Which Samsung Galaxy mobile phone S series is best?

Needless to say, the Galaxy S series is Samsung's most popular phone range. Debuting in 2010 with the Galaxy S, it has gone from strength to strength, producing some of the best technology. 

With countless models in the Samsung S series (the majority have since been discontinued), which one is the best Samsung Galaxy from the S Series? 

Keep reading for the best Samsung smartphones and to find out which Samsung phone has best camera and what is the best Samsung phone at the moment


In this blog: 


Samsung Galaxy phone

Early Samsung S Series

Samsung Galaxy S

Those who were Samsung smartphone fans from day one may remember way back to the Galaxy S and let's face it, Samsung had to start somewhere. 

The Samsung S was as good as it got. It had the necessary core specs but it wasn't anywhere near a showstopper like newer models today. It had a 4-inch screen, and a single-core chipset and the design wasn't anything incredible, but it did the job. 

Samsung Galaxy S2

The Galaxy S2 was a slight improvement from the Galaxy S and apparently, it was one of the best Android phones around in 2011. The key features of this model are a 4.3-inch OLED screen, 1650 mAh battery, 2MP front camera, 8MP main camera and 1080p video recording.

Samsung Galaxy S3

As the Samsung S Series grew, so did the improvements. The Samsung Galaxy S3 was released in 2012 and there was a clear design shift compared to its predecessors.

It was slim and lightweight but with a plastic-like design. It was also the first model in the Samsung Galaxy S Series to have an HD screen, sporting a 4.8-inch display, as well as a bigger 2,100 mAh battery and a slightly better camera. 

Samsung Galaxy S4

The Galaxy S4 was an impressive Android smartphone. The processor was super fast, the OLED screen was upgraded to 5-inches and on top of that, you could take 13MP photos. It even had a Floating Touch feature (before the days of facial recognition) so the phone can be controlled without touching the display. 

Samsung Galaxy S5

Released in 2014, Samsung threw everything they could at the Samsung Galaxy S5 and to some, it was the best Samsung Galaxy they had seen so far. It was one of the first Samsung phones with 4K recording and water resistance. It had plenty of new features to boast about, including a heartbeat sensor, a 16MP main camera and new colour options. 

Samsung Galaxy S6

The Samsung S6 had a redesign, opting for glass rather than plastic. It had a 5.1-inch Quad HD display, fingerprint reader, 5MP front camera and an improved 16-inch main camera. The Samsung Galaxy S6 even supported wireless charging which was very impressive for 2015. 

A defining moment for the Samsung S range was the introduction of the S6 Edge and S6 Edge Plus. These models had curved edges and had pretty similar specs to the original Galaxy S6, just with a more premium-looking design. 

Samsung Galaxy S7

Classed as one of the best Samsung smartphones, the S7 packed a punch. Everything that was 'wrong' with the Galaxy S6 was cleared up with the release of the Galaxy S7 in 2016. It had a 5.1-inch Quad HD display, a 12MP main camera with low light features, wireless charging, a water-resistant design, and MicroSD expansion. What's not to love about the S7? 

Then there was the S7 Edge flagship model. It had a 5.5-inch dual-edge QHD display and the rest of the specs are the same as the S7. Again, a more premium choice than the standard Galaxy S7. 


Samsung Galaxy S8

Best cheap Android phones UK

Samsung Galaxy S8

By the time the Samsung Galaxy S8 came around, we had seen significant improvements to the Galaxy S Series… but it got better once again. The one feature that stands out the most is the curved Infinity Display. This model is also 5.8 inches, has a 3D Touch home button, improved photo quality and an improved 3,000 mAh battery. 

There's also a Galaxy S8 Plus model which has a slightly larger screen and better battery.

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Samsung Galaxy S9

One of the best Galaxy S Series models for those on a budget has got to be the Samsung Galaxy S9. Released in 2018, it got an upgraded camera, fingerprint scanner, 5.8-inch OLED screen, it's water resistant and runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip. This model also offers an AR emoji, which allows you to create a 3D avatar by scanning your face. 

Samsung also released the Galaxy S9 Plus which is essentially the S9 but with a bigger screen and dual main camera. 

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Samsung Galaxy S10  

The Galaxy S10 was released in 2019 alongside the S10 Plus, S10e and 5G version. It was the first range in the Samsung Galaxy S Series to have multiple cameras on all devices and the last series to have a headphone jack. 

It has wireless charging, an Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, a triple camera system and more features that made it a competitive model at the time. 

Treat yourself to a refurbished Galaxy S10 or a refurbished Galaxy S10 Plus for even less! 

Samsung Galaxy S20

Released in 2020, the Galaxy S20 brought a whole load of upgrades and stunning features, setting the scene for newer models in the Samsung phone S Series

Samsung got rid of the headphone jack and took the Infinity Display further by nearly ditching the bezel altogether, as well as moving the punch-hole camera to the centre. The S20 and S20 Plus have a 6.2-inch Quad HD display, whereas the S20 Ultra has a 6.7-inch Quad HD display.

A lot of improvements had been made to the camera, including a triple-lens camera, hybrid zoom and a periscope zoom for the S20 Ultra model. 

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Samsung top phones

Samsung Galaxy S21

Surprising to many, the S21 range was priced lower than the previous Galaxy S20. Samsung reverted to a plastic back and flat display, but the devices still had 120Hz refresh rates. 

Due to the scaling back on features, the star of the show has to be the S21 Ultra which is one of the best Samsung Galaxy models. It has a Dynamic 6.8-inch AMOLED display, S-Pen support, is 5G ready, has a 108MP wide sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide camera.

All three models in the Galaxy S21 range have no charger in the box, don't support ultra-fast charging or have microSD expansion.

Samsung Galaxy S22

The S22, S22 Plus and S22 Ultra models are some of the latest Samsung S Series devices, with the standard S22 Galaxy still being sold by Samsung.

The S22 has a 6.1-inch display, the S22 Plus has a 6.6-inch display and the S22 Ultra has a 6.8-inch display.

All three models are pretty similar, with the same design, power and hardware. The S22 Ultra had a few upgrades, including a huge 5,000 mAh battery, an integrated S-Pen slot and a 50Mp main camera.

Overall, there weren't any massive improvements from the S21 models, especially from the standard S22 and S22 Plus. 

Samsung Galaxy S23

If you're wondering, which Samsung phone has best camera? Let us introduce you to the Galaxy 23 models (especially the S23 Ultra) which are without a doubt the best Samsung Galaxy smartphones to date. 

Both the S23 and S23 Plus have improved battery capacity and this range has been given global Snapdragon power, so the processor applies to all regions. 

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the best Samsung camera phone, with incredible specs: 

200MP main camera

12MP front camera

12MP Ultra Wide 

10MP 3x zoom

10MP 10x periscope zoom 

The Galaxy S23 Ultra also has a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED display, runs on the Snapdragon Gen 2 processor and has a 5,000 mAh battery.


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