Compare the best Samsung Galaxy phones

Internal storage

The vast majority of Samsung's phones come with 128GB of storage on the base model, including many entry-level Galaxy A devices. Flagship phones, like the S21, can be equipped with up to 512GB of internal storage.

While in the past, Samsung users have had the luxury of seamlessly expanding their storage through a MicroSD card slot, that's not the case anymore. You won't find a slot to boost your storage on any of the three Galaxy S21 models, and it's unlikely to make a comeback on newer flagship models as they're released. Those investing in one of Samsung's A-series phones are in luck as those devices seem to be keeping the slot (for now).

Screen size

Samsung has a long-standing reputation for making huge phones, with its Note series first propelling "phablets" into mainstream acceptance about 10 years ago. The focus on big screens hasn't gone away. Instead, it has taken over. The Galaxy S21 is the smallest phone in the Korean giant's current line-up, and it has a 6.2-inch screen (almost a whole inch larger than the smallest iPhone). On the other end of the spectrum is the Galaxy Note20 Ultra, which boasts a 6.9-inch display.

Price

You can find a Samsung phone at almost any price point, thanks to the company's much more extensive product line than competitors like Apple and Google. You can expect to pay at least $1,000 for any new high-end Samsung phone, with the Galaxy S21 sitting on shelves with a starting price of $1,249. The most expensive device in the line-up is double the price of the S21, with the Z Fold2 5G reaching a staggering retail price of $2,499. The Galaxy A12 is Samsung's cheapest phone at the minute, which costs $299 at its retail price. In reality, you can often find Galaxy A series phones on decent discounts, chopping $50 or more off that retail price tag.

Ports

For a while, Samsung valiantly kept the beloved 3.5mm headphone jack on its flagship phones even after most major players ditched it. Unfortunately, Samsung has also now dropped the port from most of its line-up. You can still find the jack alongside a USB-C charging port on Galaxy A series devices, but you'll only find a USB-C port on every new Galaxy Note, Z or S phone.

Security options

Samsung has an entire software division dedicated to smartphone security, making it a very wise choice if you're concerned about the security of your personal data. Which isn't to say that you don't also get fingerprint sensors for simple locking. It's just that on many models, especially in the premium space, you also get access to Samsung Knox.

Knox is a pre-installed enterprise-grade security application that partitions off any data you secure with it into its own encrypted enclave. This also means that you can set up a Samsung phone with Knox installed for both work and personal usage with your critical work documents safe from prying eyes and your personal data easily accessible and shareable.

Camera quality

The camera is one of the most important parts of any modern smartphone, as people want to snap, record and share more content more often. Samsung's high-end phones have always been good shooters, and its latest flagships are among its most impressive yet. Across the devices, you'll find 8K video recording, AI video stabilisation and as many as four rear-facing cameras. There's also up to 100x zoom, allowing you to capture plenty of detail from a distance.

Samsung hasn't left out Galaxy A phones, giving many of them multi-camera set-ups as well. Unfortunately, those phones often have fewer camera capabilities resulting in lower-resolution videos and less impressive photos than you might find on Samsung's best camera phones.

Network speed and support

As carriers across the country switch on 5G networks, more people can take advantage of the super-fast speeds that come with it. Luckily for those wanting to buy a Samsung phone, you've got plenty of 5G options. The Galaxy Z Fold2 was the first Galaxy phone to come with 5G as standard, followed by the Galaxy S21 this year. But you've been able to get Samsung phones with 5G support since the Galaxy S10 5G launched in 2019.

Wireless charging and quick charging

Wireless charging technology isn't new for Samsung. It's been available on its phones since the Galaxy S6 launched way back in 2015. For the moment, you'll only find wireless charging on Samsung's flagship phones, like the Galaxy S21 and Note20, but rumours suggest that the company could be bringing the technology to its Galaxy A phones in the future.

Samsung's quick charging tops out at 25W on its latest phones, which is a far cry from the 100W+ that some of its competitors advertise. While that means Samsung doesn't offer the fastest quick charging on the market, it can be safer and easier on your phone's battery, especially with the use of Programmable Power Supply (PPS) technology.

Battery life

Many expect their phone to get them through a full day of use, and thanks to big batteries, there are plenty of Samsung phones that are up to the task. It's not uncommon to see batteries as large as 5000mAh in the company's phones, even on ones that cost as low as $499. Some of the more petite phones in Samsung's line-up have smaller batteries which might not last quite as long.

Water resistance

Most flagship phones on the market today come with some water resistance, but not all devices are made equal. Samsung's top of the line devices sport IP68 ratings, allowing them to remain submerged for up to 30 minutes at a maximum depth of 1.5 metres. Some of the company's Galaxy A devices also come with an IP rating, but it's usually the slightly lesser IP67 rating.

While knowing that your shiny new phone can withstand a bit of water can give you peace of mind, that doesn't mean you should constantly dunk the device underwater at every opportunity. These IP ratings are calculated in labs in specific conditions and don't necessarily reflect how the phone will react in saltwater at the beach or chlorinated pool water.

Performance

Samsung phones are no slouches. They consistently perform well in synthetic benchmarks, and their real-world performance in work, casual use and gaming is typically quite impressive. These speeds are thanks to the beefy processors on the devices, as well as plenty of RAM.

Most of Samsung's flagship phones found in Australia use Exynos chips rather than the Snapdragon processors found on some international models. The two most notable exceptions are the Galaxy Z folding phones and the 5G version of the Galaxy S20FE, which have Snapdragon chips at their core. Generally speaking, the Exynos chips perform slightly worse than their Snapdragon counterparts, but the average user won't really notice the difference in most scenarios.