Finding the best Samsung smartphone for you depends on your budget and your needs. Thankfully, the world’s leading Android phone maker gives you more than enough options to choose from, with devices to cater to every kind of user.
For most, the Galaxy S25 series is the first port of call. Samsung's class-leading flagships are among the most popular Android phones in the world, cramming in fast processors, plenty of RAM, great cameras and sharp, bright displays.
There's also the budget-friendly A-series, which strips away many of the more expensive features of the flagship phones to keep costs down, while retaining Samsung's slick software, top-end security, attractive design and premium build quality.
Meanwhile, folding phones offer a change from the usual boring glass slabs. Samsung popularised the folding phone as we know it and, over the past six years, it's gradually refined and improved the design of its Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip phones. No longer a funky novelty, these mobiles are easy to recommend to anyone looking for a versatile phone.
However, if you aren’t techy, that can be a lot to hold in mind. As a tech expert, I’ve been covering the best phones for years. If you’re in the market for a new Samsung smartphone, keep scrolling for my tried-and-tested reviews of top-rated models.
How we tested
Our team of IndyBest tech experts have been testing Samsung phones for years. To get a sense of how they perform, I test phones by using them as I would my regular mobile, over a one-month period. I assess what features are useful to the average person and look for any issues or quirks that only crop up outside of a straightforward testing scenario.
I examined these phones by several key metrics:
- Performance: I looked at storage and RAM to see how each phone can cope with heavy-duty processing when watching videos or gaming. I look out for stuttering, buffering, and assess how many photos a phone can hold.
- Battery life: During the month of testing, I measured battery life across each day. I timed how many hours’ use I got from a single charge, and how it varied from light browsing to streaming video on a commute.
- Camera: Camera testing is done in daylight and nighttime conditions. I took dozens of pictures of pets, landmarks, family and friends to check each image’s resolution and clarity.
- AI: A relatively new criterion, most Samsung phones now come with AI features. I assessed these new features, such as the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s new AI-powered editing tools.
- Portability: I also check how pocketable each phone is, and if it’s comfortable to hold as you scroll. Many of Samsung’s phones are foldable, so I check to see if this is a genuinely useful feature or a gimmick.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Steve Hogarty is a tech journalist with more than a decade of experience reporting on and reviewing smartphones. He’s tested hundreds of phones for IndyBest, and his reviews consider everything from performance and design to each phone’s display, durability, camera quality and value for money, so you can be sure the results of this roundup are honest and unbiased.
The best Samsung phones for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus: £999, Amazon.co.uk
- Best budget buy – Samsung Galaxy A56: £424, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for performance – Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: £1,099, Amazon.co.uk
- Best folding phone – Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: £849, Argos.co.uk
Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus
Best: Samsung phone overall
Size: 158.4mm x 75.8mm x 7.3mm
Weight: 190g
Display: 6.7in AMOLED, 120Hz
Cameras: 50MP main, 10MP telephoto, 12MP ultrawide
Selfie camera: 12MP
Storage: 256GB, 512GB
RAM: 12MP
Why we love it
- Brilliant display
- Great performance
- Decent battery life
Take note
- New AI features are hit and miss
This year’s Galaxy lineup can be summarised as big, bigger and biggest. The Galaxy S25 Plus is the mid-size marvel of the trio, pitched at those who want a larger screen and slightly more battery life than the standard S25, but aren’t too bothered about the upgraded camera system, extra performance and stylus of the most expensive S25 Ultra.
The S25 Plus is effectively the entry-level S25 with a larger 6.7in OLED display and a bigger battery. Beyond that, it’s the same phone, featuring the same triple-lens camera array as the base S25 as well as the same powerful new Snapdragon processor and Galaxy AI tricks as the rest of the lineup. The new AI features are hit and miss, though – I’m not sure I’d trust them with anything important.
The star of the show is the luscious and vivid display, which, at a roomy 6.7in from corner to corner, offers more screen real estate than the cheaper S25. The S25 Plus is a supremely capable flagship phone, and the best Samsung phone for those who want something a little more pocketable than the more powerful but frankly enormous Ultra.
Read my full Galaxy S25 review
Buy now £999.00, Amazon.co.uk
Samsung Galaxy A56
Best: Budget Samsung phone
Size: 162.2mmx 77.5mm x 7.4mm
Weight: 198g
Display: 6.7in AMOLED, 120Hz
Cameras: 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 5MP macro
Selfie camera: 12MP
Storage: 256GB
RAM: 8GB
Why we love it
- Strong battery life
- Vivid OLED display
Take note
- Underwhelming camera performance
The Galaxy A56 proves you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a premium Samsung experience. The budget-friendly A56 offers an impressive set of features and premium build quality without the flagship price tag – it’s an easy recommendation for anyone looking to get a lot of phone for not much money.
The vibrant, punchy 6.7in AMOLED display could easily belong on a far more expensive device, and the 256GB default storage option puts some pricier competitors to shame. You also get a taste of Samsung’s flagship software features, such as circle to search, AI-assisted photo editing tools and automatic video montages, which filter down from the most expensive S-series phones.
There are compromises, however. The weaker processor found in the A56 can easily handle everyday browsing and social media, but you’ll notice a performance drop during more intensive tasks, such as gaming. The camera system is good enough, but it falls way short of the best cameras Samsung makes, particularly in low-light conditions. Samsung has made the right choices to bring costs down, though – the A56 is an excellent Android phone for the price.
Buy now £424.00, Amazon.co.uk
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Best: Samsung phone for performance
Size: 162.8mm x 77.6mm x 8.2mm
Weight: 218g
Display: 6.9in Full HD AMOLED, 120Hz
Cameras: 200MP main, 50MP ultrawide, 10MP and 50MP telephoto
Selfie camera: 12MP
Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
RAM: 12GB
Why we love it
- One of the best cameras of any phone
- S-Pen stylus included
- Cutting-edge performance
Take note
- Only a minor hardware upgrade this year
In terms of specs, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is Samsung’s best smartphone. Depending on where your brand loyalty lies, it’s also in the running for the world’s best smartphone. Boasting the best hardware Samsung can muster, the S25 Ultra is very powerful. The Snapdragon 8 Elite, supported by 12GB of RAM and improved thermal management, delivers fast performance to handle demanding tasks and gaming. Connect it to an external display, and you can even use a full desktop-style interface, with the S25 Ultra effectively taking on the role of a laptop.
The design has been refreshed to remove any last vestiges of the old Galaxy Note series, on which the Ultra was originally based. Gone are the sharp corners, replaced with rounder and more comfortable edges. The bright and brilliant display is slightly bigger as a result of shrunken bezels, with the 120Hz OLED screen spanning 6.9in corner to corner, and the integrated S Pen stylus returns as a means to take handwritten notes.
This year’s Ultra goes all in on Samsung’s AI features, which remain of dubious practical use for the average person. Powered by Gemini, the virtual assistant aims to act as a personal assistant for everyday tasks, such as restaurant bookings, using natural, conversational language to get things done. As on other phones, the results are impressive, but just not reliable enough that you’d trust it with anything important.
“Though it doesn’t look radically different from last year’s S24 Ultra, the design has been subtly but pleasingly adjusted,” said The Independent’s tech critic David Phelan in his S25 Ultra review. “The cameras are better, the battery continues to be excellent, but, above all, this is a phone that is all about the software, delivering strong performance across the device.”
Read the full Galaxy S25 Ultra review
Buy now £1099.00, Amazon.co.uk
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6
Best: Folding Samsung phone
Size: 165.1mm x 71.9mm x 6.9mm / 85.1mm x 71.9mm x 14.9mm
Weight: 187g
Display: 3.4in AMOLED 60Hz / 6.7in AMOLED 120Hz
Cameras: 50MP wide, 12MP ultrawide
Selfie camera: 10MP
Storage: 256GB, 512GB
RAM: 12GB
Why we love it
- Durable build quality
- Stylish design
- Cameras are much improved
Take note
- Smaller cover display than the Motorola Razr 60 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is the fashion-forward, pocket-friendly darling of the foldable world, and by far the phone that draws the most attention from onlookers. The culmination of six years of design tweaks and improvements, Samsung’s latest clamshell-style foldable is finally hitting every mark: the hinge feels sturdy, the phone folds neatly without gaps, the outer display is large enough to be useful, the battery life is decent and the cameras are on par with the Galaxy S24 series.
Like last year’s phone, the Flip 6 folds completely flat. Everything lines up neatly, the phone can be opened one-handed, and the buttons and overall finish feel premium. The outer display is more useful this year, with more app developers, such as Spotify, adding features that can be used while the phone is closed. Samsung’s range of widgets is fun and visually interesting, and you can customise the phone with a range of artsy cases that are genuinely appealing. Like the Galaxy Z Fold, the Flip is expected to get a new iteration this summer.
Read my full Galaxy Z flip 6 review
Buy now £849.00, Argos.co.uk
Samsung Galaxy S25
Best: Samsung phone for smaller hands
Size: 147mm x 70.5mm x 7.2mm
Weight: 162g
Display: 6.2in AMOLED, 120Hz
Cameras: 50MP main, 10MP telephoto, 12MP ultrawide
Selfie camera: 12MP
Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
RAM: 12GB
Why we love it
- Great cameras
- Premium build quality
- Brilliant OLED display
Take note
- Barely an improvement on the S24
For those who want Samsung’s latest flagship experience in a more manageable size, the Galaxy S25 is the obvious choice. The entry-level S25 inherits the same new Snapdragon processor and the core suite of Galaxy AI features found in its larger siblings, delivering a snappy and responsive user experience.
The 6.2in OLED display is as gorgeous as ever, with vibrant colour reproduction and an adaptive refresh rate that makes scrolling and animations look smooth and feel reactive. The camera system retains last year’s triple-lens setup, but gets some minor improvements to the sensor and a fresh layer of AI post-processing, delivering consistently impressive photos and videos across a range of challenging lighting conditions.
You miss out on the more advanced camera of the Ultra, as well as the S Pen stylus and the performance-improving vapour chamber, but otherwise, Samsung’s three flagships have never been more closely matched. The Galaxy S25 offers a balanced package of premium design, fast performance and smart software, in a size that won’t give you wrist strain and at a price that won’t make you wince.
Buy now £699.00, Amazon.co.uk
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Best: Samsung phone for productivity
Size: 153.5mm x 132.6mm x 5.6mm / 153.5mm x 68.1mm x 12.1mm
Weight: 239g
Display: 7.6in AMOLED 120Hz / 6.3in AMOLED 120Hz
Cameras: 50MP main, 10MP telephoto, 12MP ultrawide
Selfie camera: 4MP / 10MP
Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
RAM: 12GB
Why we love it
- Powerful performance
- Tablet-style user experience
- Improved hinge
Take note
- Expensive
Samsung’s book-style foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 returned in 2024 with just a light spec refresh and a few design tweaks since the previous year’s model. Under the bonnet, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 runs on the newest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and uses a 1.6x larger vapour chamber for improved performance during demanding tasks like gaming.
Screen dimensions have been refined ever so slightly to make the Fold shorter and wider, which goes a small way towards addressing concerns about Samsung’s cover display feeling too narrow in the hand.
The productivity-focused smartphone still has limited appeal, thanks to its premium price and relatively bulky form factor. But for those who can make the most of it, the expansive 7.6in inner display effectively turns the Fold into a pocketable tablet, with multitasking across windowed apps and an improved taskbar for a more intuitive user experience. With a new version expected to arrive this summer, I’d hold off investing in one for now.
Read our full Galaxy Z Fold 6 review
Buy now £1329.00, Ao.com
Which is the best Samsung phone?
More so than Apple and Google, Samsung offers a huge range of phones at different price points. Choosing the right device for you depends on how much you’re willing to spend. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is the most powerful device Samsung makes, offering everything the tech giant can feasibly offer in a smartphone. It has a large, bright and vivid 6.8in display, a premium titanium case, plus the S-Pen stylus.
If that’s more than you need, the S25 and S25 Plus are your next best bets. The smaller phones are basically identical apart from their size. They lose the stylus and the titanium finish but retain the excellent display and Samsung’s fancy new AI features. Together, they’re the best Samsung phones for most people.
For something cheaper, check out the Galaxy A56. It uses a slower processor and less RAM than the flagship S-series devices, but keeps some of the premium features from the more expensive phones, such as Samsung’s excellent display.
The newest Galaxy Z Flip 6 is one of the most interesting and fun phones we’ve ever tested, featuring a fashion-forward clamshell design and an improved cover display that’s more functional and practical than ever.
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