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Samsung's best smartphones: A closer look

CNET rounds up six of Samsung's finest smartphones, including a budget option and one phone that's yet to hit our shores.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Expertise Content strategy, team leadership, audience engagement, iPhone, Samsung, Android, iOS, tips and FAQs.
Jessica Dolcourt
Samsung Galaxy S II (unlocked)
You can look, but you can't touch. Josh Miller/CNET

Samsung is one of the most prolific cell phone manufacturers there is, but not every phone is an instant hit. From a smartphone-maker's standpoint, it doesn't have to be.

Top-of-the-line handsets might wow us with their sheer processing power and camera might, at least compared with the generations that came before, but companies also make strategic decisions about when to cater to more-restricted budgets and when to pile on the features. At times, we even get a mix of both.

To that end, we've rounded up today's crop of Samsung's smartphone all-stars, which includes a couple of budget-friendly options and one phone that isn't even available yet in the U.S.