Samsung Galaxy A56 5G: Know the pros and cons
The Samsung Galaxy 'A' series has consistently delivered quality smartphones at accessible prices, blending essential features with innovative technology. The latest in this lineup, the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G, was first released on March 10, 2025. Let’s take a look at the key specs, pros, cons, and pricing of the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G in Bangladesh.
Key Features of the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
Design and Build Quality
The Samsung Galaxy A56 5G maintains the premium feel of the A-series, featuring a glass front and back (Gorilla Glass Victus+) with an aluminum frame. Its 7.4mm thickness makes it sleeker and lighter (198g) than the A55 5G (213g, 8.2mm thick), improving comfort for long usage. The IP67 dust and water resistance ensures durability.
Looking into the competitors, the OnePlus Ace 3 Pro offers an IP65 rating, making it less water-resistant, while the vivo S19 Pro features IP68/IP69K, providing better protection against high-pressure water.
The rival vivo S19 Pro's plastic frame is a downside compared to the A56’s premium aluminum.
Display Quality
Samsung continues its legacy of high-quality displays with the 6.7-inch Super AMOLED panel, boasting 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and a peak brightness of 1900 nits. This makes it a significant upgrade over the A55 5G’s 1000-nit brightness, offering better visibility in sunlight.
However, OnePlus Ace 3 Pro and vivo S19 Pro outshine the A56 5G in display quality. The Ace 3 Pro features an LTPO AMOLED panel with 4500 nits peak brightness, delivering richer colors and smoother adaptive refresh rates. Similarly, the vivo S19 Pro’s AMOLED display offers 4500 nits peak brightness, providing an ultra-bright viewing experience.
The A56 5G holds its ground in color accuracy and contrast, though its brightness levels are not the highest among its competitors.
Camera Performance
The triple-camera setup on the Galaxy A56 5G consists of a 50MP (f/1.8) main sensor (OIS), 12MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide, and 5MP (f/2.4) macro. It delivers detailed shots with AI enhancements like ‘Best Face’ and improved HDR. The A55 5G has the same setup but lacks AI-assisted photography, giving the A56 an edge in image processing.
When comparing with rivals, the vivo S19 Pro is the winner in photography, featuring a 50MP main sensor, 50MP telephoto lens (2x optical zoom), and an 8MP ultra-wide sensor. The addition of optical zoom makes it superior for portrait and long-range shots. On the other hand, the OnePlus Ace 3 Pro includes a weaker 8MP ultra-wide and a 2MP macro sensor, making it less versatile.
For selfies, the A56 5G has a 12MP (f/2.2) front camera, which is a downgrade from its ancestor, the A55 5G sporting a 32MP sensor. The vivo S19 Pro dominates with its 50MP selfie camera, offering the best front-facing camera performance. The OnePlus Ace 3 Pro's 16MP selfie shooter is decent but falls behind in detail and clarity.
Samsung Galaxy A56 5G can shoot 4K footage at 30fps at maximum with rear and front sensors, which is similar to Galaxy A55 and vivo S19 Pro. On the other hand, the OnePlus Ace 3 Pro can shoot 4K video with the rear sensor, but its front sensor falls behind the rivals with 1080p shooting capacity.
Processor Performance
The A56 5G is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 1580 (4nm) chipset, delivering better power efficiency and performance compared to the A55’s Exynos 1480. With an octa-core CPU (1x2.9 GHz & 3x2.6 GHz & 4x1.9 GHz) and an Xclipse 540 GPU, the A56 handles multitasking, streaming, and light gaming smoothly.
However, when comparing performance to the OnePlus Ace 3 Pro (Snapdragon 8 Gen 3) and vivo S19 Pro (Dimensity 9200+), the A56 5G falls behind. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in the Ace 3 Pro is a flagship-grade chipset capable of handling high-end gaming and demanding apps effortlessly. The vivo S19 Pro’s Dimensity 9200+ also offers superior performance over Samsung’s Exynos 1580, making it a better choice for power users.
Gaming Performance
Gaming on the A56 5G is smooth, thanks to the Xclipse 540 GPU and 120Hz refresh rate. Popular games like PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty Mobile, and Genshin Impact run decently at medium to high settings, but thermal management and sustained performance over long sessions could be better. The A55 5G struggled with frame drops due to the weaker Exynos 1480, so the A56 offers noticeable improvements.
However, for hardcore gaming, the OnePlus Ace 3 Pro and vivo S19 Pro are far superior. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (Ace 3 Pro) and Dimensity 9200+ (vivo S19 Pro) are optimized for high-refresh-rate gaming. The Adreno 750 GPU in the OnePlus Ace 3 Pro enables ultra-smooth gameplay with ray tracing support, while the vivo S19 Pro’s Immortalis-G715 GPU handles demanding graphics well. If gaming is a priority, these two are better choices than the A56 5G.
Battery Life
The A56 5G comes with a 5000mAh battery, the same as the A55 5G, but with better efficiency due to its upgraded chipset. The 45W fast charging (0-65% in 30 mins, 100% in 68 mins) is a significant improvement over the A55 5G’s 25W charging.
While the A56 5G provides around a whole day of battery life on moderate use, competitors offer bigger batteries and faster charging. The OnePlus Ace 3 Pro’s massive 6100mAh battery and 100W charging (full charge in 36 mins) far exceed the A56 5G. Likewise, the vivo S19 Pro’s 5500mAh battery and 80W charging are superior, making them better options for users who need ultra-fast charging and extended usage.
However, in this price range, the provision of reverse wired and wireless charging options could make the Galaxy A56 a better deal. The vivo S19 Pro offers a reverse charging feature, which makes it more user-friendly than Galaxy A56 and Ace 3 Pro.
Software and User Interface
The Galaxy A56 5G runs Android 15 with One UI 7, providing a clean, feature-rich experience with extended software support (6 major Android updates). The A55 5G, in comparison, launched with Android 14 and gets only 4 major updates, making the A56 a better long-term investment.
The OnePlus Ace 3 Pro (ColorOS 14) and vivo S19 Pro (OriginOS 4) offer different Android skins. ColorOS is known for customization, but it has ads and bloatware. OriginOS is visually appealing but lacks the deep optimization of One UI. If long-term software updates matter, the A56 5G is a better choice over these Chinese brands.
Memory and Storage Options
The A56 5G’s RAM capacity ranges from 8 to 12GB, while internal storage reaches up to 256GB starting from 128GB supported by UFS 3.1 technology. It comes in 3 variants: 128GB/8GB RAM, 256GB/8GB RAM, and 256GB/12GB RAM. Unlike the A55 5G, it does not include microSD card support, which could be a drawback for some users.
Compared to rivals, the vivo S19 Pro and the OnePlus Ace 3 Pro offer significantly larger storage capacities (up to 1TB), and more powerful RAMs (up to 16GB and 24GB), making them better for users who need extra space and power. The OnePlus Ace 3 Pro steps ahead in the race with the UFS 4.0 mechanism.
However, Samsung’s software optimizations and One UI’s storage management make the A56 5G efficient even with its limited options.
Pros and Cons of Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
Pros
- Aluminum frame
- Gorilla Glass Victus+ back.
- 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display
- 120Hz refresh rate
- Stereo speakers
- In-display fingerprint sensor
- IP67 water and dust resistance
- Android 15 with One UI 7
- 6 years of software updates.
Cons
- No 3.5mm headphone jack, requiring wireless or USB-C headphones.
- No expandable storage, unlike the A55 5G.
- NFC is region-dependent, so not available in all markets.
- No telephoto lens, limiting optical zoom capabilities.
- USB Type-C 2.0 instead of 3.0, making data transfer slower.
- Lack of 1TB internal storage option
- Lack of high RAM capacity options
- No wireless charging option.
- No reverse charging option.
Price of Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
The unofficial Samsung Galaxy A56 5G is priced at approximately BDT 55,000 in Bangladesh. However, the price may vary depending on sellers.
Final Words
The Galaxy A56 offers a premium design, a 120Hz Super AMOLED display, solid performance, long battery life, and a fast charging capacity. It also provides stereo speakers, an in-display fingerprint sensor, IP67 water resistance, long-term software updates, etc.
However, it lacks expandable storage, and NFC in some regions. Those who prefer top-tier gaming performance, a 3.5mm jack, 1TB memory, 16 or 24GB RAM, reverse/wireless charging, or a telephoto camera, may look for the other options.
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G is a balanced choice for everyday users looking for a reliable, durable, and feature-rich mid-range smartphone.