Top 5: The best Samsung phones of 2021

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Image: CNET

As subordinate of Samsung's Galaxy lineup (along with the Galaxy S21 and the Galaxy S21+), the Ultra is the king of the lot. They are each top-ranked devices, but if you privation the champion of everything that Galaxy has to connection — and if terms isn't a interest — the Ultra is it. Its artillery capableness is simply a monster (5,000mAh), its show is astonishing astatine 6.8 inches, it provides a quadruple-camera module and its camera's zoom feature, Space Zoom, clocks successful astatine 100X. Its retention is besides monolithic astatine 512GB and tin beryllium purchased with either 12GB 16GB of RAM. Another bonus is it supports Samsung's S Pen stylus (neither the S21 and the 21+ connection this feature). The S21 Ultra, simply put, deserves to beryllium deemed Samsung's champion telephone ever, though the S21 and 21+ are still more than worthwhile buys.    

$599 astatine Samsung

Galaxy Z Fold 3

Image: CNET

This 1 tin autumn into the wants versus needs category, but if you're successful the foldable telephone market, this is the one. A foldable phone, which fundamentally has 2 screens that tin beryllium opened up to grow it to a tablet, is possibly perfect for those who usage their phones much for watching YouTube than checking email. The show is gorgeous, utilizing a 7.6-inch panel. The artillery is simply a 4,400mAh cell; it's water-resistant and durable, acknowledgment to the usage of Gorilla Glass Victus; and it supports S Pen. One connection of caution: When folded up, it's beauteous bulky, truthful it's not perfect for slim-phone enthusiasts. 

$599 astatine Samsung

Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

Image: CNET

Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

Though released successful 2020, this is inactive a coagulated bargain (Samsung, moreover, decided not to merchandise a 2021 mentation of the Note). It offers an astonishing 6.9-inch, 120Hz display; you tin watercourse the Xbox with it and it comes with an S Pen. The camera is excellent,  boasting 50x zoom and top-notch autofocus. Aesthetically, the assemblage of the telephone is stylish, and its video-recording capableness is sound: It tin grounds 8K video with a 21:9 facet ratio astatine 24 frames per second. Finally, it allows Microsoft Windows integration, which allows you to entree your Windows 10 apps connected your phone. All around, this is simply a rock-solid device.  

$1,200 astatine Best Buy

Samsung A52

Image: Samsung

For those connected a budget, this telephone is the champion bang for your buck. The camera doesn't disappoint, boasts coagulated artillery beingness and has a 120Hz refresh-rate display. It besides incorporates a fingerprint sensor and is semi-water resistant: The telephone tin beryllium plunged into h2o for astir 30 minutes. To boot, it has a slick plan and packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G spot with 6GB of RAM.

$500 astatine T-Mobile

Samsung Galaxy S21

Image: CNET

Among the company's mid-range devices, the S21 is simply a coagulated buy. It has afloat HD resolution, It has a 6.2-inch surface (with what it calls Dynamic AMOLED 2X,), and the longevity doesn't lag (with its 4,000 mAh battery) and provides Snapdragon 888 chip, on with 8GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage. In hand, it feels large and strikes you that it's good made and durable. And too black, it besides comes successful different colors specified arsenic gray, pinkish and white. There are immoderate downsides, though: It does not person a MicroSD slot, and the partition charger doesn't come successful the device's box. But if those things aren't a dealbreaker, this is simply a no-brainer bargain (and the S21 besides comes successful pricier: the S21+ and the S21 Ultra).  

$250 astatine Samsung