The Samsung Galaxy A56 5G is here, and it's looking like it could be as popular as last year's A55 5G. This review dives into its features, performance, and whether it's a good buy in today's competitive market. We'll cover everything from its design to its camera, helping you decide if this mid-range phone is right for you.
Design and Build
First off, the design and build of the A56 5G feel pretty premium, much like the Galaxy A55 5G. It's a bit thinner and lighter this time around. The look is very similar to Samsung's latest flagship S25 series, with a simple, vertically aligned camera and a small Samsung logo. It comes in light gray, graphite, and pink. The light gray version we have here looks more like white, so if you like white phones, you'll probably like this one.
Samsung didn't skimp on the build quality either. It has metal frames and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on both the front and back, so yes, it has a glass back. It also has an IP67 water and dust resistance rating. Some might wish for IP68, and it's true that more phones in this price range are offering it now, even some cheaper ones. But honestly, IP67 is still good protection if you accidentally drop it in water.
Display
Moving on to the display, it's almost the same as last year's Galaxy A55 5G, which isn't a bad thing because that was already a good display. This one is slightly bigger at 6.7 inches, compared to 6.6 inches last year, thanks to thinner side bezels. While the bezels might still seem a bit thick compared to some competitors, it's not a big problem for me, and the phone makes up for it in other ways.
It has a flat 1080p Super AMOLED display from Samsung, so you can expect vibrant colors and a great viewing experience for videos. It also supports Wide Vine L1 for full HD streaming. The dual speakers sound good too, with strong volume and clear details for the price. The screen refresh rate is still 120Hz, which makes scrolling smooth, especially in social media apps. The display is brighter now at 1200 nits in high brightness mode, up from 1000 nits last year. It might not be the brightest at this price, but I had no issues with outdoor visibility.
The fingerprint scanner is fast and accurate, though don't expect flagship-level speed. The haptic feedback is also good for the price. Overall, the display and related features are solid for what you pay.
Software and Performance
Samsung's OneUI is known for being one of the best, and their software support is a big win. Last year, the Galaxy A55 5G promised four major Android upgrades and five years of security patches. This year, they've made it even better: six years of security patches and six major Android upgrades. This means the phone will get updates all the way up to Android 21, which is a huge plus for a phone under 30k. While the phone might not be super fast after six years, it should still handle basic apps like social media, texting, and browsing well if you take care of it. Samsung is also good about releasing updates frequently.
For everyday use and light gaming, the Exynos 1580 chipset performs well. It's responsive and good for multitasking. In Antutu benchmark, it scored over 900k, which isn't the best compared to performance-focused phones, but it's decent. If you're a heavy gamer, this phone might not be for you. However, for lighter games like Mobile Legends, it runs smoothly at an average of 88 FPS. Call of Duty Mobile also runs consistently at 60 FPS in both MP and BR modes. Genshin Impact runs at around 50 FPS on average with lowest graphics settings, but expect some frame drops, especially during skill use.
One thing to note is that the phone can get a bit warm during gaming, which is common with Exynos chipsets. It's not extremely hot, and it's better than older Exynos chips, but it's something to be aware of.
Battery and Charging
The A56 5G has a 5,000 mAh battery. In PC Mark battery test, it got about 15 hours of screen-on time, which is good. While not the absolute best in terms of battery life, it should easily last you a full day with normal use. There's also an improvement in charging speed, now supporting 45W fast charging. It's not as fast as some competitors with 90W or 120W charging, but it's a step up. It charges from 10% to 70% in 30 minutes and to full in about 1 hour and 12 minutes.
Camera
The camera setup includes a 50-megapixel main shooter, a 12-megapixel ultrawide, a 5-megapixel macro, and a 12-megapixel front-facing camera. Photos taken with the main camera outdoors look good, with vibrant colors and good sharpness. However, it struggles a bit with backlighting, sometimes blowing out parts of the image and showing lens flares. It's not a flagship-level camera, but it can still take good photos.
The ultrawide camera isn't great; it has a strong fish-eye effect and blurred edges, so I wouldn't recommend using it much. Portrait shots are decent with good skin tones, but edge detection could be better. Selfies are good with plenty of detail, not soft like some other phones, but make sure your hand is steady to avoid blurry photos.
For videos, you can record up to 4K 30 FPS, but unfortunately, there's no 4K 60 FPS. Videos tend to have a warm tone, sometimes making daylight scenes look like sunset. However, sharpness, details, and stabilization are good. The front-facing camera also records in 4K 30 FPS, but the field of view is a bit narrow. The quality is decent, and it could work for vlogging if you're just starting out.
Other Features and Pricing
Signal reception is good, and it has Samsung Knox Vault for added security. Video calls on Messenger are clear. The Samsung Galaxy A56 5G costs Php25,990 for the 8GB/256GB version. Online, you can often find it discounted to around Php22,000, which is a great price for this phone. Even at full price, it's a fair deal considering its good performance, display, battery life, and design.
Key Takeaways
- Pros:
- Premium design and build with metal frames and Gorilla Glass Victus Plus.
- IP67 water and dust resistance.
- Vibrant Super AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate.
- Excellent software support: 6 years of security patches and 6 major Android upgrades.
- Good everyday performance for non-gamers.
- Solid battery life and improved 45W fast charging.
- Main camera takes good photos in ideal conditions.
- Cons:
- Thick side bezels compared to some competitors.
- Not ideal for heavy gaming due to performance and thermals.
- Ultrawide camera is not very good.
- No 4K 60 FPS video recording.
- No microSD card slot (unlike the A55 5G).
How to Get a Discount
If you're looking to buy a Samsung phone, here are some tips to get a good deal, based on my own experience:
- Look for pre-orders: Pre-orders often come with big discounts and freebies.
- Join Samsung Facebook groups: Members often share discount codes that can be used on Samsung's website.
- Chat with customer support: On Samsung's website, you can ask customer support if there are additional vouchers you can use on top of existing discounts. I got an extra 1k or 2k off this way.
- Use Samsung Rewards points: If you've bought Samsung products before, you might have rewards points. Samsung sometimes doubles these points when you use them for a new purchase, leading to significant savings.
Checking Samsung's official website is usually the best way to find these deals.
