
Different Samsung Telephones
{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu
If you happen to do not see a Samsung telephone talked about on this information, that could be as a result of it is not bought within the US and is a bit more durable to supply for testing. That features units just like the Galaxy A55 or all the Galaxy M sequence. However listed below are just a few different Samsung telephones to contemplate.
Samsung Galaxy A25 5G for $300: That is the one Samsung telephone within the lineup I have never examined. I did assessment an older mannequin from just a few years in the past, the A23 5G, and had a fairly poor expertise, however issues can change drastically yr over yr. On paper, the specs look strong, although do not anticipate snappy efficiency.
Samsung Galaxy A15 5G for $170: The Galaxy A15 was a little bit of a disappointment as a result of its predecessor was distinctive. Efficiency took successful on this newer mannequin, and I skilled lag and slowdowns. Not enjoyable. It does have NFC so you may make contactless funds, to not point out longer software program assist, however it’s onerous to be pleased about these perks when the telephone is annoying to make use of. Samsung has launched a successor, the Galaxy A16, and I will be reviewing it quickly.
If you happen to’re wanting to avoid wasting money, I feel it is fantastic to purchase Samsung’s Galaxy S23 vary or the Galaxy S23 FE from 2023, so long as the costs are a very good deal decrease than the unique MSRP. These telephones will nonetheless get assist for some time, they usually’re fairly nice. I do not suppose it is value shopping for something older.
Ought to You Put money into Samsung’s Ecosystem?
{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu
Samsung is likely one of the few smartphone producers that may match Apple in its {hardware} ecosystem. Not solely does the corporate make smartphones, however you may as well broaden your expertise by including on a Galaxy Watch7 smartwatch, Galaxy Buds3 Professional earbuds, Galaxy Ring health ring, Galaxy Tab S10+ pill, and even a Home windows-powered Galaxy laptop computer.
There are particular perks to this too, like how some options on the Galaxy Ring and Watch7 are solely obtainable when paired with a Samsung telephone, and its earbuds will routinely change between Samsung units based mostly on what you are utilizing. There’s not a lot in the way in which of unique options when utilizing a Galaxy telephone with a Galaxy laptop computer however perks like Fast Share allow you to speedily ship pictures and paperwork between your units.
Once more, it is not obligatory, and these different units may not be the suitable ones for you inside their respective classes, however in case you’re chasing {hardware} parity, you’ve that choice with Samsung.
What Is Galaxy AI?
With the Galaxy S24 sequence, Samsung launched “Galaxy AI,” a number of synthetic intelligence options, lots of that are powered by Google’s Gemini massive language fashions. These allow sensible options which may be useful each day, like real-time translations throughout telephone calls, real-time transcriptions in Samsung’s Voice Recorder app, the flexibility to summarize lengthy paragraphs of textual content within the Samsung Notes app, or change a sentence’s tone with the Samsung Keyboard. Within the Galaxy S25 sequence, Galaxy AI expanded to incorporate Gemini because the default voice assistant, and the flexibility for Gemini to work with a number of apps concurrently. It additionally debuted Drawing Help, which helps you to sketch or enter a immediate and get an AI-generated picture.
You’ll find many of those options by heading to Settings > Galaxy AI to toggle them on or off. The next telephones embrace or have been up to date to assist Galaxy AI, although not all options can be found on older fashions:
Galaxy S25, Galaxy S24, Galaxy S23, Galaxy S22, and Galaxy S21 seriesGalaxy S24 FE, Galaxy S23 FEGalaxy Z Fold6, Galaxy Fold5, Galaxy Fold4, Galaxy Fold3Galaxy Flip6, Galaxy Flip5, Galaxy Flip4, Galaxy Flip3
What Is Samsung DeX?
Courtesy of David Nield
Samsung’s DeX (quick for “desktop expertise”) launched in 2017 and it is a strategy to plug in your Samsung telephone to an exterior monitor and set off a desktop model of the Android OS, all fully powered by the telephone. You’ll find a listing of appropriate Samsung telephones right here, and you may want a monitor, mouse, and keyboard, plus a cable to attach the telephone to the monitor. (You can even forged DeX to pick screens wirelessly.)
When in DeX mode, you may resize Android apps, and have all of them open in separate home windows. It is a correct computing platform, although you in all probability will not wish to use this as a everlasting laptop computer substitute or something of the kind. It is nice in case you’re visiting one other workplace, or figuring out of a espresso store or airplane (you probably have a transportable show). Now we have an entire information to organising and utilizing DeX right here.
How I Take a look at Telephones
I have been reviewing smartphones for practically a decade, however one in every of my earliest sensible units was a Samsung Galaxy Captivate, which I obtained for “free” from my provider on the time. After working throughout school, I had lastly saved sufficient money for a Galaxy S3, my first flagship. I’ve spent years utilizing Samsung telephones in my private life and commenced reviewing them for work not too lengthy after.
With every Samsung smartphone, I at all times put my private SIM card inside and spend so long as I can (just a few weeks) utilizing the telephone as my very own. I do digital camera testing and examine the outcomes with equally priced units, I benchmark efficiency and play graphically demanding video games to see how they fare, I check out all the brand new options, and even take calls to ensure that ol’ perform nonetheless works fantastic.