Samsung's Galaxy S22 introduced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (in most regions) and a refined design language carried forward to the S23 and S24. Samsung phased it out of the Galaxy lineup in 2024. These are the modern Samsung and rival flagships worth considering in 2026.
The S22 ran hot under sustained load and battery life was its weakest point. The S23 fixed both with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. The S24 and S25 brought Galaxy AI and seven years of OS updates. Display and camera hardware have improved each generation since.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 was discontinued in 2024. The S22 ran hot under sustained load and battery life was its weakest point. The S23 fixed both with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. The S24 and S25 brought Galaxy AI and seven years of OS updates. Display and camera hardware have improved each generation since. If you find one new or refurbished at a deep discount, it can still be a sensible buy — otherwise the alternatives below offer meaningful upgrades for the same money.
The S22 ran hot under sustained load and battery life was its weakest point. The S23 fixed both with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. The S24 and S25 brought Galaxy AI and seven years of OS updates. Display and camera hardware have improved each generation since. Manufacturers typically retire a flagship after two to three generations to focus engineering and software updates on newer hardware.
Based on our scoring, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus is the strongest direct Samsung successor — see the full list below for scoring and price details.
Samsung typically provides software support for several years after retiring a product, but new feature rollouts (such as on-device AI capabilities) are generally exclusive to the newest hardware. Check Samsung's official support pages for the current update window.
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