Samsung Galaxy A56 Review: The Go-To Smartphone?

Samsung Galaxy A56 5G release date and price

The Samsung Galaxy A56 starts at a list price of $499. However, as with most of Samsung's handsets, we can expect the recommended retail price to fall not too long after the market launch. Steeper price reductions are a rarity later on, and chances are the price will almost never falls below the $300 mark. It's predecessor, the Galaxy A55, did not make it to the US, skipping a generation from the Galaxy A54 (review).

Samsung Galaxy A56 5G design and build quality

The Samsung Galaxy A56 arrives in a compact package that contains only the smartphone, a charging cable, and the SIM removal tool. You won't find a protective cover or screen protector, as is often the case with selected Chinese manufacturers. What is now a norm with Samsung, you will also miss out on a charger as Samsung expects you to already have one in your possession. If you want one, you need to purchase it separately.

The design of the Galaxy A56 is based on proven simplicity and remains almost unchanged compared to its predecessors. You won't find any striking colors or extravagant design elements here, with the smartphone is available in subtle shades such as Awesome Graphite, Awesome Lightgray, Awesome Olive, and Awesome Pink.

The build quality of the device impresses with high-quality materials: the frame is made of metal with a slightly roughened surface. The angular design ensures the smartphone sits securely and comfortably in the hand, even without a protective cover. The device also meets the IP68 standard, which means it will be protected against dust and water, which is a feature that is not commonly found in mid-range handsets.

Samsung Galaxy A56 5G display

Samsung remains true to its tradition and also delivered a brilliant display in the Galaxy A56 that continues to set the standard for mid-range handsets. As usual, high-quality AMOLED technology ensures brilliant colors and excellent viewing angle stability. With a maximum brightness of 1,200 nits, the Galaxy A56 also clearly stands out from other devices in its price range and is one of the brightest displays you will find in this segment.

The display has grown to 6.7 inches this year, which has become the unspoken standard for smartphones in recent years. Gorilla Glass Victus+ protects the display against scratches and breakage. This is rather unusual within this price range, as more archaic protection forms are often used here.

In our eyes, however, there is a weakness in the design: the bezels of the Galaxy A56 are not only noticeably thick, but also asymmetrical, which takes away some of the shine from its otherwise simple look. Its competitors fare better in this department. However, this point remains a matter of personal preference and is likely to bother those of you who value minor design details. However, thinner bezels could also have resulted in a more compact device with the same display size.

As usual, there is a fingerprint sensor below the display. It is an optical sensor that works somewhat slower than the ultrasonic sensors of the Galaxy S series, but still offers reliable and secure recognition.

Samsung Galaxy A56 5G software

Even though Samsung has had to put up with a lot of criticism regarding its Android 15 rollout in recent months, it had always impressed with fast and reliable updates in the past. Hardly any other manufacturer in this price range offers a full 6 years of update support, both for new Android versions and essential security updates. Samsung has always maintained these update promises with previous models like clockwork.

The One UI user interface, now in its 7th iteration, stands out visually from pure Android. The look is appealin and modern, while using it is highly intuitive. For experienced users, Samsung offers countless options for individual customization. For inexperienced users, on the other hand, there is a special "simplified mode" with larger elements and all essential functions are found directly on the home screen. There is nothing comparable from its other manufacturers.

Samsung is also introducing its AI features to a mid-range smartphone for the first time. This includes a more intelligent voice assistant, functions that automatically summarize notes, and advanced tools for image editing. Not all functions found in the more expensive Galaxy S models are available. For example, there is no live translation when making calls, and this can probably be attributed to the less powerful processor.

However, there is one point of criticism regarding the software: Samsung forces you to use its own Galaxy Store and features numerous pre-installed advertising apps. However, the latter is common in this price range and is not a particularly bad thing. Unwanted apps can be easily uninstalled with just a few clicks.

Samsung Galaxy A56 5G performance

In its flagship models, Samsung traditionally relies on Snapdragon chipsets, which were designed to offer maximum performance in their special "for Galaxy" variants. In the mid-range, on the other hand, the company relies on its own suite of processors. The Galaxy A56 uses the new Exynos 1580, which is also found in the mid-range Galaxy S10 FE tablet. Achieving around 900,000 points in the AnTuTu 10 benchmark, the chipset does not break any records but delivers solid performance for a device in this price range, which is easily sufficient for everyday use.

As far as mobile communications standards are concerned, the Galaxy A56 offers 5G support, which is indispensable today. This is now standard in every price range. However, the inclusion of eSIM is by no means par for the course. In addition to classic physical SIM cards, you can also use virtual eSIM cards. This is also practical when traveling outside your home country, allowing you to maintain your physical SIM card while roaming with an eSIM.

The memory capacity, on the other hand, must be viewed from a critical viewpoint. Samsung stuck with 128 GB of basic memory, as was the case with previous models. However, the option to expand the memory via microSD card has been removed this year.

Hence, if you need more memory, you will have to go for the 256 GB version, which is available at a slightly higher cost. However, users who want even more storage space will have to look for other alternatives. This is because larger storage versions of this smartphone are not available.

Samsung Galaxy A56 5G camera

Like its predecessors, the Samsung Galaxy A56 has a triple camera configuration that has remained largely unchanged. Only the selfie camera has been replaced by a newer iteration this year.

The main camera delivers solid results with decent sharpness and appealing performance in low-light conditions. However, there is a clear tendency to lean towards oversaturated colors, with red and green tones appearing greatly exaggerated in particular, even when the scene optimization is deactivated by default. This is particularly noticeable in nature shots with a lot of green in the picture.

Users who prefer this oversaturated look may find this to be an advantage, but for users who value natural colors and consistently high camera quality, the Google Pixel 8a (review) offers a better alternative in this price range. The additional cameras on the Samsung Galaxy A56 for the ultra wide-angle and macro shots cannot keep up with the main camera in terms of quality.

Samsung Galaxy A56 5G battery

The battery of the Samsung Galaxy A56 features a 5,000 mAh capacity. This has been the standard for this display size for several years now. Thanks to new battery technologies, other manufacturers are now able to install larger batteries with the same thickness and weight. This is not the case with Samsung, but the battery life was still impressive in the review.

The smartphone achieves a good battery life of 15 hours and 52 minutes in the benchmark. With normal use, the device gets you through the day effortlessly, and with economical use, you can even achieve two days of use thanks to the good standby performance.

One point of criticism, however, is the charging time. With a charging power of 45 watts, Samsung has almost doubled the speed compared to the previous model. Nevertheless, the Galaxy A56 needs around 70 minutes to fully charge, which results in a time gain of only around 10 minutes compared to its predecessor.

This is somewhat disappointing given the doubled performance. On a positive note, however, Samsung opted for the open Power Delivery (PD) standard, which makes it possible to charge the smartphone with practically any compatible power adapter.