The Samsung Galaxy A56 5G emerges as a compelling contender in the mid-range smartphone market, blending premium design elements with robust performance and advanced features. With a price point of just from RM1999, it seeks to offer value without compromising on essential functionalities.
Unboxing Contents
- Samsung Galaxy A56 5G Phone
- USB C to C cable
- SIM Ejector
- Quick Start Guide
Design & Build Quality
The Galaxy A56 5G showcases a refined aesthetic with a glass back and aluminum frame, exuding a premium feel. Samsung’s new “Linear floating camera design” features a vertically aligned pill-shaped camera module, enhancing its modern appeal. The device is notably 10% slimmer and lighter than its predecessor, the A55, making it more comfortable for daily use. However, the sleek design can be slippery, so utilizing a protective case is advisable though the front and back build material is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass+.
The weight of the phone is measured at 198 grams with thickness only at 7.8 mm making it still pretty slim in a candy bar profile compared to it’s predecessor and competing mid range phone today with IP67 protection against water and dust resistant.
Display & Audio
Equipped with a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display, the A56 5G delivers vibrant and punchy colors. The HDR10+ support ensures an immersive viewing experience, whether streaming videos or playing games. The display’s brightness can peak up to 1900nits and the clarity make it suitable for various lighting conditions, enhancing overall usability posing almost no challenges in any conditions.
Audio wise, the Galaxy A56 has a very good pair of speakers with pleasant audio delivery. It also has a pretty good support on Dolby Atmos along with pre-set and customizable equalizer settings. This also provides great flexibility for any listening enjoyment over any tunes and genres.
Performance
Under the hood, the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 1580 Octa Core chipset, coupled with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 internal fast storage. This configuration ensures smooth performance for everyday tasks and multitasking.
While it handles casual gaming efficiently, it may not be the optimal choice for heavy gaming sessions, as some slowdowns could occur during intensive use. Another minor downside is Samsung choose to move away from MicroSD Card expansion, but for the most part, be it storing files or productivity apps, even games, it should be sufficient. The GPU is powered by the beefed up Xclipse 540 which offered twice the power compared to the Exynos 1480 GPU and now it is driven by AMD’s RDNA3 that is found on the higher end Exynos 2400 SOC with two Work Group Processors with more TOPs on the NPU.
Benchmarks
I am truly amazed that the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G performance, especially in the synthetic scoring where the phone is standing strong trading blows in benchmarks sometimes surpasses some of the competing brands and models found today. This clearly shows that the new Exynos 1580 SOC with Xclipse 540 has reached the competitive level that is within the playfield level.
Camera
The smartphone features a triple-camera setup: a 50MP main sensor with OIS and PDAF, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a 5MP macro lens. The main camera captures detailed and vibrant photos in various lighting conditions. The ultra-wide lens is suitable for expansive shots, while the macro lens allows for close-up photography. The 12MP front-facing camera delivers clear and sharp selfies, catering well to social media enthusiasts. One of the features that carries over from the flagship is the Motion photo which allows user to capture a few seconds of action leading up to when the shutter button is released. It even allows you to pinpoint which moment you want to preserve as the still frame
Towards the video portion, the Galaxy A56 5G is able to capture video up to 4K 30FPS, making it highly suitable for a quick video recording with good frame pacing with high quality video being observed throughout our experiential tests.
In summary is the camera is comparable or even above par against many phones under the similar price range, and it even performs at a reasonable level during night captures as long one should not compared it with the higher end flagships.
Battery Life
The A56 5G houses a 5000mAh battery, providing ample power to last through a full day of moderate to heavy usage with various usage from social media to some light gaming, and of course calls and commutation as well. The inclusion of 45W fast charging support ensures quick replenishment of the battery, minimizing downtime.
Do take note that there is no charging adaptor included, so one will have to get it from the store or online, generally any 45W adaptor and above with PD fast charging should be compatible in order to take advantage of the fast charging capabilities, or just use any of your existing PD charger.
Software & AI Features
Running on Samsung’s latest One UI 7 with Android 15, the Galaxy A56 5G offers a user-friendly interface with a suite of AI-driven features. The “Awesome Intelligence” integrates AI capabilities to enhance photography, optimize performance, and provide personalized user experiences. Samsung’s commitment to long-term support is evident, with promises of six years of OS and security updates, ensuring the device remains up-to-date.
This is the first time ever that the A series comes with some AI features, although it is not as packed as the higher end Galaxy S series, it still offer some of the notable yet fun inclusion like Smart Select, Object Erase which allows you to auto erase unwanted parts, Best Face with motion photo support and the ever popular Circle to Search which allows user to circle the part of the text or images on the screen to perform a smart search via Google Chrome mobile browser, and this also works with the camera in tandem with the live view from the camera app.
Verdict & Conclusion
As a well-rounded mid-range smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G stands out thanks to its elegant design, bright display, powerful camera system, and dependable operation. It is a good option for people looking for a mix between price and capability because of its sophisticated AI features and extensive software support. However, those that prioritize mainstream high-end gaming might want to look into options that are more appropriate for demanding gaming requirements.
Pricing & Availability
Currently the Galaxy A56 is officially priced at RM1999 (8GB RAM + 128GB) and RM2199 (12GB RAM + 256GB). But if you purchase during the promotional period, you can get the 256GB storage configuration at just RM1999 with free 1-Year Extended Warranty worth RM129.
Special thanks to Samsung Malaysia for providing the unit for review. For more information on the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G, click here to find out more.