Pat PilcherSummary
Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
Not everyone can afford a $3000 smartphone, but Samsung comes to the rescue with a highly specced and fully featured midprice model that PAT PILCHER reckons warrants a Gold award.
$799
Choosing the right smartphone has always been tricky. Challenging economic conditions and a bewildering array of brands covering an improbable number of price points make choosing a decent smartphone even tougher. While flagship phones from most manufacturers are a simple buy, what if your budget only allows for a mid-range smartphone?
Mid-range smartphones have long been considered a step down from their flagship counterparts. More recently, the boundaries between flagships and their more affordable counterparts have become increasingly blurred as their build quality and specs have steadily improved. This trend has seen the humble mid-ranger taking on several flagship phone characteristics, all of which is great news for a buyer on a budget.
A case in point is Samsung’s latest mid-range, the A56. Is it a costly yet underpowered boondoggle like the iPhone 16e, or has Samsung managed to hit the sweet spot with the A56’s hardware, price and specs?
Unsurprisingly, the A56 is similar to last year’s model, the A55. It has a 5,000mAh battery, IP67 water resistance and a decent camera setup. That said, there are many other areas where the A56 represents a giant step for mid-range phone kind.
From a design perspective, the A56 follows Samsung’s tried-and-tested Galaxy design language. Its three rear cameras are housed in a lozenge-shaped camera island, and it has aluminium alloy edges sandwiching its Corning Gorilla glass front and back. All told, the lack of Tupperware in its build and Galaxy S-like design elements mean that it could easily pass for a Galaxy S flagship at a glance, and has a premium feel in the hand.
The display has been upsized, and it uses a 6.7-inch FHD+ panel, making its display the same size as that of the Galaxy S25 Plus. It’s also able to crank out just over 1,900 nits in direct sunlight, which makes it plenty bright. While that lags behind the Galaxy S25’s 2,600 nits, it’s impressive for a mid-range smartphone. That said, the bezels on the A56 are a little chunkier and a bit of a giveaway that it’s a mid-range device.
Look and feel aside, the software is where the A56 really shines. For a start, it comes with the latest version of Android (15) and the latest Samsung UI enhancements (One UI 7). This means it packs many of the same nifty features as the S25, such as the Now Bar and a bunch of super handy AI stuff that was previously only available on Samsung’s Galaxy S flagship devices.
The available AI bits are marketed as “awesome intelligence” by Samsung and include the ever-so-handy Circle to Search and the photo Object Eraser for seamlessly getting rid of annoying objects from photos. Then there’s Auto Trim, which allows you to quickly and easily craft video montages. Rounding things out is Best Face, which can intelligently choose the best photo. The camera/gallery apps have been the big recipients of AI upgrades, while other flagship-level AI bits (which are branded as Galaxy AI) such as Live Translate and Instant Slow-mo still remain exclusive to Galaxy S flagship-level hardware. Still, these features make the A56 a unique and compelling choice for cost-conscious buyers.
The Galaxy A56 also receives six years of OS and security updates. This means that, unlike many other mid-range devices from competing brands, it also has exceptional longevity.
Interestingly, it has a faster wired charging speed than the S25 (which tops out at 25W wired charging), offering a zippy 45W. Being a mid-range device, however, wireless charging is not supported. Its 5,000 mAh battery ran for just shy of 30 hours in a looped HD video run-down test, which should equate to a day or two of typical use before charging is needed.
There are compromises, though. Under its hood, the A56 is powered by a Samsung Exynos 1580 chipset. While it’s a notable improvement over the silicon used with the earlier A55, it’s still a long way off delivering the performance of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite used in the Galaxy S25. I didn’t notice any huge lags or slowdowns in use, and for everyday smartphone chores such as web browsing and casual games, the A56 worked fine. Another area where the A56 bucks the mid-range trend is in its memory/storage, as it comes with a generous 8GB RAM and 256GB, which is great news for multitaskers or anyone with a large media collection.
Around the back, there’s a 12MP ultrawide shooter plus a 12MP selfie camera on the front. As with the Galaxy A55, you also get a capable 50MP main camera and a 5MP macro snapper.
The phone also sports an improved AI-powered image signal processor, which captures more detail with less pixel noise and allows HDR video capture. There’s also an AI portrait mode for improved portrait focus, face, skin and hair, sky, and grass enhancements. The camera proved surprisingly capable and is a definite step up from the usual mid-range camera fare.
The A56 might not pack the same horsepower as Samsung’s flagship Galaxy devices, but its specs and features make it compelling, especially given its super reasonable $799 sticker price. Add in a bunch of super useful AI bits and decent support, and the A56 is a solid choice for buyers wanting the best bang for buck.
