Samsung’s newest instalment in its A series makes key changes to its design and form factor, establishing itself as a solid contender in the sub-Rs 45,000 price bracket. It also brings a small collection of AI features on board, but it isn’t packaged as Galaxy AI. At the heart of the smartphone lies Samsung’s in-house Exynos 1580 chipset. We put the device under the scanner and used it as our daily driver for a week. Here is our in-depth review of the Samsung Galaxy A56.
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In This Article
Samsung Galaxy A56 Review: Design and Display
Here’s what you get inside the Samsung Galaxy A56’s retail box.
- Smartphone
- USB Type-C to Type-C cable
- SIM ejector
- Quick start guide
The Samsung Galaxy A56 offers something refreshing in terms of design. The signature vertical camera layout at the back is now surrounded by a sleek glass panel. This is a nice respite from the rehashed design of other Samsung offerings (including the flagship Galaxy S25 series). The new camera panel is easier to clean as you don’t have to reach for the dust settled on the middle lens. The Galaxy A56 is also slimmer than its previous iteration, measuring just 7.4mm in thickness. In comparison, the Galaxy A55 was 8.2mm thick.
The glass back panel has a glossy finish but does not attract a lot of fingerprints. The brushed metal frame elevates the in-hand feel of the device. The right edge of the frame houses the volume rocker and the side button. At the bottom lies the SIM tray, USB Type-C port, speaker, and primary microphone. The secondary speaker and microphone are placed up top.
The display is now brighter, hitting a peak intensity of 1,900 nits. In High Brightness Mode, it can go up to 1,200 nits. The 6.7-inch Super AMOLED panel also has HDR10+ support and can refresh at 120Hz. It is surrounded by sleek bezels that get slightly thicker around the chin. The optical fingerprint scanner isn’t as fast as its ultrasonic counterpart, but it gets the job done.
The Super AMOLED display produces rich and vibrant colours with an excellent level of detail. During the review period, we used the Samsung Galaxy A56 to stream TV and movie titles across OTT platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, JioHotstar and more. We were happy with the viewing angles on offer. The smartphone also puts out a loud and well-rounded audio output.
Samsung Galaxy A56 Review: Performance and Cameras
Samsung Galaxy A56 is powered by the Exynos 1580 chipset. While the company’s in-house processors have sparked the ire of many users in the past, the A56 delivers a reliable performance. On the Geekbench 6 app, the smartphone scored 1,369 and 3,900 points in the single-core and multi-core tests respectively.
In everyday use, the Galaxy A56 does not leave any room for complaints. It offers a snappy performance, handling tasks like video calling, media streaming, web browsing, and IMing with absolute ease. The apps don’t take much time to load and the touch response rate is wonderfully smooth. However, we did encounter some heating issues while using the smartphone to record videos under direct sunlight.
We played titles like Call of Duty Mobile and Asphalt Legends Unite on the Galaxy A56. The smartphone delivers a decent gaming experience when you restrict the gameplay to medium graphics. There are no lags or frame drops to be seen. In high graphics, the smartphone warms up fairly easily. We’ve said this before, but Samsung’s A series could certainly use a better cooling system.
Samsung Galaxy A56 runs the Android 15-based One UI 7 out of the box. We talked about Samsung’s proprietary OS in detail in our review of the Samsung Galaxy S25, so we recommend giving it a read. Samsung’s midrange offering gets the ‘Now Bar’ on its lock screen, but the Now Brief app is available exclusively on the S Series flagships. The A56 has a small collection of AI features, but they aren’t clubbed together in the ‘Galaxy AI’ umbrella. These features include Object Eraser, Best Face, Edit Suggestions, Custom Filters, Auto Trim, AI Select, Read Aloud, and Circle to Search.
There are a few bloatware apps on the device, along with a Galaxy widget that serves banner ads on your home screen. Thankfully, they can be easily removed from the device. On a brighter note, Samsung has promised 6 major OS upgrades and 6 years of security patches for the Galaxy A56. This remarkable longevity is unbeatable in this price range.
Under the hood, the Galaxy A56 packs a 5,000mAh battery pack. The smartphone coasts through the day on a full charge. During the review period, we were able to rack up a screen time of ~6 hours before hitting the 20% battery level. The smartphone supports 45W wired charging. It took us 70 minutes to fully charge the device. There is no support for wireless charging.
The rear camera panel of the Galaxy A56 is similar to its previous iteration. It comprises a 50MP primary shooter, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 5MP macro sensor. The macro sensor serves very little purpose in this array and should have been replaced by a telephoto lens. Up front, the smartphone gets a new 12MP selfie camera.
The 50MP primary shooter takes good images in outdoor daylight conditions. The images pack vibrant colours and showcase incredible details. The contrast and dynamic range are also on point. The main sensor does a phenomenal job of exposing the sky and assigning it accurate colours at different times of the day. In limited lighting conditions, the smartphone relies on its photo processing skills to illuminate the subject and get rid of the noise.
Images taken with the 12MP ultrawide sensor are notably softer, but their colour profile is quite impressive. The tonal shift from the primary shooter is minimal. The images are smooth and well-composed. In limited lighting, the ultrawide sensor produces decent results. The 5MP macro sensor does not belong in this camera array and is easily outworked by the main camera.
The Galaxy A56 takes fun portraits. The images are focused and have a nice background blur. The smartphone does a good job of recognising the subject and separating it from the background. There is a minimal blur around the edges. The new 12MP selfie camera has a bigger sensor, which bumps up the quality of the images. This camera can now record 10-bit HDR footage as well.
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Verdict
Samsung Galaxy A56 has a lot of good things going for it. Its new design, smooth display, and helpful AI features will appeal to users who are looking for a device that they can rely upon day in and day out. The Exynos 1580 chipset isn’t meant for heavy-duty gaming, but it expertly handles routine tasks. The triple camera panel shows versatility in a multitude of lighting conditions. What seals the deal for us is 6 years of major OS upgrades. With that being said, there is still room for some improvement. In future, we would like to see Samsung equip its A5X series smartphones with a more powerful chipset, a better cooling system, and a telephoto camera. When these boxes are ticked, Samsung could have a real disruptor on its hands.
Samsung Galaxy A56: Pros
- Attractive design
- Smooth display
- AI features
Samsung Galaxy A56: Cons
- Lacks a telephoto lens
- Needs a better cooling system
- Exynos chipset is not meant for heavy gaming
