
Galaxy A56 is doing so, so much better than its predecessor in Europe
According to data from Counterpoint Research, sales of the Galaxy A56 during its first seven weeks on the market were 12% higher than those of the Galaxy A55 during the same period last year. This uptick stands out because Samsung's overall smartphone sales in Western Europe fell by 11% year-over-year, while the regional market declined by only 2%. In contrast, the Galaxy A55 had seen a 22% drop in sales compared to the A54, even as Samsung's total sales rose by 8% during that time.
One possible explanation for the Galaxy A56 's relatively stronger start is its inclusion of Galaxy AI features, a first for Samsung's A-series. Alongside the A36 and A26, the A56 introduces more advanced software tools to the mid-tier market, aiming to make premium features more accessible. Consumers appear to have responded well to this shift, although competition in the segment remains intense.
– Jan Stryjak, Associate Director with Counterpoint Research, July 2025
Despite the competitive environment, the success of devices like the Galaxy A56 highlights the growing appeal of mid-range smartphones. These phones now offer many of the same core features once limited to flagship models – high refresh rate displays, capable cameras, long battery life, and increasingly, on-device AI. For many users, especially in mature markets like Western Europe, the gap between mid-range and high-end smartphones has narrowed significantly. That's why the mid-range segment isn't just easier on the wallet – it's also where you'll find the sweet spot between price and performance, without giving up the features that actually matter day to day. Secure your connection now at a bargain price!
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This year, the special PaperMatte edition is still available (in a fresh new green color), but I'm reviewing the standard edition of the MatePad Pro 12.2 2025, which comes with a standard, glossy OLED display, which I'm equally excited about. But as always with Huawei, the software ecosystem, and especially the lack of native Google services support, remain a big caveat for most international buyers. The MatePad Pro 12.2 2025 starts at €1000 or £900, and is available in select global markets (including the UK and Europe). It's not officially sold through U.S. carriers or retailers, but it can be imported, if one really wants to. The great thing about Huawei's offer is that the MatePad Pro 12.2 still comes bundled with the pretty great Glide Keyboard, as well as the M-Pencil 3 stylus as a free gift, which is an amazing value at that price, assuming you can work around the Google limitations. 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Perhaps as a way to make up for the Google services limitations, Huawei is very generous with the accessories it gives away with the MatePad Pro 12.2 2025. You once again get the versatile Glide Keyboard (in white or black), as well as the excellent M-Pencil 3 stylus. The Glide Keyboard for the MatePad 12.2 has a very specific design that effectively turns your tablet into a laptop. It's super smart. Its unique features are Studio Mode, which lets you draw and write on the tablet without having to detach it, as well as the storage and charging compartment for the stylus on the inside. The stylus compartment is very cool, because it allows you to completely store away the stylus when not using it, all while charging it and without any risk of losing it. You can, of course, magnetically attach the stylus on the MatePad Pro's edge, to connect and charge it, but that's not the safest way to transport it as it's easy to accidentally bump it into something and have it fall down. 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GPU Performance Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2 2025 Software The new MatePad Pro 12.2 2025 runs Harmony OS 4.3, which I guess is slightly newer than the Harmony OS 4.2 that still runs on the MatePad Pro 12.2 2024. There seem to be some minor improvements over 4.2; I haven't noticed any major changes between the two. Harmony OS 4.3 is a capable platforms – it runs very fluidly, has a ton of great features, and looks good. However, it seems to be that Huawei isn't a huge fan of software updates these days. While I've received a number of updates on the Mate X6, I don't remember the MatePad Pro 12.2 from last year receiving any updates so far. So, what I won't enjoy is if users have to upgrade to the next model in the series in order to also get software improvements – I hope this is not the strategy at Huawei right now, and I hope the company will deliver major updates to all these devices for at least 3 years. Aside from that, Harmony OS is a remarkably stable platform. Aside from the very odd, minor bug, everything seems to run in a very smooth and stable fashion, so I guess this in itself is an achievement. As usual, if you want to use Google services on this Huawei product, you'll need to use some workarounds. Mainly, there is the microG framework built into the MatePad Pro 12.2, which allows you to use any standard Google account, mostly without much hassle. You can also use third-party apps that handle account logins on their own (don't use the system account management). These things aren't a huge hassle, but you have to be somewhat tech-savvy to comfortably set things up. There are four speakers on the Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2 2025, and they are superb! Audio was already very strong on last year's model, but this year Huawei has upgraded the speakers even further – they now sound clearer and even slightly deeper than before. 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We measured an insane charging speed of just 49 minutes to go from 0 - 100%. This is truly crazy for tablet charging, but that's the power of Huawei's 100W charger. Meanwhile, the iPad Pro M4 13" needs about 2h 28min to fully charge, while the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra takes about 2h 17min. Once you get used to the turbo charging speeds of the Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2, there is no going back. Huawei has upgraded the main camera on its MatePad Pro 12.2 to a 50MP unit. This is a strong improvement over last year's model, which will surely be appreciated by consumers who tend to use the cameras of their tablets a lot. Aside from that, we still get the secondary, 8 MP ultra-wide camera (increasingly becoming a rarity in tablets), as well as an 8 MP front-facing selfie camera. Video Quality The new, 50MP main camera captures good-looking 4K video at up to 30fps, or 1080p video at up to 60fps. Its weakest link is the stabilization (or lack thereof), as you can see in the footage above. There's quite a bit of shaking going on. But provided you can keep your hands super-steady, the footage quality itself is pretty good. The front-facing camera, which you'd most often use for video calls and selfies, will get the job done, but won't knock your socks off. That's OK, most tablets out there don't ship with cutting-edge camera gear. Photo quality is good by tablet standard and should be sufficient in the off chance that you need to take pictures with the MatePad Pro 12.2 2025. The new, 50MP camera performs similarly to the one that we tested in the MatePad Pro 13.2 2025. It doesn't particularly shine with anything, and it tends to come up with warmer tones than needed, but it'll get the job done. The 8 MP ultra-wide camera proves once again to be very reliable, with respectable exposure and colors. Unfortunately, both cameras don't have their exposures and color balances synced, but that's not a huge deal for a tablet camera. The Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2 2025 is a remarkably awesome tablet. Its design is still up there with the best, being so nice, thin and relatively light. The Tandem OLED screen is great, no matter if you decide to go with the PaperMatte option or the standard glass model. It's high-resolution, high-refresh rate and very bright. This year's edition brings a welcome upgrade to the camera module and, perhaps more importantly, the chipset. This is still no speed demon, but it's gotten roughly 15% faster in CPU performance, and up to about 30% faster in GPU performance, which are both welcome bumps. And while the need for workarounds to get Google apps going is certainly an inconvenience for international users, the overall package, including the bundled Glide Keyboard and the free M-Pencil 3 add-on, absolutely presents a worthwhile option that should be considered by everyone on the market for a versatile, premium tablet.


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vivo still leads the Indian smartphone market in the first half of 2025
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