Best Galaxy smartphones: From deluxe to budget

✨ Quick takeaways on the best Galaxy smartphones

For the best premium everyday smartphone, look no further than the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It can handle virtually anything you throw at it, from high-intensity work tasks to gaming. The Galaxy S25 SE is a more affordable version, with a vivid display and plenty of AI tools. For those on a budget, the Galaxy A17 punches well above its price class. It has a solid feel, stylish design, and a good few features normally only found in more expensive phones. Photographers can revel in the features and high-definition camera of the Galaxy S26 Ultra. It too has powerful AI integration. If you prefer a foldable smartphone, there's nothing to topple the Galaxy Z Fold7. It's unbelievably slim, while still packing class-leading performance, features, and design.

Why you can trust our recommendations

Back Market works with verified third-party refurbishers, who are experts in every aspect of smartphone design and technology. They provide invaluable insights on everything from performance benchmarks to the smallest stylistic details. Our reviewers combine this with their own many years of experience in creating guides like these. We don't play favourites, and all our information is completely transparent. Our goal is always to provide you with the best recommendations when you're looking for a new device. 

🏆What is the best premium everyday smartphone? Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

✨The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is one of the best Galaxy smartphones recently released. It’s fast, reliable and can handle demanding apps.

Galaxy S25 Ultra pros and cons

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: features and benefits

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is designed for people who want to the utmost performance to get the most out of a smartphone. Its most exciting new features focus on AI assistance, overclocked processing speed and improved camera quality. It's a do-all phone sporting a large screen without feeling bulky, due to the comfortable bevelled edges. It's a little lighter than the previous model and is also the thinnest Ultra phone that Samsung has released. Corning Gorilla Armor 2 protects the screen, making it extremely scratch-resistant. The AI has been upgraded from Google Assistant to a full Gemini AI suite that includes the popular Circle to Search capability. It also has a new 200MP AI-powered Next Gen ProVisual Engine camera. This is a phone that can handle virtually anything, from work multi-tasking to streaming and gaming.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra specifications

• Screen size: 6.9 in

• Display: QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X

• Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite

• Screen resolution: 1440 x 3120 pixels

• Casing: Glass front and back (Corning Gorilla Armor 2, Gorilla Glass Victus 2), titanium frame

• Dimensions: 6.41 x 3.06 x 0.32 in

• Weight: 218 grams

• Operating system: Android 15

• Memory: 12 GB / 16 GB

• Storage: 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB

• Battery life: 14h 45 min (real-world active use test)

• Main camera: 200MP Quad

• Selfie camera: 12MP

• Sound: Stereo speakers

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.1, 5G, Bluetooth 5.4

• AI: Gemini-Bixby hybrid AI agent

• Durability: IP68 dust- and water-resistant

• Colours: Titanium Black / Titanium Silverblue / Titanium Grey / Titanium Whitesilver / Titanium Jetblack / Titanium Jadegreen / Titanium Pinkgold

🏆 Best mid-range performer: Samsung Galaxy S25 FE

✨ The Galaxy S25 FE is one of the best Galaxy smartphones you can buy, offering premium features in a mid-range device.  

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE pros and cons

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: features and benefits

The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE is virtually a more affordable version of the S25+, making it a top performer for a mid-range smartphone. It has robust build quality with a lightweight frame that's comfortable in the hand. The screen is sharp and easy to read and vividly displays rich colours. Strong everyday performance is one of its standout features. YouTube videos run smoothly, browsing is a breeze, and photos are crisp. The speakers are surprisingly full-bodied, so you won't often have to use earphones. Productivity is enhanced by seamless multitasking abilities, and the Galaxy S25 FE also supports casual gaming. It will run out of puff if you play more demanding games, though. On the AI side, it has the same tools as the top-range S25 models, such as the hugely popular Circle to Search. Add a more than capable camera and you have a smartphone that offers a desirable balance of performance, features, and mid-range affordability.

Samsung S25 FE specifications

• Screen size: 6.7 in

• Display: FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED

• Processor: Exynos 2400

• Screen resolution: 1080 x 2340 pixels

• Casing: Glass front and back (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminium frame

• Dimensions: 6.35 x 3.02 x 0.29 in

• Weight: 190 grams

• Operating system: Android 16

• Memory: 8 GB

• Storage: 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB

• Battery life: 12h (real-world active use test)

• Main camera: 50MP Triple

• Selfie camera: 12MP

• Sound: Stereo speakers

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.1, 5G, Bluetooth 5.4

• AI: Gemini-Bixby hybrid AI agent

• Durability: IP68 dust- and water-resistant

• Colours: Navy / Icyblue / Jetblack / White 

🏆 What is the best budget Galaxy? Samsung Galaxy A17

✨ If you’re looking for the best Galaxy smartphones for low budgets, the Galaxy A17 has all the basic you need, plus plenty of extra features.

Samsung Galaxy A17 pros and cons

Samsung Galaxy A17: features and benefits

For a budget smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy A17 doesn't skimp on design quality. Yes, it only has a plastic frame, but in all other respects it looks and feels like one of the premium Galaxy models in the S range. It's notable for a bright screen with vivid colour rendering that greatly improves outdoor use. It has a decent 90 Hz screen refresh rate for watching videos. This helps with gaming too, although it doesn't have the processing power to support demanding games. The main camera is fairly high-end, and there's decent internal storage, with a Micro-SD slot so you can add an extra 2 TB or more. It might not have top credentials, but it's still a highly capable, basic, low-budget phone than can outperform many competitors in its niche.

Samsung Galaxy A17 specifications

• Screen size: 6.7 in

• Display: Super AMOLED

• Processor: Exynos 1330 Octa-core

• Screen resolution: 1080 x 2340 pixels

• Casing: Gorilla Glass Victus front, fibre-reinforced plastic back, plastic frame

• Dimensions: 6.47 x 3.07 x 0.30 in

• Weight: 192 grams

• Operating system: Android 15

• Memory: 4 GB / 8 GB

• Storage: 128 GB / 256 GB

• Battery life: 12h (real-world active use test)

• Main camera: 50MP

• Selfie camera: 13MP

• Sound: Mono speaker

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 5, 5G, Bluetooth 5.3

• AI: Google Gemini, Gemini Live

• Durability: IP54 rated

• Colours: Black / Blue / Grey 

🏆 What are the best Galaxy smartphones for photography? The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra wins

✨ When it comes to camera suites the Galaxy 26 Ultra is in a class of its own, with a very high-res camera and a whole lot of AI enhancement tools.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra pros and cons

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: features and benefits

While the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra doesn't offer much more than the S25 Ultra in terms of hardware, on the inside it's a whole new world. The chip is blisteringly fast, for a start. The AI tools are powerful and well-integrated with the rest of the phone's software and functionality. These are a combination of Gemini, Samsung's Bixby, and Perplexity AI. They offer some extremely useful features. We really like the Call Screening feature that uses an AI voice to answer unknown numbers to find out who is calling and why. Photographers will love the Photo Assist editing and the Creative Studio. The Privacy Display is another very welcome new tool. When you switch it on, you can still see the screen as usual, but from any other angle it blurs and then turns black. Finally, there's the superb 200MP camera that makes faces brighter and details sharper. The horizontal video lock is also a huge help, stabilising the recording so you don't have to constantly hold it steady yourself.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra specifications

• Screen size: 6.9 in

• Display: QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X

• Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

• Screen resolution: 1440 x 3120 pixels

• Casing: Glass front and back (Corning Gorilla Armor 2, Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminium frame

• Dimensions: 6.44 x 3.07 x 0.31 in

• Weight: 214 grams

• Operating system: Android 16

• Memory: 12 GB / 16 GB

• Storage: 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB

• Battery life: 16h 30min (real-world active use test)

• Main camera: 200MP multi-directional

• Selfie camera: 12MP

• Sound: Stereo speakers

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11, 5G, Bluetooth 6

• AI: Bixby (Galaxy AI 3rd generation), Gemini Live, Perplexity

• Durability: IP68 dust- and water-resistant

• Colours: Cobalt Violet / Sky Blue / Black / White / Pink Gold / Silver Shadow

🏆 What is the best foldable? Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7

✨ The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is a remarkable foldable. Its ultra-slim profile and powerful performance elevate it to the list of the best Galaxy smartphones currently available.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 pros and cons

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: features and benefits

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 manages to outdo all other foldable smartphones when it comes to a wonderfully slim profile. Unfolded, it's even sleeker than some premium standard smartphones. A lot of attention has been paid to creating as smooth a screen as possible when it's open, too. The fold seam is barely visible, and you can split the screen into two windows. This capability is supported by a fast processor for seamless multitasking. The software is integrated with Gemini AI, with all kinds of useful functions, like the convenience of creating AI content in one window and dragging it into another app in the other window. The main camera is also unexpectedly high-end for a foldable. It carries the full arsenal of AI tools like the latest S models above. The Galaxy Z Fold7 is a revelation in the foldable smartphone segment. 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 specifications

• Screen size: 6.5 inch closed, 8 inch unfolded

• Display: QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite

• Screen resolution: 1968 x 2184 pixels

• Casing: Glass front and back (Gorilla Glass Victus Ceramic 2, Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminium frame

• Dimensions (folded): 6.24 × 2.87 × 0.35

• Dimensions (unfolded): 6.24 × 5.64 × 0.17 in

• Weight: 215 grams

• Operating system: Android 16

• Memory: 12 GB / 16 GB

• Storage: 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB

• Battery life: 11h 45min (real-world active use test)

• Main camera: 200MP multi-directional

• Selfie camera: 10MP

• Sound: Stereo speakers

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11, 5G, Bluetooth 5.4

• AI: Galaxy AI

• Durability: IP48 dust- and water-resistant

• Colours: Blue Shadow / Jetblack / Silver Shadow / Mint 

Comparing our best Galaxy smartphones

*Prices listed from March 2026 and subject to change.

How can you save on the best Galaxy smartphones?

The best tip we can give you is to buy a refurbished Galaxy smartphone from Back Market. Why believe us? You'll be paying a good deal less for a phone that's been fully restored, compared to a brand new one. It makes so much sense to get the same designs, features, and capabilities without paying the full retail price. You can complete trust our third-party refurbishers, who deep clean and thoroughly restore every device. This includes replacing broken or damaged internal components. Only after exhaustive testing to confirm that it performs up to its original new benchmarks do we offer it for sale, at a significant discount.

We're so confident of the quality you'll get that we give you a 1-year warranty on any smartphone you buy from us. We also support you with an optional Back Market protection plan that provides free repairs.

  ✨ Save money no matter which Galaxy smartphone you choose

Get some extra dosh for your old smartphone

If you're replacing your current smartphone, take advantage of our trade-in programme and get paid for it, rather than consigning it to a bottom drawer. It doesn't take any effort. Fill a short form to give us the details, and one of our refurbishers will make you an immediate offer. If you like what you see, ship it to us for free and you'll be paid withing five working days. There couldn't be a more convenient way to earn some spare cash for your old devices.

How did we rank the best Galaxy smartphones?

In choosing these particular Galaxy models, we used several factors to guide our recommendations:

• Price and affordability – These are primary considerations for everyone.

• Performance criteria – We evaluated a wide range of performance elements, such as speed, power, battery life, and screen quality.

• Main features – We considered everything from multitasking and gaming ability to office productivity, videos, streaming, and photography.

• Popularity and market feedback – We looked at the most popular Galaxy smartphones based on sales figures and customer reviews.

• Independent experts – We supplemented our own experience and knowledge by researching expert opinions and real-world test results.