What's the Best Samsung Android Phone?
Samsung has been one of the most loyal backers of the Android platform. Besides launching some of the best Android smartphones in multiple price ranges, it has also announced the most powerful Android tablet yet - the Samsung Galaxy Tab which is packed with features.
It has seen spectacular success world wide with the Android powered Galaxy S and its variants - the Vibrant, Captivate and Fascinate. The new Samsung Epic 4G is also a very capable phone.
The older Samsung Galaxy Spica i5700 was the best budget Android option of its time. Now Samsung has also announced the Galaxy 3 and the Galaxy 5 which will replace the Galaxy Spica i5700.
Besides these, there have been some more Samsung Android phones like the Samsung Behold 2 and the Samsung Moment but compared to the Galaxy S and the Epic, or even the Galaxy Spica, 3 or 5, they are outdated now.
Samsung Galaxy S / Vibrant / Captivate / Fascinate
The Samsung Galaxy S is one of the most popular Android smartphones. It brought Samsung back in to the game and has seen the most sales yet. It was released across the world as the Samsung Galaxy S and in the US as the AT&T Samsung Captivate, T Mobile Samsung Vibrant and the Verizon Samsung Fascinate. It is the most widely available Android smartphone and is very popular. Barring a few changes in the design, all the phones are very similar.
It comes with a nice hardware spec sheet - it has a 5 MP camera with autofocus, a 1 GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor and 512 MB RAM. It comes with 16 GB internal storage and supports up to 32 GB microSD cards. It has a 4 inch SuperAMOLED display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels.
It also offers 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with DLNA, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP and a GPS transceiver with A-GPS. It runs Android 2.2 Froyo now and comes with the TouchWiz 3.0 UI.
It is easily the best Samsung Android smartphone.
Samsung Epic 4G
The Samsung Epic 4G is another variant of the Galaxy S. It is a CDMA variant and is available on Sprint’s network. It is exactly identical to the Galaxy S in terms of specifications, but adds a physical sliding QWERTY keyboard and an LED flash to the mix.
It is actually better than the Samsung Galaxy S, thanks mainly to the keyboard, but is a bit more bulky. The main reason I’ve not selected it as the best Samsung Android phone is because it isn’t widely available. It is on sale only in the US and only on Sprint’s network.
Samsung Galaxy 3 i5800
While the Samsung Galaxy S rules the high end segment of Android phones, the Samsung Galaxy 3 is probably your best bet if you want a budget Samsung Android phone.
The first truly budget Android phone was the Samsung Galaxy Spica i5700, but it has now been discontinued by Samsung.
Its successor is the Samsung Galaxy 3 i5800. It is a nice stylish Android smartphone which runs Android 2.1 Eclair with the TouchWiz 3.0 UI. The hardware is not as impressive as the Galaxy S, but it offers the best mix of features among budget Android devices.
It has a 3.2 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels. It is powered by a 667 MHz processor and has 256 MB RAM. It comes with a 512 MB internal ROM and supports up to 32 GB microSD cards. It will soon receive an upgrade to Android 2.2 Froyo, a rarity in budget Android phones.
It has a 3.15 MP camera with autofocus and also offers the basic connectivity options like GPRS, EDGE, 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It also has GPS and FM radio.
Other Options
These three are the best Android phones by Samsung. However, there are some other options too.
If you want a cheaper option than the Galaxy 3 i5800, you could consider the Galaxy i5500. It is a good option too, but sports a smaller display and a 2 MP camera which make it unusable. For just a few bucks more, you could get the Galaxy 3, and you should.
Others like the Samsung Behold 2, Samsung Moment and the Samsung Intercept are outdated now. I wouldn’t recommend them, not when you have much better options available.
The Samsung Galaxy i7500 is also a decent phone, but it has been phased out now. Among the others, the Galaxy Spica i5700 is great, if available in your area.
If you want more choices, you could check out our list of the best Android smartphones.
