Samsung’s stealthy midrange marvel: The Galaxy A56 arrives

It didn’t receive much attention, but Samsung just released the midrange smartphone I’ve been waiting for all year.

I was thoroughly disappointed when the company decided not to bring the excellent Galaxy A55 to the US last year.

So you can imagine my excitement when Samsung announced back in March that the Galaxy A56 would be getting a stateside release — just not yet.

I’ve used both the Galaxy A26 and Galaxy A36, but I waited ( not so patiently) for the Galaxy A56 to arrive. I figured it would be soon after the announcement, as the international variant was already shipping.

Unfortunately, I had to wait another four months, but the day has arrived — the Galaxy A56 is available for purchase. It’s a phone that should top your midrange shopping shortlist, and I’ve enjoyed using mine quite a bit. Here’s why.

A premium design with a gorgeous display

I could easily confuse this with a flagship

If you handed me the Galaxy A56 and told me it was the upcoming Galaxy S26, I would believe you.

It features Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the front and back, paired with a beautiful brushed aluminum frame. Samsung’s “Key Island” design element gives it away as an A-series device, but otherwise, it’s premium throughout.

It also features an IP67 rating, and for my money, it’s one of the best-made phones under $500.

Samsung fitted excellent displays to all its midrange phones this year, and the Galaxy A56 is no exception.

It features a vibrant, saturated 6.7-inch Super AMOLED 1080p panel that refreshes at 120Hz. The colors pop off the screen, and I love playing Pokémon Go on the Galaxy A56.

I enjoy the Google Pixel 9a a lot, and I think it’s pound-for-pound one of the best deals you can get on a smartphone for $500.

However, the Galaxy A56 is an excellent alternative for those who need a larger screen experience on their smartphones, with the 6.7-inch Galaxy A56 display providing a more expansive canvas than the 6.3-inch panel on the Pixel 9a.

Snappier performance and excellent software support

The Galaxy A56 sets itself apart

When I reviewed the Galaxy A36, I was ready to love the phone. Unfortunately, its performance let me down, and I don’t blame its Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset.

I’ve used that chipset in the Moto G Stylus 2025, and I noticed smoother performance overall.

I don’t think 6GB of RAM was enough in the Galaxy A36, and it frustrated me as a result.

Thankfully, Samsung is giving us a bit more in the Galaxy A56, fitting the device with 8GB of RAM to pair with the capable Exynos 1580 chipset. We didn’t get the 12GB variant that ships overseas, but I’ll take it.

The Exynos 1580 is a superb follow-up to last year’s Exynos 1480. Samsung’s midrange chipsets are improving, and the horrible memory of the Galaxy A53 is long behind me.

I never experienced any significant lag or slowdowns using the Galaxy A56, and light to medium gaming is enjoyable. It’s not plagued by overheating, either, a problem that marred previous Exynos chipsets.

One UI 7 runs smoothly on the Galaxy A56, and I love that Samsung is promising six years of software support. It’s not the seven years you’ll find on the Google Pixel 9a, but it’s close enough.

Even if you don’t plan on keeping your phone for that long, extended support helps at resale, allowing your phone to retain more value over time.

You won’t get a full slate of Galaxy AI on the Galaxy A56, but that’s not a dealbreaker for me.

Circle to Search is available, and you’ll find Object Eraser for your photo editing needs.

Outstanding battery life and a passable camera

Two days on a single charge

I enjoy the performance I get from the Exynos 1580 chipset, but I love how power-efficient it is.

I marveled at the outstanding battery life on the Galaxy A55 last year, and I’m glad to see that it continues with the newest generation.

I routinely get two full days of mixed use on a single charge, and the A56 even has relatively fast charging for a Samsung device at 45W.

I get decent photos from its 50MP primary sensor in good lighting, but the 12MP ultrawide and 5MP macro lenses are nothing worth writing about.

If you’re a shutterbug, the Pixel 9a is the better choice, although the Galaxy A56 does a much better job than in previous years.

The camera system on the Galaxy A55 produced washed-out photos, and I didn’t love the detail. Samsung has addressed this issue with the Galaxy A56.

The Galaxy A56 enters a crowded midrange market

Although I love the hardware on the Galaxy A56, it’s positioned awkwardly given its $500 initial MSRP.

It’s a phone that routinely goes on sale on Amazon for under $400, and for that price, I’m a buyer.

It’s a noticeably better smartphone than the Galaxy A36, although it still falls short of the Galaxy S24 FE.

If you can pick up the latter on an excellent deal, go for it, but for everyone else, the Galaxy A56 deserves more attention than it’s getting.