Samsung Galaxy A56 review

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Introduction and specs

Samsung's popular Galaxy A56 mid-range smartphone is here, and it brings some notable upgrades over its predecessor, the Galaxy A55, without going up the price ladder. In fact, someone might even argue that the A56 brings better value per dollar compared to the vanilla Galaxy S24 and S25.

This year, the Galaxy A56's display has grown from 6.6" to 6.7" without getting bulkier. Samsung managed to fit in a larger panel by trimming the bezels without making the chassis noticeably bigger. Quite the opposite, actually. The A56 is now lighter and thinner. The display supposedly also gets brighter too.

The device rocks Samsung's relatively new Exynos 1580 chipset, which we haven't seen in action elsewhere yet.

Samsung Galaxy A56 specs at a glance:

• Body: 162.2x77.5x7.4mm, 198g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), aluminum frame; IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 min).
• Display: 6.70" Super AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1900 nits (peak), 1080x2340px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 385ppi; Always-on display.
• Chipset: Exynos 1580 (4 nm): Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz & 3x2.6 GHz & 4x1.9 GHz); Xclipse 540.
• Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
• OS/Software: Android 15, up to 6 major Android upgrades, One UI 7.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 1/1.56", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, 1/3.06", 1.12µm; Macro: 5 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 12 MP, f/2.2, (wide).
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, 10-bit HDR.
• Battery: 5000mAh; 45W wired, 65% in 30 min, 100% in 68 min.
• Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Wi-Fi 6; BT 5.3; NFC.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers; Virtual Proximity Sensing, Circle to Search.

There's no change in the camera department, as the device features the same 50MP main unit paired with a 12MP ultrawide and 5MP macro snapper. The 12MP selfie replaces the old 32MP one, though, so we expect better-looking selfies this time around. But despite the modest camera hardware upgrade, Samsung claims the AI improves image quality in certain scenarios, like nighttime photography.

Speaking of AI, the Galaxy A56 supports some of Galaxy AI's features, but not everything trickled down from the Galaxy S series.

Last but not least, the Galaxy A56 now features a faster 45W charging, which is faster than the vanilla Galaxy S25. The battery capacity remains unchanged - 5,000 mAh.

Notably, Samsung promises 6 years of major OS updates, which is a nice future-proofing bonus and perhaps one of the midrangers with the longest, if not the longest, software support.

Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy A56

The Galaxy A56 comes in a modest retail box containing only the usual user manuals and a USB-C to USB-C cable for data transfer and charging. There are no additional protective cases or anything.

The phone supports up to 45W fast charging over PD using Samsung's PPS, so you will have to buy one separately to take advantage of the fast charging rate.