Honest review of Samsung Galaxy A56, new budget performer with mid-range specs
The battle between Apple and Samsung continues, with the South Korean company launching a more affordable AI-packed phone.
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Samsung’s making budget to mid-range phones sexy again, introducing clever AI tools to its affordable Galaxy A series – along with more years of security upgrades than before.
The Galaxy A56 5G* is the top-tier option in the newest line, offering more consumers the chance to enjoy AI tools without having to splurge on the latest models. And unlike Apple’s entry level alternative, the retail price scratches way lower than the $1000 mark.
“The new Galaxy A series marks an important step in our mission of AI for all, by opening Galaxy’s incredible mobile AI experiences to even more people around the world,” said TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics.
“With these awesome new features and capabilities, we are excited to unlock limitless creativity on the Galaxy A series while ensuring a safe, reliable and fun mobile experience.”
So, how does the Galaxy A56 fare? I gave it a test run and here are my thoughts.
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IS THE SAMSUNG GALAXY A56 WORTH BUYING?
Samsung Galaxy A56
Tried and Tested by Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito, Senior Shopping Writer Tech, Homes & Appliances
The Samsung Galaxy A56 is an impressive, simple smartphone that still offers a few funky bells and whistles you can show off to others, without feeling overwhelming or overly complicated. It’s a solid performer and affordable, especially if you’re wanting a model from one of the bigger companies like Samsung. And if you’re wanting cheaper, there’s the Galaxy A26 (from $499) and the Galaxy A36 (from $549).
The AI tools generally worked fine, but tend to be slower or not as accurately compared to my experience with the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Although the camera was a standout and nothing like the grainy, noughties-like quality found in some models.
Overall, the Galaxy A56 makes a great entry level smartphone, or an affordable alternative for anyone who doesn’t want to give up exciting tech upgrades in exchange for saving money.
HOW WE TESTED THIS PRODUCT
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DESIGN
Compared to its more expensive cousins, particularly the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the Galaxy A56 has curvier corners and measures slightly smaller, thicker and less wide. It’s also more lightweight, including against its older A-series siblings. The wallet friendly model additionally boasts a 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display, and comes in two storage options (128GB and 256GB). I found it the perfect size and fits comfortably in the hand; not too small, not too big.
Samsung’s Galaxy A56 has six years worth of security updates, which is handy if you’re reselling or buying a refurbished model. There’s also Samsung Knox to protect what goes on inside the device, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the front and back to keep the body safe from accidents when you’re outside.
CAMERA
For a budget smartphone, the camera is a solid performer. The quality is actually pretty comparable to the latest Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, which retails for more than double the price.
There are unsurprisingly some sacrifices made with the Galaxy A56, including a camera quality similar to the previous Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S21. You also won’t get the mega 30x and 100x zoom options the Galaxy S series is well known for.
I found it great for taking landscape photos for holidays, as well as close-up shots of pets, food and random things on walks. The quality obviously won’t be the same same as the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but the Galaxy A56 still produces fantastic photos and retails around three times cheaper.
The 10x zoom isn’t terrible either, but concert photos from nose bleed seats are probably going a lot more pixelated than the S series models.
Plus, there’s a variety of filters and editing tools to polish your image – including options to adjust your jawline and remove blemishes. The ‘remaster’ tool can also automatically change the settings as a quick and simple fix, and has a slider so you can get a side-by-side look between the edited and original photo.
On the downside, the auto-focus seemed too fiddly for me and it was just faster and easier to hit the 2x zoom button than bring the device closer. The macro camera has also been a disappointment for some reviewers, but I found it produced accurate colours and captured a decent amount of detail. It may not excel like the latest models, but it gets the job.
When it comes to the A-series models’ camera specs, the Galaxy A56 stands out with its 12MP ultra-wide camera (compared to the 8MP in the Galaxy A36 and A26). It still shares the same 50MP wide-angle lens and 5MP macro lens, although the cheaper Galaxy A26 slightly nips just ahead with a 13MP front-facing camera (versus the 12MP in the pricier model).
AWESOME INTELLIGENCE
Samsung’s Galaxy A series isn’t loaded with Galaxy AI like the Galaxy S series, but it does have Awesome Intelligence so users won’t miss out on some of the fun. The AI tools will be powered by One UI 7 and include Circle to Search, Object Eraser, Best Face, Filters and Nightography.
Android assistant Gemini is also in the mix, adding another level of smarts and convenience.
The Circle to Search was probably one of the better AI tools. It was quick and just as spot on as the flagship model, and had similar misses where it wouldn’t recognise certain items (such as a lipstick I’m wanting to repurchase but can’t remember what the product is called). The popular Object Eraser also seemed fine, but a little slower, less precise and not as great as understanding the context of what you’re wanting to achieve.
HOW MUCH IS THE SAMSUNG GALAXY A SERIES?
Samsung’s Galaxy A56 is available for $699 for 128GB storage (and soon $799 for 256GB storage). The colours include Awesome Olive and Awesome Graphite.
You can find it via Samsung’s store as well as your usual retailers like Amazon Australia and The Good Guys.
Prefer something cheaper? The Galaxy A series also includes:
• Galaxy A36 5G: from $549 (in Awesome Lavender or Awesome Black)
• Galaxy A26 5G: from $499 (in Black)
*Product has been loaned by Samsung for a 100 per cent independent, honest review.
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