned S Pen and a stylus that helps you do loads with your device. So it isn’t just used for drawing and taking notes; a range of gesture controls help you to get the most out of your handset.
Yes, the phone is expensive (prohibitively so, to some), but every penny you pay goes straight into one of the top Samsung phones about, and one of the best handsets full stop.
Top 10 Samsung phones: Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition
Basically the Samsung Galaxy S20 Lite
SPECIFICATIONS
- Release date: October 2020
- Weight: 190g
- Dimensions: 159.8 x 74.5 x 8.4mm
- OS: Android 10
- Screen size: 6.5-inch
- Resolution: 1080 x 2400
- CPU: Snapdragon 865 / Exynos 990
- RAM: 6GB/8GB
- Storage: 128GB/256GB
- Battery: 4,500mAh
- Rear camera: 12MP + 12MP + 8MP
- Front camera: 32MP
REASONS TO BUY
- Can take great pictures
- Powerful processor
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REASONS TO AVOID
- Not very ‘lite’ in price
- Cheap-feeling design
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition is basically a Samsung Galaxy S20 Lite, but it retains many of the Galaxy S20’s best bits.
The highlights are its screen, camera, and chipset. For the first of those you get a 6.5-inch 1080 x 2400 Super AMOLED screen with a silky smooth 120Hz refresh rate.
The camera meanwhile is a triple-lens one, consisting of a 12MP main snapper, a 12MP ultra-wide one, and an 8MP telephoto one, ensuring all the main photography bases are covered
Finally, the chipset is either the Snapdragon 865 or Exynos 990 – the former is what you get with the 5G version of the phone, while the latter comes with the 4G model, but both are high-end. The build could be a better and the price is perhaps a bit steep, but otherwise the Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition really is a fan pleaser.
Top 10 Samsung phones: Samsung Galaxy Note 20
The world’s priciest plastic phone?
SPECIFICATIONS
- Release date: August 2020
- Weight: 192g
- Dimensions: 161.6 x 75.2 x 8.3mm
- OS: Android 10
- Screen size: 6.7-inch
- Resolution: 1080 x 2400
- CPU: Snapdragon 865 Plus / Exynos 990
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 256GB
- Battery: 4,300mAh
- Rear camera: 12MP + 64MP + 12MP
- Front camera: 10MP
REASONS TO BUY
- Versatile three-camera array
- S-Pen is brilliant, as ever
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REASONS TO AVOID
- Expensive for a phone with a plastic back
- Only has a 60Hz display
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 is less exciting than the Note 20 Ultra. In fact, given its plastic back and FHD+ screen, it’s rather less premium than you might expect from a handset in the Note range, but it’s still well worth considering if you want a relatively affordable phone with an S Pen.
And this phone has more than just the S Pen going for it. The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 also has high-end power, thanks to its Snapdragon 865 Plus or Exynos 990 chipset (depending on region) and 8GB of RAM. Plus its triple-lens camera (with a 12MP main, 64MP telephoto, and 12MP ultra-wide sensor) allows for versatile photography.
Despite its lesser specs this is still far from an affordable handset, but if you can’t stretch to the Note 20 Ultra and you want something newer than the Note 10, then it remains a good choice.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
The most futuristic phone of 2020
SPECIFICATIONS
- Release date: August 2020
- Weight: 282g
- Dimensions: 159.2 x 128.2 x 6.9mm (unfolded)
- OS: Android 10
- Screen size: 7.6 and 6.23-inch
- Resolution: 1768 x 2208 and 816 x 2260
- CPU: Snapdragon 865 Plus
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 256GB/512GB
- Battery: 4,500mAh
- Rear camera: 12MP + 12MP + 12MP
- Front camera: 10MP + 10MP
REASONS TO BUY
- Much bigger front Cover Display
- Refined second-gen hinge
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REASONS TO AVOID
- As expensive as phones come
- Lacks Samsung’s best cameras
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is the company’s best foldable yet at the time of writing, improving on the original Galaxy Fold in a number of ways, and offering a more premium experience than the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.
This really is a tablet and a phone all in one, and it looks and feels suitably futuristic, while also packing a much bigger (and therefore more useful) Cover Display than its predecessor. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is power packed as well, and has the same 120Hz refresh rate as other premium Samsung phones.
However, it lacks Samsung’s best cameras and makes most smartphones look cheap, which is why we can’t rank it higher. But if Samsung can fix those issues for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 then it might have a masterpiece on its hands.
Samsung Galaxy S10e
A more affordable S10
SPECIFICATIONS
- Release date: March 2019
- Weight: 150g
- Dimensions: 142.2 x 69.9 x 7.9mm
- OS: Android 9
- Screen size: 5.8-inch
- Resolution: 1080 x 2280
- CPU: Snapdragon 855 / Exynos 9820
- RAM: 6/8GB
- Storage: 128/256GB
- Battery: 3,100mAh
- Rear camera: 12MP + 16MP
- Front camera: 10MP
REASONS TO BUY
- Superb camera for price
- Easy to use in one hand
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REASONS TO AVOID
- No in-screen scanner
- Thicker than the S10
There’s a dual rear camera that can take some impressive shots considering the price of this handset, plus you’ll be sporting a top-end chipset inside alongside either 6GB or 8GB of RAM.
Overall, the Galaxy S10e isn’t anywhere near as impressive as the other two parts of the S10 range but if you’re not looking to spend lots of money, this is one of the top Samsung phones for you.
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