Samsung Galaxy A56

Familiar A-line design

Samsung did not invent a new design for the sixth generation of the A-series. Rather, this is a further development of the ideas laid down in last year’s line: the same aluminum frame of the case; state-of-the-art Gorilla Glass Victus+ protective glass on the screen and back. You don’t want to put your smartphone in a case: it fits painfully well in your hand and is pleasant to the touch.

The main visual differences between the current series of gadgets and last year’s one is pastel colors instead of rich shades and a redesign of the camera unit. Previously, the rear part consisted of three separate photo modules. Now they are designed as a single island, making the appearance of the device more integral and effective.

Another interesting feature is Key Island. This is a small protrusion on the right side of the device, where the power button and the volume rocker are located. It can be assumed that Key Island is designed with the aim of improving ergonomics. The zest looks stylish, but does not add any special convenience during operation.

The smartphone is comfortable to hold in both the right and left hands. With an adjustment, of course, for the size: the screen here is one of the largest among competitors, and the body is thin, less than 7.5 mm.

On the top of the Samsung Galaxy A56 there is a microphone, on the bottom there is a Type-C connector, holes for a multimedia speaker and microphone, a SIM card tray. The main speaker, located at the bottom, together with the upper one, provides loud and clear sound. Therefore, you can watch YouTube or listen to music without headphones. In addition, the device supports eSIM, which not every representative of the middle class can boast of.

In general, the gadget is stylistically close to the top devices of the brand of past years. The IP67 protection against dust and moisture only enhances this impression.

The main trump card is the display

As with the previous version, Samsung spared no expense and equipped the Samsung Galaxy A56 with a bright Super AMOLED screen. The display size has increased from 6.6 to 6.7 inches, the resolution is 2340×1080 pixels, and the refresh rate is 120 Hz. The brightness is adjusted in such a way that both in complete darkness and on a sunny day (the peak value is 1900 nits) the eyes are comfortable.

The only thing that confuses me is the presence of a “chin”. Its appearance is due to the fact that engineers needed to hide the cable and the control board of the display somewhere. Of course, it is possible to make a screen with the same frames, but it will be more expensive. And if such compromises are acceptable for budget devices, then in the middle segment it already looks ugly. Especially when competitors have switched to higher-end matrices.

The cameras have not changed

Samsung Galaxy A56 has three cameras: the main module (50 MP, f/1.8, OIS), ultra-wide (12 MP), macro (5 MP). A similar set was used in last year’s model. If there are improvements, then only in the field of software.

Photos taken with the main sensor in good lighting are quite detailed, the shades are bright, there are no complaints about contour sharpness. Optical stabilization dampens shake when shooting handheld, which helps to avoid blur from unwanted accidental movements, including when working at slow shutter speeds. Samsung also claims to improve the Nephrography preset compared to the previous model. Since we don’t have two smartphones at the same time for a comparative test, we can only take the corporation’s word for it and rely on personal feelings. Night shots are quite bright. In addition, few people in this price segment have specialized nightly algorithms.

The wide in the Samsung Galaxy A56 is not the worst: during the day it produces decent shots with pleasant color reproduction. In the center of the picture, the clarity is good, but the sharpness is noticeably reduced at the edges. Images taken in the dark are highly noisy and blurry. However, even flagships sometimes slip here, and we are talking about a representative of the middle class. The main thing is that landscapes and city panoramas look good during the day.

Finally, a separate issue is the quality of macro photography. To be honest, adding such a module is more of a marketing ploy than a really useful tool. The only purpose of the Samsung Galaxy A56 has a macro is to allow owners of the gadget to be creative.

Manual mode is available in the camera settings, but only the main lens is allowed to take photos in it. But the 12 MP front camera with an aperture of f/2.2 and a wide viewing angle does its job well. Its capabilities are enough for video conferences and high-quality selfies. As for the wide, the night preset has also been improved for the Samsung Galaxy A56 front camera. The shots are better than on the models of the previous generation, but they are still far from ideal.

A new unique feature — Best Face — allows you to create group photos of up to five people, choosing and combining the most successful facial expressions from several consecutive shots. If someone blinks, closes their eyes, or looks away, Best Face will fix it.

Video recording – “features of professional hunting”

The ultra-wide angle, the main camera and the front camera can shoot up to 4K at 30 frames per second, which is considered a good indicator. The rollers are detailed, and optical stabilization effectively compensates for shaking when walking. When recording clips on a selfie module or wide, autofocus works every other time, which is very disappointing.

It is possible to switch between modules without interrupting the shooting, but when changing cameras, there is a hitch: instead of a smooth transition, you can observe an almost second pause, and clicks are heard on the already filmed material. This spoils the overall impression of the video. The problem is not difficult to fix with patches, but will Samsung do this in its mid-range?

Like most inexpensive ultra-Wides, the module installed in the A56 records videos only at a frame rate of 30 fps, and this applies to all resolutions (720p, 1080p and 4K). There is no Full HD support with 60 frames per second, which makes creating smooth footage possible only on the main camera and front camera. The quality of the shooting is satisfactory, but at the same time it does not stand out with anything special.

In low light conditions, the picture is noisy, the framerate may drop below the selected value due to the long shutter speed of the frame. Due to all of the above, the video becomes slow, which can overshadow the shooting of dynamic scenes in difficult conditions.

Updated hardware + AI

The performance of the device is provided by a 4nm Exynos 1580 chip with an Xclipse 540 video accelerator based on the AMD RDNA architecture, which makes the smartphone more powerful than its predecessor.

The memory is fast: RAM – LPDDR5X, built-in storage – UFS 3.1. However, in the basic version, the amount of internal storage is only 128 GB, which in modern realities looks, to put it mildly, insufficient. Among competing phones, the basic versions of 256 GB are increasingly common. Also, unlike the previous model, the Samsung Galaxy A56 doesn’t support SD cards, so you won’t be able to expand the memory as needed — a strange decision given the capacity of the base drive.

The smartphone comes with the One UI 7 system based on Android 15. The Samsung operating system traditionally pleases with the absence of ads and unnecessary pre-installed applications. The interface is fast and stable, and the animations are smooth. Design elements are uncluttered, and intuitive navigation makes it easy to access basic features and utilities.

The novelty has implemented support for modern artificial intelligence. This makes the device smarter and more functional than its predecessor. Here are some interesting tricks performed by artificial intelligence:

• The “Circle and Find” function allows you to select an object on the smartphone screen in any application so that you can then find it on the Internet. The same technology allows you to find music, translate texts, and even solve mathematical problems.
• AI filters have been added to the camera: you choose the picture you like and use it as a reference. The AI will select color correction parameters so that the photos copy the style you like.
• When you swipe up on a picture in the gallery, the smartphone analyzes the photo and gives editing recommendations: it advises to remove glare, blur the background, and so on.
• The voice assistant allows you to read texts from the browser without an Internet connection.

Samsung Galaxy A56 Battery and charging speed

The phone is equipped with a 5000 mAh battery. There is no power supply in the box, while the smartphone supports powerful chargers up to 45W. It’s funny, the flagship S25 is limited to 25W. Typical adapters (15-20 W) charge the battery from 5 to 100 percent in about an hour and a half, powerful laptop PSUs cope faster – about 70 minutes. Wireless charging, as well as reversible charging via Type-C, is not provided.

How long does the novelty live without an outlet? It all depends on your habits. If you play mobile games, often shoot videos or endlessly scroll through the feed, the charge, of course, will be consumed quickly. With moderate use (calls, instant messengers, rare photos and social networks), the battery will last for the whole day. In mixed and less active modes of operation, the device can last up to two days.

Samsung Galaxy A56 Specifications

DISPLAY

6.7″, 2340×1080 dots (FHD+), 120Hz, HDR10+, 1900 nits, Super AMOLED

CHIPSET

CPU Samsung Exynos 1580 (4 nm)
GPU Xclipse 540

RAM
AND STORAGE

8GB RAM
128/256GB UFS 3.1

ACCUMULATOR

5000 mAh

CAMERA

Main camera – 50 MP (f/1.8, PDAF, OIS, HDR support) + 12 MP (f/2.2, 123°) + 5 MP (f/2.4, macro)
front camera – 12 MP (f/2.2, HDR support)

DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT

162.2 x 77.5 x 7.4 mm, 198 grams

FEATURES

stereo speakers, Key Island, IP67 protection, NFC

Test results

ANTUTU

900 036

GEEKBENCH 6

single-core — 1353
multi-core — 3698

AUTONOMY

up to 2 days of operation in mixed mode
, consumption in RuTube is 10% of the battery per hour of video viewing (average brightness)

Results

The mid-budget Samsung Galaxy A56 pleases with a combination of affordable price and top-end solutions. The smartphone has approached the flagship segment in many respects. Among competitors in its class, the model stands out for such advantages as IP67 protection, a metal body and a really high-quality screen. A restrained design with elements of chic will appeal to those who appreciate minimalism with a hint of premium Ness.

As for the disadvantages: you cannot install a memory card; the kit does not include a power supply; the volume of internal storage in the basic configuration is modest – 128 GB; And the photo capabilities are not amazing.

The main advantage of the A-series is still preserved: it is a strong representative of the middle segment. A relatively affordable smartphone with a full set of Samsung branded features: cool AI, neat system design and no ads in the firmware.