The best Samsung phones in 2023

Pros: Exceptional battery life, excellent three-camera system, stellar performance, lightweight for its large screen size

Cons: Some bloatware, infrequent shutter lag 

Though the Galaxy S23 Ultra is nominally Samsung’s top-line phone in 2023, the Galaxy S23 Plus offers a better overall balance of performance, cameras, and features relative to its price. 

Indeed, the Galaxy S23 Plus is a supremely well-balanced phone with all the specs anyone would want in a premium phone, and it has a lower price tag and better battery life than the Galaxy S23 Ultra. 

The Galaxy S23 Plus obtained the best result in our battery test among Samsung’s current lineup while offering a large, 6.6-inch screen that runs at 120Hz. Apps open and run quickly and smoothly, and the phone’s performance overall feels buttery smooth thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Optimized for Galaxy processor — the same processor in the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

The three cameras on the back of the Galaxy S23 Plus take high-quality photos, and we saw no reason to upgrade to the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s for its 200MP main camera in our testing. The Galaxy S23 Plus’ selfie camera — the same one found in the Galaxy S23 Ultra — is also the best in recent memory for a Samsung phone.  

There’s very little we can say against the Galaxy S23 Plus — not only is it the best Samsung phone overall, we also crowned it the best overall Android phone you can buy. 

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus review.

Pros: Large screen, smooth 90Hz display, stellar price-to-performance ratio

Cons: Ineffective macro lens, slow 15W charging speed

The Galaxy A14 5G is a surprisingly capable phone for its $200 price tag, and among Samsung’s A series phones, it offers the best balance of features and affordability. 

While the A14 isn’t as quick to open apps as the flagship Galaxy S23 series, or even the $450 Galaxy A54, it still runs apps smoothly on a 90Hz screen — a spec we wouldn’t expect on a phone in this price range.

For $200, the Galaxy A14 also comes with a large 6.6-inch display and a surprisingly sharp 1080p resolution, the same resolution offered by the Galaxy S23 Plus. (The Galaxy A14’s display isn’t nearly as bright as the Galaxy S23 Plus’, however, a factor that is especially noticeable in bright sunlight, but it poses no problems indoors.)

You’ll see three camera lenses on the rear of the Galaxy A14’s textured plastic back, but you’ll likely only use one of them, the 50MP main camera. One of the other cameras is a 2MP macro lens for those niche up-close shots of rain drops on a leaf, but it’s not sharp at all. The other is a depth sensor to help the main camera take portrait mode shots, and it doesn’t take photos. 

The 50MP main camera takes photos with solid color, contrast, and brightness. It’s a capable camera if your budget is in the $200 range, but if camera quality is a priority and you can stretch your budget, we’d rather recommend the Galaxy A54, which starts at $450, for better photos (and performance).

Like the A54, the Galaxy A14 lacks wireless charging. The A14 supports 15W charging speeds, which is slow, but acceptable in this price range.   

Read our full Samsung Galaxy A14 5G review. 

Pros: Stellar four-camera system, impressive 10x zoom lens, smooth 120Hz display, S Pen useful for on-device photo editing

Cons: Screen may be too large for some, expensive relative to competition

With its four camera lenses, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has the best camera system among Samsung’s latest phone lineup.  

All of Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S23 phones take similarly excellent photos, but the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s exclusive fourth 10x zoom lens gives it the most versatility relative to the company’s other phones that top out with 3x zoom cameras. It means you can take significantly better photos of faraway objects and subjects than any other Samsung phone, or any other phone, for that matter.

Having a 10x zoom camera not only means you can take crisp, clear, fully detailed photos at 10x zoom, but it also means you can take acceptable, even decent, photos beyond 10x. Apart from older Galaxy Ultra phones with 10x zoom lenses, no other Samsung phone can compete in this regard. 

Samsung was mindful that micro jitters from shaky hands will result in a blurry photo at such high-zoom ranges. The Galaxy S23 Ultra has excellent optical image stabilization (OIS) that greatly reduces the micro jitters from your hands. Just note you still need to be quite still — the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s OIS is impressive, but it’s not miraculous.  

You might be wondering whether the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 200MP main camera offers better photos than the 50MP main cameras on Samsung’s other Galaxy S23 flagships. We actually couldn’t see any improvement in the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 200MP main camera over the 50MP main cameras from the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus, even in low light photos where so many megapixels could be a benefit. 

That’s great news for those who find the Galaxy S23 Ultra too expensive for their budgets, and for those who don’t necessarily want a 10x zoom lens. 

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review.

“The larger the phone screen, the longer the battery life” is a maxim one can typically apply to newer smartphones. However, that’s not the case with Samsung’s latest lineup. 

The Galaxy S23 Plus with its 6.6-inch screen finished our battery stress test with 67% remaining, while the 6.8-inch Galaxy S23 Ultra finished with 61%.

It’s a surprising result, as the Galaxy S23 Plus has a smaller 4,700mAh battery than the 5,000mAh battery in the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Still, when each phone performed five runs of the Geekbench 5 CPU test, two runs of the 3DMark Wild Life Stress Test, two hours of video streaming, and one hour of music streaming with Bluetooth headphones, the Galaxy S23 Plus came out on top. 

The Galaxy S23 Plus also supports the same 45W charging speeds and 15W wireless charging speeds as the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which means it’s among the fastest charging models in Samsung’s contemporary lineup. 

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus review.

Pros: Excellent three-camera system, stellar performance, smooth 120Hz display, solid battery life

Cons: Slower charging speed (25W) than other S23 models, some bloatware, infrequent shutter lag

The Galaxy S23 is basically a smaller version of the Galaxy S23 Plus, our top pick for the best Samsung phone overall. It runs on the same processor and has the same triple-lens camera, and its display runs at the same silky-smooth 120Hz. 

It does all that while sporting a smaller 6.1-inch screen and a lighter weight that some may find more comfortable. 

Apart from size, the only major difference between the standard S23 and the S23 Plus is battery life, where the former scored lower in our battery stress test (56% remaining). However, that’s expected in a smaller phone.

It’s also worth mentioning the Galaxy S23 only supports 25W charging speeds while the Galaxy S23 Plus supports 45W, which is baffling, but not a deal breaker if you prefer smaller phones. 

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S23 review.

Pros: Excellent exterior display, opens into a lightweight tablet, 120Hz refresh rate on both displays, improved hinge

Cons: Expensive starting price, bulky when folded

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is one of the two current foldable phones Samsung offers, alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 5. 

If you’re looking for a foldable phone from Samsung, we’d recommend the Galaxy Z Fold 5 first thanks to its full-size exterior display and greater versatility, which make it worth its hefty $1,800 starting price, and it’s available now for $500 off at Amazon. The Z Flip 5’s larger cover display means it’s more versatile than previous models, but ultimately, you still need to unfold the Z Flip 5 to do anything meaningful on the device.

When folded, the Z Fold 5 has a 6.2-inch exterior screen that runs at a seamless 120Hz and operates as a stellar (though thicker-than-usual) small-screen phone. When unfolded, the phone’s interior display acts as a lightweight, 7.6-inch tablet that also runs effortlessly at 120Hz. 

These factors alone separate the Z Fold 5 from the Z Flip 5 and justify the $800 gap in starting price between them. 

In contrast, the clamshell-style Z Flip 5, which typically starts at $1,000, has a 3.4-inch exterior display that essentially acts as an always-on display for notifications, as a viewfinder for the main cameras, to control music and other media, and even reply to a text. Still, the phone needs to be unfolded, which becomes a tiresome requirement very quickly, and it feels like a compromise compared to regular phones.

Worthy of note, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has an updated hinge design that allows it to fold completely flat. It’s a welcome evolution to hinges from previous Fold models, which left a gap at the hinge and not only looked less sleek, but also increased the risk of display scratches from dirt and debris.

Specs

Galaxy S23 Plus

Galaxy A14 5G

Galaxy S23 Ultra

Galaxy S23

Galaxy Z Fold 5

Starting price

$1,000

$200

$1,200

$800

$1,800

Processor

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Optimized for Galaxy 

Exynos 1330 

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Optimized for Galaxy 

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Optimized for Galaxy 

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Optimized for Galaxy 

Release date

February 2023

January 2023

February 2023

February 2023

August 2023

Screen size

6.6 inches

6.6 inches

6.8 inches

6.1 inches

6.2 inches (folded), 7.6 inches (unfolded)

Rear cameras

50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x zoom

50MP main, 2MP macro, 2MP depth

200MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x zoom, 10MP 10x zoom

50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x zoom

50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x zoom 

Storage

256GB, 512GB

64GB

256GB, 512GB, 1TB

128GB, 256GB, 512GB

256GB, 512GB, 1TB

What is the best Samsung phone?

The best Samsung phone in 2023 is the Galaxy S23 Plus, in our assessment, as it offers the best overall combination of performance, features, and price. It has the best battery life of any Samsung phone we’ve tested and has the widest potential appeal. 

We also recommend several other Samsung phones according to specific criteria. 

The best Samsung phone you can get for a low cost is the Galaxy A14 5G, a capable budget phone that outperforms its $200 price tag. 

The best camera phone from Samsung is the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which offers a stellar four-camera system and is the lone phone from the company to feature a 10x zoom lens. 

Samsung’s best phone with a small screen is the 6.1-inch Galaxy S23, the smaller sibling of our top overall pick, the Galaxy S23 Plus. 

Samsung’s best foldable phone is the Galaxy Z Fold 5, a versatile device that can operate as a 6.2-inch phone or a 7.6-inch tablet.

What is the latest Samsung phone?

Samsung’s newest phones are the latest additions to its foldable lineup, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5, which hit stores in August 2023.