I have a Galaxy A26 5G and I'm looking at the Galaxy A27 5G

How often Samsung sends this phone security updates, as its list of supported models says: monthly or quarterly (every three months).

Your carrier can send updates less often. "Listed under Enterprise models" means Samsung lists the model as monthly in its list for businesses.

Matters most if: You want the newest security fixes soon after Samsung releases them.

How many new versions of Android (with the matching One UI) Samsung promised this phone would get after the one it came with.

Samsung promises a number of versions rather than a date. Each upgrade brings new features; security updates are a separate promise, in the row above.

Matters most if: You want the newest Android features for years to come.

Galaxy AI is Samsung's name for its set of AI features, such as live translation of phone calls, writing help and photo editing that fills in parts of a picture.

Samsung lists which phones get Galaxy AI, at launch or through a One UI update. Some features work on the phone itself and others use the internet; Samsung lists which is which, and availability varies by language and country.

Matters most if: You want AI features such as call translation or photo editing built into the phone.

How many cameras are on the back. Each one is a separate lens for a different view: wide (the main camera), ultra wide and telephoto (zoom), depending on the model.

More cameras let you switch between a wide scene and a zoomed-in view using real lenses instead of cutting out part of the picture.

The resolution of the main camera's sensor in megapixels (MP), meaning millions of light-catching dots.

High-megapixel cameras usually combine neighboring dots into a smaller photo by default; you can switch to full resolution for large prints or cropping.

Matters most if: You want full-size photos for large prints or for cropping later.

The resolution in megapixels (MP) of the telephoto camera: a separate zoom lens that sees far-away things as if you were closer. "None" means the phone has no telephoto camera. Some Ultra models have two.

At the telephoto's own zoom level, the photo comes from a real lens instead of a cropped, enlarged image.

Matters most if: You photograph kids' sports, concerts, pets or wildlife from a distance.

How far the telephoto lens zooms on its own compared with the main camera (1x), for example '3x optical zoom'. Where Samsung lists two telephoto lenses, the comparison uses the longer one.

At this level the lens does the zooming, so no part of the image is cut away. 'Optical quality zoom' figures some models list come from cropping a high-resolution camera, not from a lens.

Matters most if: You compare zoom between phones: compare this row, not the 'up to' figures.

The farthest the camera can zoom, with software doing the work beyond what the lenses reach. Samsung calls it Space Zoom on many models.

Past the lens's own zoom, the camera enlarges part of the picture and relies on processing to keep it sharp, so the highest levels lose detail.

Matters most if: You zoom far and need the photo to show fine details.

More in the glossary →

The highest video quality the rear camera records. 4K and 8K describe the picture size (8K is larger), and fps (frames per second) is how many still images make up each second.

Higher settings make bigger files, so long 8K or 4K 60 fps clips fill storage quickly.

Matters most if: You film a lot.

The screen size, measured corner to corner (diagonally) in inches. 1 inch is 25.4 mm.

Samsung measures the screen as a full rectangle, so with rounded corners the visible area is a little smaller.

How many times per second the screen redraws the picture, in hertz (Hz). 120 Hz means up to 120 times a second.

A higher rate makes scrolling and switching apps look smoother, and uses more battery.

Matters most if: You scroll social feeds, read long pages or play fast games.

The range of refresh rates the screen moves between on its own, in Samsung's words, such as '1~120Hz'. A screen that can slow to 1 Hz saves battery on still images.

The screen speeds up for scrolling and games and slows down for reading, to balance smoothness and battery life.

Matters most if: You care about battery life as well as smooth scrolling.

The brightest the screen can get, in nits (a unit of screen brightness; higher is brighter), as Samsung measures it.

A high peak brightness makes the screen easier to see in direct sunlight. Makers measure peak brightness in different ways, so compare it only between phones from the same maker.

Matters most if: You use your phone outdoors a lot, such as for maps or photos in sunlight.

How many dots (pixels) make up the screen, written as height x width, with a name such as Full HD+ or Quad HD+.

On screens of the same size, more pixels show text and photos in finer detail.

Ways to unlock the phone with your body instead of typing a PIN: a fingerprint sensor (in the screen, the side key, the home key or on the back), face recognition, or on some older models an iris scanner.

An ultrasonic sensor in the screen reads your finger with sound waves; others use light. Where the sensor sits changes how you unlock the phone with one hand.

How much the phone weighs in grams (g); about 28 g is 1 ounce.

You feel the weight most when you hold the phone up for a long time, such as reading or filming.

Whether the phone has a 3.5 mm socket for wired headphones (the standard round headphone plug).

Without the jack, wired headphones need a USB-C plug or an adapter, or you use Bluetooth earbuds.

The kind of USB port Samsung lists: Micro USB on older phones, USB-C on newer ones, with a USB version such as USB 2.0 or USB 3.2. It concerns moving data over a cable, such as copying files to a computer.

A higher USB version can copy files faster with a cable that supports it. Charging speed is listed separately.

Whether and how fast the phone charges on a wireless charging pad, in Samsung's words, such as Fast Wireless Charging 2.0.

The fastest speed usually needs a matching Samsung charger. Wireless charging is slower than a cable but saves plugging in.

Qi2 is a wireless charging standard with magnets that hold the charger in the right spot.

Samsung says which Galaxy phones work with Qi2 chargers, and whether they need a case with magnets for the charger to snap on.

Matters most if: You want a charger or stand that snaps onto the phone.

Wireless PowerShare lets the phone wirelessly charge another device, such as Galaxy Buds or a Galaxy Watch, placed on its back.

It works with devices that charge wirelessly, and it uses the phone's own battery.

Matters most if: You carry wireless earbuds or a watch and want to top them up away from a charger.

More in the glossary →

The Wi-Fi generation, such as Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7. 6E and 7 can also use the 6 GHz band, which is less crowded. Older phones list only the 802.11 letters (n is Wi-Fi 4, ac is Wi-Fi 5, ax is Wi-Fi 6).

A newer generation helps only with a router that supports it, and the 6 GHz band is not allowed in every country.

Matters most if: You have, or plan to buy, a Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 router.

Bluetooth connects wireless accessories, such as earbuds and watches, to the phone. The number, such as v5.3, is the Bluetooth version.

Newer versions add features such as LE Audio, but your earbuds or watch need to support them too.

Ultra-Wideband (UWB) is a radio chip that measures how far away another UWB device is and in which direction. It only works with another device that also has UWB.

With a tracker tag that has UWB, such as a Galaxy SmartTag+, the phone can show distance and direction to find keys or a bag.

Matters most if: You use tracker tags to find keys or bags.

mmWave ("millimeter wave") is a high-band type of 5G. The more common type, Sub-6, uses frequencies below 6 GHz. Usually only the US versions of Galaxy phones can use mmWave.

You need a carrier with mmWave 5G where you use the phone; the carrier's network decides which type the phone uses.

Matters most if: Your carrier offers mmWave 5G where you live or work.

FeliCa is the contactless chip behind Osaifu-Keitai, the tap-to-pay service used in Japan for transit cards such as Suica and e-money such as WAON.

Samsung Japan lists it for the Galaxy versions sold in Japan; versions sold elsewhere do not have it.

Matters most if: You live in Japan, or want to use Suica or other Osaifu-Keitai services.

A separate secure processor that keeps passwords, PINs and other sensitive data apart from the rest of the phone. Samsung calls it Knox Vault.

Phones where Samsung names no security processor still have Samsung Knox security in their software; this row only shows a separate chip Samsung names.

More in the glossary →

RAM is the phone's short-term working memory for the apps running right now, measured in GB (gigabytes).

More RAM lets more apps stay open in the background. RAM is separate from storage, which holds your apps, photos and files. On some Galaxy phones it depends on the storage size or the country.

How much space the phone has for apps, photos, videos and files, in GB (gigabytes) or TB (terabytes; 1 TB is 1,000 GB).

Each storage size is sold at its own price, and not every size is sold in every country. You get less usable space than the number shown, because some of it holds the phone's own software.