Samsung manufactures and sells a lot of smartphones. However, it’s really hard to understand if a smartphone is good enough or current just by knowing it’s name. Contradictory to this is Apple, where common sense dictates that an iPhone 13 is better than an iPhone 12. Which may not be entirely true but consistent naming is extemely important to build a brand.

Samsung doesn’t have a brand as strong as Apple, and I can only speculate that it’s a conscious decision by Samsung to have a confusing lineup.

S and Z Series

Fairly straightforward and most understood. These smartphones are not value for money and they represent the best Samsung has to offer.

Series Description
Z Foldables
S Flagships

A series

A series is available on most markets. S series represents the current year as S22 can be read as S 2022. A series may represent current year + 1. Numbers ending with 3 are the latest smartphones for the current year 2 (2022).

I don’t understand why would Samsung do this. Keeping their naming similar to their Flagships would’ve helped create a better brand.

A Series Description
A73 Premium Mid-Range
A53 The best value
A33 Comprises on screen
A23 Comprises on performance
A13 Bare minimum

Here’s a comparison link for the above smartphones:

2022 : A73 vs A53 vs A33

2021 : A72 vs A52 vs A32

M Series

M series is available on a fewer markets and they represent the true value Samsung has to offer. They provide a complete smartphone experience and they are afforable enough to be upgraded every other year or replaced when one breaks.

M Series Description
M53 The best value
M33 decent value
M23 Similar to M33
M13 Not yet launched

Here’s a comparison link for the above smartphones:

2022 : M73 vs M53 vs M33

2021 : M72 vs M52 vs M32

Conclusion

Samsung releases at-least 9/10 smartphones in the mid-range segment alone, every year. And they don’t always stop selling previous generation smartphones. For example M52 is still available for purchase and in many ways it is a better phone than the newer M53. However it’s too hard for a general consumer to know which is a better phone. Also there are exceptions to the above lineup, sometimes they would release phones as A52s,A42,M42 but there is no M41 or A51s or A53s etc.

In conclusion with these many smartphone, there is no way to build a word of mouth for the brand. The competition is too fierce for such a confusing lineup.

However, If I were Samsung, I would release 1 phone in each of the following series. And I would continue to sell previous year’s flagship at a slighly discounted price. Just like what Apple does.

My Imaginative SAM Lineup

Phone Description Cost
S22 Flagships $700+
A22 Midrange $300+
M22 Enablers $100+