Galaxy A53, S22+, Z Flip 3 & Co.: Which Samsung smartphone is the best? Samsung smartphones are very popular. But which of the almost 20 current models is the best for you? 8:30 p.m. tech stage

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Brian Adam
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galaxy a53 s22 z flip 3 co which samsung.jpeg
galaxy a53 s22 z flip 3 co which samsung.jpeg

Samsung used to offer a fairly manageable portfolio of smartphones. After the South Korean company even had to give up its market leadership to Huawei for a short time, Samsung expanded its range of smartphones. In fact, 18 smartphone models are listed for sale on the manufacturer’s homepage at the time of the article and significantly more are listed. In addition to the current models, this even includes predecessors and pre-predecessors of the 2022 devices.

Samsung smartphones are marketed under the Galaxy brand. This standardization increases the recognition value – in case of doubt, the user simply has “a Galaxy”. With its smartphones, Samsung also differentiates between different series, which are made up of a letter and usually a two-digit number. These series are currently staggered in increments of ten, and the higher the number, the better the smartphone’s features. The manufacturer marks gradations up or down by adding name extensions such as Lite, Ultra, Plus or another lowercase letter such as “e” or “s”.

Samsung is best known for the S series, which has been the constant in the line-up for several years: S stands for the top, i.e. the flagship smartphones. The A series, which now includes an unmanageably large number of smartphones, has taken a particularly important place in terms of company sales. The M series, which includes smartphones with a long battery life, also includes a surprising number of models. The Galaxy Xcover devices, which meet all the requirements for an outdoor smartphone, have a small special position. A fairly new series has been set up for smartphones with a foldable display: the Z series.

With the Galaxy Alpha released in September 2014, Samsung laid the foundation for the Galaxy A series. The smartphone, which was launched as a direct iPhone competitor, passed as a premium model, but that was more due to the metal housing instead of the equipment, which is just below the S-Class. However, the hardware was “good enough” – a feature that Samsung retained for the A series, which was always relaunched in two to three models at the beginning of 2015. In terms of design and equipment, the devices of the first three generations were based on the top model of the previous year, but their prices were significantly lower and were therefore particularly attractive for many customers. This pattern is now used by the FE models.

Samsung has been pursuing a different strategy since 2018. The Galaxy A series now includes most of the manufacturer’s entry-level models previously listed under the Galaxy J, as well as mid-range smartphones that should find their buyers with selected high-end features. This is how the 2019 released Galaxy A80 wears (test report)the first Samsung smartphone to have an extendable flip camera, the Galaxy A90 has a 5G module that is still unusual in the mid-range range. In fact, the Koreans have expanded the series, which was once limited to two to three models a year, to eight smartphones available in this country alone in 2019. It went up in steps of ten from the weakest series representative, the Galaxy A10, to the Galaxy A90 as the strongest device – only the Galaxy A60 was not sold in Germany. The A series also covers a very large price range, from 100 euros to 750 euros there is something for almost everyone. At the time of the article, Samsung is using an Ax3 nomenclature, for example A53. Every year the last digit increases by 1, so next year there will probably be an A54.

Samsung is now selling more smartphones from the Galaxy A series than from the premium segment. The Galaxy A10, which was sold over 30 million times, turned out to be the blockbuster in 2019 according to current Omdia statistics. The Galaxy A50 sold 24 million units and the Galaxy A20 23 million units. The distribution will be similar in 2022 as well. In the first quarter of 2022, the best-selling smartphone worldwide was the Samsung Galaxy A52s, and the Samsung Galaxy A32 also sold extremely well.

The following A-series smartphones are currently available on the Samsung website:

The cheapest smartphone in Samsung’s current portfolio is the Galaxy A13. Despite the price of just over 150 euros, the model already has Android 12, has a 6.6-inch LCD with Full HD resolution, comes with a 50-megapixel camera plus wide-angle and provides modern connection standards such as USB-C , Wifi-5, Bluetooth 5.0 and NFC available. There is also a fingerprint sensor, but there is no 5G. Samsung uses its own Exynos 850 chipset, in the smallest version it is flanked by 4/64 GB of memory. Like all models in the A series, the internal memory can be expanded using a micro SD card. The battery is pleasantly strong with 5000 mAh, it also charges sufficiently quickly with 25 watts.

According to the name, the A22 is still from 2021, but it can still be bought on the Samsung website – the successor A23, however, is not. Do delivery bottlenecks also play a role here? However, the model is not yet outdated. The IPS-LCD offers a refresh rate of 90 Hz, the camera is adequately set up with 48 and 5 megapixels (main and wide-angle lens) and the rest of the technology is largely the same as in the A13. However, the chipset is faster, there is a Dimensity 700 inside, which is also accompanied by 4/64 GB in the smallest memory variant. Advantage: 5G is on board.

The current A33 is already based on OLED and 90 Hz, with the camera only the wide angle increases from 5 to 8 megapixels. Inside is an Exynos 1280, which is combined with at least 6/128 GB of memory. In addition to Android 12, the device also features an IP67 certification.

The Samsung Galaxy A52 (test report) has long had the A53 as its successor, but Samsung continues to sell the model. The device already has OLED and 90 Hz, the main and wide-angle cameras are growing with 64 and 12 megapixels and a new optical image stabilizer (OIS). The manufacturer uses Qualcomm as the chipset for the A52 and installs a Snapdragon 720G, which is supported by 6/128 GB. The battery is a bit smaller at 4500 mAh, but still charges with 25 watts. Other highlights include IP67 certification and stereo speakers.

Half a year after the original A52, Samsung switched to the A52s. The reason was, among other things, the delivery bottleneck caused by Corona, so that Samsung switched to the Snapdragon 778G with 5G radio instead of the Snapdragon 720G. Everything else stayed the same.

The current A53 5G relies on OLED with 120 Hz, remains true to the camera of the predecessor and comes with the same chipset as the A33: Exynos 1280. Accordingly, 5G is back on board, the rest is very similar to the A52(s).

In 2019, Samsung introduced the Galaxy M series, initially only in emerging markets and later also in Europe. It mainly serves beginners, in terms of the range of features and also the price there are overlaps with Samsung’s Galaxy A smartphones, which are located further below. The Galaxy M30s with the Exynos 9611 had the same chipset as the Galaxy A51, as well as 4 GB of RAM and an AMOLED display with Full HD resolution.

The models that have been released in Germany so far are characterized above all by their powerful batteries, with values ​​of around 5000 and 6000 mAh they offer a long service life. On the other hand, there are compromises in terms of the quality of the housing and the technical equipment, for example the camera and memory size. Incidentally, the M in the series designation stands for “magical”, a bit contrary to this orientation.

After all, the M23 5G offers a display with 120 Hz, and Samsung is again using the tried-and-tested combination of 50 and 8 megapixels for the camera. A Snapdragon 750G provides propulsion, it is supported by 4/128 GB.

The M33 and A33 also have major overlaps again, after all the display is different: the M33 has 120 instead of 90 Hz. The camera comes with a slightly lower resolution for the wide angle, the chipset is the same again: Exynos 1280. This also applies to memory and battery, the water resistance is missing.

With the M52 5G, the manufacturer uses OLED technology with 120 Hz, the camera is based heavily on the A series – but without OIS – and there are also similarities in the chipset and memory. The IP certification is also missing here.

This also applies to the M53 5G, otherwise the technology is impressive – just like the A53. This includes the OLED display with 120 Hz, the main camera even offers 108 megapixels plus wide angle. Samsung relies on a powerful Dimensity 900 with at least 6/128 GB as the chipset for the M53, but this M model is not waterproof either.

As one of the few major smartphone manufacturers, Samsung also offers robust outdoor smartphones. The Galaxy Xcover series has a long tradition, the release of the first representative dates back to 2011. The long time window between releases, which is untypical in the industry, is probably also due to the small but loyal target group: a new Xcover smartphone is sometimes a full two years in coming.

Because of their reinforced housing and the enlarged push buttons designed for operation with gloves, the devices are always a bit bulky compared to conventional smartphones. There are now models without mechanical snaps. The current device is this:

It offers Android 12, an LCD with 120 Hz and particularly resistant Gorilla Glass Victus and a main camera with 50 megapixels plus wide angle. A Snapdragon 778G with 6/128 GB of expandable memory serves as the drive, the battery surprisingly only offers 4050 mAh. As an outdoor smartphone, it is protected against dust and water according to IP68, and it also meets the MIL-STD-810H.

The S series is Samsung’s flagship. For its top class, the manufacturer throws everything into the balance once a year, puts in the latest high-end hardware and every imaginable feature. Where the first model released in 2010 was still dismissed as an iPhone clone, the Galaxy S series after its emancipation now stands for much more than just the mere counterweight to the Apple smartphone. For many tech fans, it’s the best Android smartphone money can buy.

And the Samsung flagships were bought massively, at least in the first few years. With 80 million units sold, the Galaxy S4 is not only the manufacturer’s most successful smartphone to date, but also the best-selling device with Android. Samsung’s influence on the spread of the Google operating system should therefore not be underestimated.

Like many other manufacturers, Samsung also offers its top model in several variants, in the current year there are the versions S22 (test report) , S22+ (test report) and S22 Ultra (test report) . Each of these smartphones is – at least in Europe – powered by the Exynos 2200, but there are differences in memory equipment, display and battery size and camera configuration – including the price, of course.

Above all, the S22 is one thing: the smallest model in the series. It offers a 6.1-inch OLED screen with 120 Hz and, at 146 x 71 x 7.6 millimeters and 167 grams, is really handy for a modern flagship smartphone. It shares the cameras (50 megapixels with OIS, 12 megapixels wide-angle and 10 megapixels telephoto with OIS) with the Plus model, the same applies to the chipset and the smallest memory equipment. The battery is the smallest at 3700 mAh and can only be charged with a meager 25 watts, the smartphone is waterproof according to IP68.

The Plus model comes to the customer with a larger display (6.6 inches) and a larger battery. Here it delivers 4500 mAh and can be charged with 45 watts. Of course, this also makes the model bigger and heavier.

With the Ultra model, Samsung simply adds a portion to it almost everywhere. The OLED screen measures 6.8 inches, the main camera offers 108 megapixels and there is a second telephoto camera, the front camera has a generous 40 megapixels, the battery is 5000 mAh strong and the model is the only one that has an integrated stylus correspondingly adapted software. The S22 Ultra thus continues the Note story after the Note series is no longer continued independently.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (test report) has long been the price-performance winner among Samsung smartphones. Rightly so, because the smartphone offers a 6.5-inch OLED display with 120 Hz, a good triple cam with main, wide-angle and telephoto lens and plenty of power thanks to Snapdragon 865. The smallest expansion stage comes with 6/128 GB of memory to use, which may be expanded. The battery is 4500 mAh plus wireless charging and there is an IP68 certification on top.

The screen of the S21 FE (test report) has even become slightly smaller, but Samsung continues to rely on OLED and 120 Hz. The camera was adopted, and at first glance it looks the same with the rest of the equipment. In detail, however, there are a few differences, such as USB 3.2 instead of 3.1. With the Snapdragon 888, there is the more up-to-date chipset, the smallest memory variant again includes 6/128 GB – with the difference that the internal memory can no longer be expanded. The rest is the same.

Samsung’s latest device series is called the Galaxy Z. It combines all of the manufacturer’s smartphones with a foldable display. Samsung is pursuing two different approaches with Flip and Fold: while the Galaxy Z Flip can be opened out into a smartphone in the classic elongated format, the Galaxy Fold expands into a 4:3 display area that is common for tablets.

The Z Flip 3 5G (test report) is cheaper than the Fold and it also sells better. The device is opened like a conventional clamshell phone à la the legendary Motorola Razr and reveals a 6.7-inch Full HD display with OLED technology and 20 Hz in a 21.9:9 aspect ratio. On the outside, the Galaxy Z Flip has a miniature display that can show the time and notifications, but also the camera viewfinder. Samsung does not use a telephoto lens for the camera, but otherwise packs cutting-edge technology into the device. This includes the Snapdragon 888, for example. The battery is a bit tight at 3300 mAh, but the smartphone is also waterproof.

When opened, the OLED screen of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G (test report) measures a whopping 7.6 inches and is therefore as large as a tablet. There is also a 6.2-inch external display, a triple cam with a telephoto lens and otherwise the same high-end technology as the Flip. The battery is a bit stronger at 4400 mAh, but still not a runtime miracle. A huge display has its price – not just financially: 271 grams is a lot for a modern smartphone.

Actually, it’s not that difficult to understand Samsung’s portfolio of smartphones. The S series and the Z series are clearly to be assigned, and the Xcover models are also logically and understandably part of the overall range. It is difficult, however, with M and A class. The clear division according to material and battery power has become a spider’s web of almost completely similar models – even the manufacturer probably can’t see through that anymore – how else could this happen?

We took a similar look at Xiaomi’s portfolio: Xiaomi Redmi or Poco. Which Xiaomi smartphone is the best? If you are generally looking for a good smartphone, regardless of the manufacturer, you should take a look at our leaderboards up to 100 euros , up to 150 euros , up to 200 euros , up to 300 euros , up to 400 euros and up to 500 euros .

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