Samsung Galaxy A56 5G Review: Another mid-range hit or just playing it safe?

Irish Examiner

22-05-2025

The Galaxy A50 series has long been a fan favourite in Samsung's mid-range lineup, and the new A56 5G is here to carry the torch. It's positioned as the top-tier A-series device for the year, packing in a refreshed design, an upgraded chipset, and a few notable tweaks like a new selfie camera and improved display brightness. But is that enough to make it stand out in 2025's fiercely competitive mid-range market?
Design and build
Samsung hasn't reinvented the wheel with the A56, but the refinements are welcome. The separate camera lenses have now morphed into a vertically stacked unified camera island, which gives the rear a cleaner, more cohesive look.
The phone features an aluminium frame and Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the back, which makes it durable and helps it feel slightly more premium than last year's A55. I know it comes down to personal preference, but I'm a fan of the flat sides, front, and back, even though rounded edges may feel more comfortable to hold. Of course, most people will use a case anyway, which tends to nullify both the look and feel. I also love the look of the natural brushed aluminium sides, especially the left side, which is clean and minimalist, featuring only the antenna lines and no buttons.
Despite the tougher materials, the A56 is thinner and lighter, making it comfortable. It's still IP67-rated, so you get decent dust and water protection, though it's lagging behind a few rivals that now offer IP68 in similar price brackets.
Display
The A56 sports a 6.7-inch Full HD+ OLED panel, with slimmer bezels allowing the phone to keep a manageable footprint. It's still a 120Hz display, with punchy colours, superb contrast, and HDR10+ support, which adds depth when watching supported content.
Thanks to its high brightness mode of 1,200 nits, I had no trouble reading content on the display. This is a slight improvement over the 1,000 nits on the A55.
Cameras
The triple camera setup on the back consists of a 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2), a 50MP main (f/1.8, AF, OIS), and a 5MP macro (f/2.4). The front selfie camera has been downgraded from 32MP to a new 12MP sensor. That said, the selfies look great, with decent detail, colours, and wide dynamic range. The main camera performs well in daylight, delivering bright, sharp images. That said, some competitors edge it out in terms of dynamic range and sharpness, especially when shooting portraits or high-contrast scenes.
Low-light performance is good but not class-leading. Clipped highlights and some softness are noticeable, although night mode helps clean up shots. The ultra-wide camera is fine in the daytime, with decent colour accuracy, but it suffers at night. Photos often come out soft, noisy, and underexposed unless you engage night mode.
The macro camera still feels like an afterthought rather than a must-have feature. While it's a step up from the 2MP sensors in many competing phones, it still requires excellent lighting and a steady hand to get usable results. Personally, I'd much prefer a telephoto lens over a low-resolution macro one; it's far more useful in everyday photography.
The 4K video from the main and ultra-wide cameras looks crisp, detailed, and well-stabilised. Night-time video is also better than expected, although highlights can be overexposed.
Performance
Under the hood, Samsung has equipped the A56 with its in-house Exynos 1580 chipset. It has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, but Samsung has disappointingly removed microSD card support. I appreciate that not many phones include a microSD card slot these days.
While it doesn't blow the doors off the competition, it's a respectable improvement over the A55's processor. Real-world performance is smooth, and even moderate gaming is handled without major issues. The phone remains cool under stress, but this isn't too surprising for a device with a mid-range chipset. It's not as powerful as some Snapdragon-powered rivals, but it's reliable enough for the average user and benefits from Samsung's efficient software.
Security is handled via an in-display optical fingerprint sensor. It's reliable enough, though not the fastest.
Software
The A56 ships with Android 15 and One UI 7, and Samsung promises six years of software support, matching the longevity offered on its flagships. That's impressive in this price bracket.
You also get a taste of Samsung's AI features, including AI Select and Object Eraser, plus Google's Gemini AI assistant, which is built in. DeX is still missing, as expected, but the inclusion of flagship-grade software tools is a big win.
Battery and charging
The battery remains at 5,000mAh, while the Exynos chip's efficiency helps. Charging speed is up to 45W fast charging, provided you use the right adapter and cable. From 0 to 65% takes around 30 minutes, but a full charge still takes over an hour, which is slower than some rivals.
Verdict
The Galaxy A56 is a solid, well-rounded mid-ranger with a sleek design, quality display, capable cameras and standout software support. It may not lead in every category, but it gets most of the essentials right, and for many, that will be more than enough.
€484 Samsung