Shopping for a new Samsung phone battery?ZDNET’s tested and rounded up the very best, including foldables, ones with styli, and options for the budget-minded.
Of all the Samsung phones batteries manufacturers, Samsung’s lineup of handsets may be the most robust, Want a phone that has a built-in stylus? You’ve got that. Want a phone that can expand into a tablet? You’ve got that too.
Basically, finding the best Samsung phone for you boils down to your personal needs, use cases, and design preferences. Trust me, you’ll have plenty of options laid out below, and not every one of them will be the right fit for you.
To make the shopping process easy, we’ve personally tested most, if not all, the latest Galaxy phones that Samsung has to offer, and assembled a catalog of the top options for your choosing, including the more recent Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold series, the value-driven A-series, and our top pick right now, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
The best Samsung phones in 2023Samsung Galaxy S23 UltraBest Samsung phone overall
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra tech specs: Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy | Display: 6.8 inches | RAM/Storage Options: 12GB RAM with 256GB/512GB/1TB | Rear cameras: 200MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 10x optical, 10MP 3x optical | Battery: 5,000mAh
In the grand calculus of the Samsung multiverse, the Galaxy S23 Ultra reigns supreme. It’s arguably the most no-frills smartphone that you can buy on the market, let alone from Samsung, which puts it at the top spot on our list.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with a large 6.8-inch AMOLED display, a beefy 5,000mAh battery that can last you as long as two days, a customized Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy processor to keep things running efficiently, and the sacred Samsung S Pen — ideal for jotting down notes, graphics designing, or even signing PDFs.
I tested the Galaxy S23 Ultra earlier this year and called it “one of the most complete handsets you can buy this year — whether you like and need the excessive amount of features or not.”
Being the latest and greatest also means that the S23 Ultra comes equipped with Samsung’s newest advancements in camera technology, including a 200-megapixel main lens that’s capable of capturing the highest-resolution images we’ve seen on any Galaxy phone. There’s also 8K video recording at 30 frames per second if you’re into that.
All this is to say that the Galaxy S23 Ultra is our pick for the best Samsung phone overall.
Review: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S23 PlusBest Samsung phone for most peopleGalaxy S23 Plus on a table.Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus tech specs: Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy | Display: 6.6 inches | RAM/Storage: 8GB RAM with 256GB/512TB | Rear cameras: 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto| Battery: 4,700mAh
Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Plus is not as flashy as its Ultra sibling but remains a formidable pick-up for shoppers eyeing a meaningful upgrade. In fact, the core experience of the Ultra model is present on the Plus, including the OneUI software, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset, 256GB of base storage, and a flexible camera system.
In fact, I’d argue that the Plus-sized Galaxy S23, in some ways, is an even better phone to buy for some users. For example, it has a slightly smaller 6.6-inch display that makes it easier to manage with one hand, the panel is flat along the edges so it’s less susceptible to damage (and easier to repair), and the camera system doesn’t look like a tarantula staring back at you.
Alright, that last point might not be the best reason to buy the Plus model over the Ultra, but perhaps the $200 price difference is. At a starting price of $999 — less if you wait for the holiday shopping season right around the corner – – the S23 Plus is the best Samsung phone for those who can live without all the Galaxy bells and whistles. And according to ZDNET reviewer, Jason Cipriani, “as far as the S23 Plus is concerned, you’re getting your money’s worth.”Samsung Cell Phone batteriesZ Fold 5Best Samsung foldable phone
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 tech specs: Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Main display: 7.6 inches | Cover display: 6.2 inches | RAM/Storage: 12GB RAM with 256GB/512GB/1TB internal options | Cameras: 12MP ultrawide, 50MP wide angle, 10MP 3x telephoto, 10MP cover screen, 4MP under main display | Battery: 4,400mAh
The 2020 Galaxy Z Fold 2 set the bar for foldable devices that also serve as mini tablets. The Z Fold 3 improved on that phone with two of the most highly requested features from Fold users (S Pen support and IPX8 water resistance), while the Z Fold 4 improved the rear cameras and form factor of the phone.
And now, with the Z Fold 5, you’ll get an upgraded processor in the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which should improve the phone’s overall performance, from battery efficiency to camera capture. This year’s model is also notably thinner than the last, and thanks to the no-gap hinge mechanism, ZDNET’s Jason Hiner said in his review that “the Fold 5 feels like the way foldables always should have been.”
The Android 13 software found in the Z Fold 5 gives the phone battery some serious productivity upgrades, especially in terms of multi-app usage thanks to the improved Taskbar and wider support for gesture navigations that ease the transition from multiple active windows.
Like the Z Fold 4, the Fold 5’s cameras are not quite as good as the S23 Ultra’s suite, but the hardware is clearly superior to any foldable predecessor, and the competition. And it certainly helps that the Z Fold 5 is not as heavy and bulky as its predecessors.What is the newest Samsung phone?The newest Samsung phone is the Galaxy S23 battery FE, which features a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED display, and a triple camera system at the rear.