Whether you’re looking for top performance or a budget-friendly device, the best Samsung phones are packed with impressive AI. After testing, here are my top picks.

At its Unpacked event last week, Samsung took the wraps off the Galaxy S25 lineup and spent a majority of the time talking about AI -- a trend in phone announcements these days. Echoing both Google and Apple, Samsung said it " built an AI OS from the ground up " when referring to its latest phone software, One UI 7 .

The Galaxy S25 is a tale of two AIs: Gemini and Bixby. Yes, while Google's Gemini AI assistant sits at the forefront—it can finally be triggered through a long press of the power button—Samsung is bringing its original Bixby voice assistant out from the shadows.

The Galaxy S25 Plus is a tougher sell given how it shares the same set of Galaxy AI features and cameras found on the cheaper S25 model. It's a powerful, big-screen phone, but it's hampered by a dimmer display and modest battery life improvements over its predecessor.

When you trade in your old phone with T-Mobile, you'll get it for free. New and existing customers can swap an old device in any condition for a new Galaxy S25+ for free, or use the credit for up to $1,000 off other models like the top-of-the-line Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (delivered as 24 monthly credits on your bill).

Samsung upgraded the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus with a powerful new processor, enhanced AI features, and a slight bump in battery life.

The Galaxy S25 has a new “suggested replies” feature that uses on-device AI to suggest replies to messages you receive.

Samsung calls this phone Ultra because everything is supposed to be ultra. But the regular S25 and S25 Plus have a lot of its best specs and features and cost much less.

Whenever Unpacked comes around in January, Samsung spends a load of time talking about the "Ultra" model, and very little time talking about the base and

Samsung’s Galaxy S-series is in its software era. Maybe the whole smartphone industry is, too, save for a few phones with hinges (Samsung’s included). But overall, we have exited the hardware-driven innovation cycle and are firmly in the midst of a software-based one.

The new Galaxy S25 Ultra is undoubtedly a wonderful phone with some truly ultra specs. But in 2025, a lot of phones have ultra features and cost a lot less than $1,300.