Regardless of color choice, the A56s build quality is undeniable.
Improving upon the already impressive Galaxy A55 in every way, Samsung’s mid-rangemarvelis bigger, thinner and lighter.
As someone who values high-quality screens for watching content, I was genuinely impressed.
Every inch of the Galaxy A56 looks and feels premium
This quality continues in its battery life.
Speaking of useful features, Samsung’s famous Galaxy AI isn’t present in its budget line of phones.
It’s simply not the phone to buy if you need power from your handset.
I played Fortnite on the Galaxy A56 and it struggled
When playingFortnite, for example, gameplay was seriously choppy even at low graphics and the minimum 20fps options.
Thats not a deal breaker, though.
Australians enjoy the same price on the Samsung Galaxy A56 as they did with its predecessor.
Watching a nature documentary on the Galaxy A56 is a lovely experience
There is also a 12GB RAM model available in select regions.
The only noticeable cost-cutting comes in the displays peak brightness.
In every other aspect, though, the A56s display feels truly premium.
Peak brightness is fine on the Galaxy A56 home screen, but it could be better
Its even protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, adding durability against scratches and drops.
While I didnt test a full 2m drop onto concrete, a few accidental drops left it completely unscathed.
The A56 improves on that in every way refining an already impressive formula.
The Samsung Galaxy A56 in the Olive looks quite good even though it’s my least favorite color
Or perhaps just perfect.
Thats about all the superlatives I can give the A56s design.
Its everything you want a phone to look and feel like, regardless of its price.
The slightly ridged chassis edges don’t necessarily improve grip, but I don’t mind it at all
Its also protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, offering excellent resistance against scratches and drops.
Big, beautiful, lightweight, and impressively durable, the A56 is an exceptionally designed piece of technology.
The fact that it doesnt cost anarmand a leg makes it all the more impressive.
The software package on Samsung’s cheaper phones are as good as that on the flagships
And thats despite my colleagues praising the Google Pixel 8a for bringing Googles AI tools to a wider audience.
That’s far from it, though.
Thats about it for AI, but there’s plenty more to love about the Galaxy A56’s software.
A screenshot of the Galaxy A56’s AI remastering tool(Image credit: Future)
For starters, you get an exceptionally clean user experience with minimal pre-installed bloatware.
Customization options are also extensive.
And thats just the beginning.
Removing objects with the object eraser – see the next image for results(Image credit: Future)
One of my favorite additions, though, is the Now Bar.
It may seem like a small addition, but it can be an incredibly useful tool.
And the Samsung Galaxy A56 does just that.
Same image with several objects in the background removed with AI(Image credit: Future)
Simply put, the Galaxy A56 takes some seriously good photos at any distance.
While a higher megapixel count is great, its the phones image processing that determines the results.
The A56 avoids both extremes.
Wallpaper customization options galore!(Image credit: Future)
While photos come out slightly cooler than Id prefer, theyre impressively natural, detailed and well balanced.
Auto Framing keeps subjects centered automatically.
Thats not all Samsung delivers a feature-rich camera experience on a budget here.
If you don’t like the themes on offer, you can spend a little extra cash on purchasing a new one direct from the phone(Image credit: Future)
Thats not to say its bad as Ive previously mentioned, its more than enough for the average user.
But to keep prices down, concessions have to be made.
For some cheap phones, it’s a lower-quality display or increased fragility.
The new Now Bar feature is nice to have on a budget phone(Image credit: Future)
However, the Edge 50 Pro struggled noticeably power-wise, even lagging within apps like the camera.
For comparison, the similarly priced Poco F6 Pro easily sustains 60fps at high controls for hours.
Naturally, I needed a phone that could keep up, and the A56s 5,000mAh battery delivered.
Just tap it from the lock screen to open further actions(Image credit: Future)
That puts the new budget phone on par with its Galaxy S25 Ultra cousin.
Paired with moderately fast charging, the A56s battery like the rest of the phone is great.
Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy A56?
Skyscraper with the 50MP main camera(Image credit: Future)
4.5 / 5
Display
The Samsung Galaxy A56s display is bright, vibrant and smooth rivalling even flagship screens.
Design
The Samsung Galaxy A56 is frankly a beautiful, well-built gear.
It’s also durable against accidental drops, water and dust, which is impressive at this price.
Capturing the beautiful blue sky(Image credit: Future)
Its feature-rich camera app offers plenty of options, making it a strong choice for casual photographers.
4 / 5
Performance
The A56 is a solid all-rounder, handling everyday tasks with ease.
Oh, and a whole heap of dog photos.
A kookaburra sitting with the 12MP ultra-wide(Image credit: Future)
I did these tests several times, in different environments and different battery stages to ensure accurate results.
The same kookaburra, captured with 10x zoom(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Sunny mornings with 1x zoom(Image credit: Future)
Same trees in 2x zoom(Image credit: Future)
The Galaxy A56’s macro lens gets good results even when the subject is swaying in the wind or slowly crawling(Image credit: Future)
Bluey and Bingo captured in night mode(Image credit: Future)
The same photo with night mode turned off(Image credit: Future)
The same photo with the (weak) light turned on(Image credit: Future)
While Fortnite looks good on the Galaxy A56, the phone struggles with high-intensity tasks
11FPS while playing Fortnite on the Galaxy A56 was the best I could do
It’s not groundbreaking, but the battery life is quite impressive
