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Naming the best Samsung phone in Australia is no easy task. For the past 10 years, Samsung has been at the forefront of the smartphone market.
In that time, the Korean company has introduced revolutionary technical innovations like the folding screens on the Flip and Fold family of phones.
It has also seen its fair share of challenges. The global recall of its Note 7 smartphone in 2016 was a huge setback.
But for all of the ups and downs, Samsung continues to be a leader in the smartphone market in Australia.
According to analyst firm Gartner, in 2022 Samsung was the second most popular smartphone manufacturer in Australia, with a market share of 36.5%.
In other words, more than one in three phones sold in the first three months of 2022 were Samsung phones.
Of course, your needs may vary. If you are open to buying a phone that isn’t made by Samsung, consider our guide for the best phones in Australia. We also recommend the best Android phones, and the best camera phones.
And if you’re on a budget, we also have a roundup of the best cheap phones in Australia. Make sure you check you have the best mobile plans for your needs as well.
These are the best Samsung phones in Australia right now:
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 256GB Titanium(Black/Grey/Violet/Yellow) (Unlocked) AU Hall of Fame
Recommended by 8/10 review sites
Samsung’s 2024 flagship smartphone is still so fresh some of our reference pages haven’t updated to include it. But given the score we gave it in our review, it had to come to the top of the list.
While Samsung talks a lot about the AI functionality of the phone, the truth is that the best features are the simplest ones. This phone is fast, responding to commands almost as if it were anticipating them.
The camera is also spectacular. Sure, there’s some AI stuff going on behind the scenes, but the end result is stunning images even in difficult lighting conditions.
Battery life is as good as it gets with a premium flagship like this, while the S24 Ultra also boasts the best screen we’ve ever seen on a phone. It’s the complete package, and did enough to earn a BTTR Hall of Fame award.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 256GB Cream Editor choice
Recommended by 9/10 review sites
The Z Fold 5 is a powerhouse of a device with battery life for days.
There are huge improvements to the hinge, with a gap free design that makes it fold better than previous generations. It’s not rated for dust ingress though, so you probably don’t want to take it to the beach.
The big selling point is that you can use it as a phone, but then open it to use it as a tablet. It does a great job at both, though we’d love to see aspect ratios improved with the next generation.
Make sure you pick up the S-Pen case, which let’s you write on the folding screen and houses the S-Pen stylus. It’s the perfect accessory.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 AI Smartphone, 256GB, Mint Editor choice
Recommended by 9/10 review sites
The Galaxy Flip 5 is a fun phone. It breathes personality into a product category where practically every device looks the same.
Reminiscent of the old 2G flip phones of the early 2000s, the Flip 5 brings folding screen technology to an accessible price point, with a great external screen that lets you reply to notifications and take proper selfies with the external camera.
We want to see more widgets for the external screen, and while the camera is good, it hasn’t delivered in the same way as the Fold 5 and the S23 Ultra did.
But it’s a great flip phone and one of the best Samsung devices you can buy in 2023.
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G 6.4" 128GB Violet SM-A546ELVBATS Editor choice
Recommended by 9/10 review sites
While Samsung’s foldable phones and its flagship Galaxy S family tend to get most of the headlines, it’s the budget-friendly Galaxy A54 5G that really shows Samsung’s diversity.
This phone also features in our list of the best cheap phones. The fact it offers many of the features of the Galaxy S22 helps it shine here.
It has a fantastic 6.4-inch screen and impressive camera system. Plus, 5G support helps get the best network speeds across the country.
Battery life is fantastic, and the whole package comes in at a relatively affordable price point. This is a great phone, and well worth its inclusion here.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus
Samsung Galaxy S24+ AI Smartphone, 12GB RAM 256GB, Cobalt Violet Editor choice
Recommended by 5/10 review sites
While the S24 Ultra packs in all the bells and whistles, the S24 Plus is a more subdued entry to the Galaxy S lineup.
Boasting the same camera array as last year’s S23 Plus, this year’s model has seen improvements in battery life and the display.
It also offers all the same Galaxy AI features as the S24 Ultra, but for a lower cost.
In Australia, the S24 Plus has the Exynos 2400 processor inside rather than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, but you probably won’t even notice the difference.
Samsung Galaxy S24
Samsung Galaxy S24 AI Smartphone, 8GB RAM 256GB, Onyx Black Editor choice
Recommended by 5/10 review sites
There’s always been a bit of a question over the value of both the standard and the Plus versions of Galaxy S devices, but in 2024 Samsung seems to have sorted that out a bit.
The S24 Plus has a better screen – 3088 × 1440 pixels vs the S24’s 2340 x 1080 resolution, and as you’d expect the battery is bigger.
But these differences also help the Galaxy S24 stand apart as the most affordable of the bunch.
With its 6.2-inch AMOLED screen with up to 120Hz refresh rate, the same Exynos 2400 processor and all the same Galaxy AI functionality, the S24 is the model for most people, effectively balancing its price with its feature set.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE
Recommended by 5/10 review sites
Samsung’s “Fan Edition” (or “FE”) smartphones are a great way to get a fantastic device for a lower price.
The S23 FE offers many of the features you find in the Galaxy S23 family of devices, but with a few changes along the way to help affordability.
In Australia, that means the S23 FE comes with an Exynos 2200 processor.
But it also has a slightly larger screen than the S23, uses the older Gorilla Glass 5 vs Gorilla Glass Victus 2 in the S23 and boasts a larger 4,500 mAh battery.
The camera array is similar as well, with a slightly lower resolution selfie camera and telephoto rear camera.
But the phone still performs strongly, making it a great option if you can’t afford the S24, but want a step up from the A54 5G.
How we chose the best Samsung phone in Australia
Review sites – including this one – are subjective by nature. Everybody has a different opinion of what is best.
So to try and counter the fact that every best guide on the internet has a different opinion of what is best, we approached our list by combining the results of some of the top sites recommending Samsung phones on the market today.
To determine this list, we followed the same journey most consumers would follow: we went to Google.
We searched for “Best Samsung phone” and identified the top 10 results. It’s important to note that Google results can change often. The full list of sites we referenced is outlined below:
- ZDNet
- Tom’s Guide
- TechRadar
- Cnet
- Best Products
- T3
- Android Authority
- Digital Trends
- Sammobile
- Android Police
We listed out all of the Samsung phones listed on each site, tidying up any slight differences in spelling for consistency.
We calculated how often each product was mentioned across those 10 guides. The more frequently a product is mentioned, the more agreement there is between experts reviewing these products.
We set a minimum of five mentions across all 10 guides to be eligible for inclusion here. This means that each product is recommended by at least 50% of the sites surveyed.
Before we created this page we took some time to remove products that are either unavailable, or difficult to find in Australia.
We also leveraged our own experience with products to ensure that we wouldn’t be recommending any product that doesn’t deliver.
What to look for when choosing the best Samsung phone
Whether you’re after one of the models listed above or something completely different, the decision factors you need to consider when buying a new Samsung phone is the same.
Design
If you’ve already decided that you want to buy a Samsung phone, then the first question you need to answer is: “what style do you want to buy?”
Samsung is currently one of the only manufacturers offering foldable smartphones. If you want a foldable device, then your options are limited to a couple of key products.
If you want a more traditional device, then you can exclude the Fold and Flip styles and move on.
Price
Whether you opt for a foldable phone or not, the next decision factor has to be price. Decide how much you are willing to spend on your new Samsung phone. Then you can find the right model in that price bracket.
Features and functions
The amount you spend will impact on the features available – more expensive devices can do more.
But think about the features you need. If you want a stylus, for example, you will need to choose an “Ultra” phone.
Camera requirements
One of the biggest differentiators between smartphones today is the camera.
Samsung typically offers high quality cameras as part of their phones. That means you won’t have to make too many decisions here. But if you want something in particular, like special night photography modes, this is the time to consider that.
Update history
- 15 February 2023 – First Published
- 14 March 2023 – Updated number of recommendations. Removed Samsung Galaxy S22, S22 Plus and S22 Ultra. Added Galaxy S23.
- 14 April 2023 – Updated number of recommendations. Added Galaxy S23 Plus.
- 17 July 2023 – Updated number of recommendations. Added Samsung Galaxy A54 5G and Samsung Galaxy A14 5G. Removed Samsung Galaxy A53 5G.
- 27 October 2023 – Updated number of recommendations. Added Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5. Removed Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4.
- 28 February 2024 – Updated number of recommendations. Added Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24 Plus, Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S23 FE. Removed Galaxy S23 Ultra, Galaxy S23 Plus, Galaxy S23, Galaxy A14 5G and Galaxy S21 FE.
