Best Samsung phones to buy in 2021
Samsung's Galaxy phone line is vast, here are the best options from the Galaxy S21 to the cheaper Galaxy phones.
Andrew Hoyle
Sept. 4, 2021 2:00 a.m. PT
$699.00 AT AMAZON
$900 AT AMAZON
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Samsung's new Galaxy Z Fold 3 or Z Flip 3 represent the top end of Samsung's phone line with its latest take on folding phones, while the more traditionally shaped Galaxy S21 Ultra showcases its specs and amazing cameras. But Samsung has always had a wide variety of handsets available, and more affordable phones such as the S20 FE offering great performance at a lower price than those more expensive phones.
The wide variety of choice in Samsung's range means there's likely a Galaxy phone for everyone, no matter what your tastes or budget. However, it does make it difficult to sift through everything the company offers to see what's actually worth considering.
We've done the hard work and have rounded up all of Samsung's current main smartphones so you can work out exactly which might be the best Samsung phone for your needs. Not sure you even want a Samsung? Then check out our guide to the best Android phone options, or head over to our roundup of all the best phones you can currently buy in 2021.
The ultimate Samsung phone
Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
Sarah Tew/CNET
ED I T O R S ’ C H O I C E
MAY 2021
With its supercharged processor, 5G connectivity, S Pen stylus support and amazing camera skills, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G represents the pinnacle of what Samsung currently offers in its phones. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the one to go for if you really value taking amazing photos with your phone, or simply if you want to know you've got the latest, greatest technology stuffed into your jeans. Read our Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G review.
$1,000 AT AMAZON
$1,200 AT BEST BUY
The best Galaxy bang for your buck
Galaxy S20 FE
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
ED I T O R S ’ C H O I C E
NOV 2020
Last year's Samsung Galaxy S20 series was good, but the whole range came with a high price that meant they were out of reach for many. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (which stands for "Fan Edition") was Samsung's attempt to address this with a cell phone that packs much of the same top tech -- including a great processor and solid camera -- but at a more midrange price. We loved the result enough to award it a coveted CNET Editors' Choice award and the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is still a superb phone to consider if your budget doesn't stretch to the latest flagships. Read our Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition review.
$550 AT AMAZON
$686 AT WALMART
$700 AT BEST BUY
The flagship all-rounder
Galaxy S21 Plus 5G
Drew Evans/CNET
Unlike the Ultra, the S21 Plus doesn't support the S Pen stylus, it has a slightly smaller display and it lacks the incredible zoom skills of the top model. However, this Samsung smartphone uses the same processor, has a meaty battery and still has that 5G connectivity. Its lower price makes this smartphone a more affordable option than the Ultra, but you're still getting a premium flagship experience with the Gorilla Glass Victus backing that also features on the S21 Ultra.
$750 AT AMAZON
$1,000 AT BEST BUY
The no-brainer upgrade phone
Galaxy S21 5G
Sarah Tew/CNET
With its more modest price, the base Galaxy S21 is a great combination of performance and value that CNET reviewer Patrick Holland called "the no-brainer upgrade phone." It doesn't have the zoom skills of the Ultra's camera, but this smartphone can take great images nonetheless, has the same powerful processor and a big, vibrant display. Plus, it's capable of taking advantage of super fast 5G speeds. Read our Samsung Galaxy S21 review.
$650 AT AMAZON
$800 AT BEST BUY
Supercharged... and a stylus
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
The Note series has typically been where Samsung packs its absolute best technology and that's certainly the case for 2020's Note 20 Ultra. The mobile phone's display is glorious, it's got immense power, 5G connectivity and an amazing camera that seriously impressed me on a photography road trip. The S-Pen stylus makes it great for note taking, which means this smartphone is a very solid option for the more professional among you who want a phone for both work and play. Read our Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra review.
$900 AT AMAZON
$1,200 AT BEST BUY
The best folding phone
Galaxy Z Fold 3
Angela Lang/CNET
Samsung's original folding phone was a novel idea but the latest generation -- the Galaxy Z Fold 3 -- refines it further. It's still essentially a tablet that folds in half to become a phone, but this smartphone has an improved hinge, better specs all round, 5G connectivity and a bigger display on the outside that actually makes it usable as a phone. Folding phones may not be to everyone's tastes and they certainly come at a premium, but if you're after a futuristic foldable, the Z Fold 3 is the best one to buy.
$999 AT SAMSUNG
Samsung's smaller folding phone
Galaxy Z Flip 3
Patrick Holland/CNET
If the Galaxy Fold is a tablet that folds in half to become a phone, the Z Flip is a phone that folds in half to become a smaller phone. When open, this Samsung Galaxy smartphone has a big 6.7-inch display, but fold it in half and it becomes a small square that's easy to slide into a jeans or jacket pocket. We like its neat design, along with its decent all-round specs and 5G connectivity and it's a more affordable folding option than the powerhouse Galaxy Fold 3. Read our Samsung Galaxy Z Flip review.
$499 AT SAMSUNG
5G on a more modest budget
Galaxy A52 5G
Sarah Tew/CNET
Samsung's A52 5G sits at the top of Samsung's more affordable A series of phones. It has a big 6.5-inch display, 6GB of RAM, a multiple rear camera setup (including 64-megapixel main lens, wide angle and macro cameras) and 5G connectivity. It's a budget phone option that offers a solid all-round set of specs for a price that's much more approachable than the top S21 models.
Affordable, 5G and a big screen
Galaxy A42 5G
Samsung
The A42 5G sits just below the A52, provides less RAM, loses the macro camera and has a lower resolution front-facing camera. It still has 5G connectivity though, along with a bigger battery and a marginally bigger display, which could make it a great affordable option for those of you who watch a lot of videos on the move.
$330 AT SAMSUNG
Samsung's cheapest 5G phone
Galaxy A32 5G
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
If 5G speeds are your top priority but you don't want to spend much money, Samsung's Galaxy A32 5G is where you should be looking. Its low price makes it one of the cheapest 5G-enabled phones it's possible to buy right now, but it also snags you a big 6.5-inch display and a multi rear camera setup. It's not challenging the overall performance of the S21 line, but it's a solid all-rounder for the money.
$165 AT SAMSUNG
The cheapest Samsung Galaxy phone
Galaxy A12
Samsung
The Galaxy A12 is the cheapest phone Samsung sells and it's the one to consider for those of you who simply want a phone for all of life's essentials and don't need to waste money on extravagant cameras or supercomputer-levels of processing power. It doesn't have 5G, but it does have four rear cameras, a 6.5-inch display and a capacious 5,000-mAh battery which, given the generally low demands of the specs, I'd expect to give easily a full day of power.
$105 AT SAMSUNG
If you can find it with a big discount
Galaxy S20 series
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Usually you can pick up last year's models for a big saving over the current generation, but not so with the S20 and S21 series. Last year's Galaxy S20, S20 Plus and S20 Ultra are still available through stores like Best Buy and they're still excellent phones. However, Samsung made a particular push with this year's S21 series to be more affordable and as such all of the S21 series of phones are cheaper than their equivalents from last year.
Specs-wise there's not actually a huge amount of difference and arguably some of the build materials on the S20 series are a little bit more premium, but overall we recommend buying the latest models, particularly in this case as it actually saves you money. Read our Samsung Galaxy S20 5G review.
$650 AT SAMSUNG
$990 AT WALMART
$900 AT EBAY
Read more: Samsung Galaxy A Series: New lineup starts at $110, two models have 5G
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Best small phones to buy in 2021
Looking for a smaller iPhone or Android phone you can easily hold? These are the best ones around.
Andrew Hoyle
Sept. 5, 2021 3:00 a.m. PT
LISTEN- 01:17
$848 AT AMAZON
Big-screen phones like the iPhone 12 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra certainly have their benefits: Top specs and excellent cameras are often inside that larger body. But there's no escaping their immense size. The 12 Pro Max's 6.7-inch display means getting it into those tight jeans pockets is a real stretch, and using it with one hand is pretty much impossible for anyone with hands smaller than continents.
Phones have steadily increased in size over the years, with 6-inch or bigger phones being the norm now. Sure, that's great for watching videos or playing games on the move, but what if you don't care about the screen real estate and just want a great phone that can fit in your hand?
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Your options are, I'm afraid to say, limited, but there are still some phones to consider. Everyone's definition of "small" is different, though, and a comfortable size for you may feel uncomfortably large to someone else. Bearing that in mind, I'll be including phones that are 6 inches and under in screen size, but if you're concerned about the size, it's worth trying to get hands-on with a phone at your nearest store (remember to take hand sanitizer!).
Google Pixel 5
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
At 6 inches, the Pixel 5 is towards the top-end of this list's size scale, but the narrow bezel around its screen makes it surprisingly compact to hold. It's a hell of a lot more pocket-friendly than the immense 6.8-inch S21 Ultra. Google's current flagship includes a great camera setup, 5G and a fast and smooth interface that impressed us in our review.
$700 AT BEST BUY
iPhone 12 Mini
Patrick Holland/CNET
ED I T O R S ’ C H O I C E
NOV 2020
The iPhone 12 Mini is one of few small phones that don't force you to make any compromises on power and performance. It has the same A14 Bionic processor found in all of the 12 series phones and it has the same dual rear-camera setup found on the standard iPhone 12 (albeit lacking the triple setup of the 12 Pro models). It's a great all-round phone and at only 5.4 inches, it's one of the best small phones money can buy. Read our Apple iPhone 12 Mini review.
Google Pixel 4A
Angela Lang/CNET
We liked the Pixel 4A's balance of decent overall performance with its low price when it launched in 2020. Its screen size of 5.8-inches puts it on the smaller side of today's phones. But what it doesn't have is 5G, which may be a problem if you want to get on those super-fast data speeds everyone's talking about.
So, get the 4A 5G, right? Not so fast. When Google added 5G to its cheapest phone it also bumped the screen size up to 6.2 inches, while its brand new Pixel 5A has an even bigger 6.34-inch display. Boo and, indeed, hiss. Read our Google Pixel 4A review.