Samsung Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36 First Impressions

Samsung Galaxy A-series has always been a special series from the brand. The series not only bridges the gap between its flagship S-series and other affordable series like the Galaxy M or F, but it is also one of the most selling series from the South Korean brand. We have seen multiple Galaxy A models offering customers a good value-for-money proposition. Now, the brand is all set to take a step ahead with the latest Galaxy A56, Galaxy A36, and Galaxy A26. I have some time to explore the Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36, and here's what you need to know. 

The Samsung Galaxy A56 and Samsung Galaxy A36 offer a glass back at the rear.

Starting with the design, Samsung has ensured that the new Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36 remain among the classiest phones from the brand in this price segment. The latest smartphones have a refreshed design language, a glass back, and a slimmer profile compared to the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35. The rear panel has a new liner floating island that houses the camera modules. This surely gives the phone a distinct look, but it also makes it wobble when placed on a flat surface. 

The company has also introduced interesting colour options for both devices. The Galaxy A56 is available in Awesome Lightgray, Awesome Graphite, Awesome Olive and Awesome Pink. The Galaxy A36 5G is available in Awesome Lavender, Awesome Black, Awesome White and Awesome Lime. I got the Awesome Olive and Awesome Lavender colour options for the Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36, respectively. Though the Galaxy A56's Olive colour looks subtle, the Galaxy A36 stands out more with its Radiance-like design at the rear panel with the Lavender colour option. 

The Samsung Galaxy A56 is available in Awesome Lightgray, Awesome Graphite, and Awesome Olive colourways.

The Samsung Galaxy A56 comes with a metal frame, which looks premium and sturdy when you hold it. A slight bump on the right side of the frame houses the volume controls and power on/off buttons. That said, the Galaxy A36 also follows a similar design language, though the frame is not metal. The base of both devices features a SIM tray, a USB Type-C port, and a speaker grille. 

Coming to the display, both the handsets are loaded with a 6.7-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display. The screen comes with up to 1,200 nits of peak brightness and up to 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. Moreover, you also get Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection on both the front and rear panels, which provides some durability. During the initial testing, the display looked good, vibrant and colourful, which has always been the strong point of Samsung mobiles. We will talk more about it in our upcoming review. 

Both the handsets feature a 6.7-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display.

Moving on, the Samsung Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36 offer some interesting hardware. The Galaxy A56 is powered by the Exynos 1580 processor, while the Galaxy A36 packs a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset. The Galaxy A56 is available with 8GB RAM/12GB RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage, while the Galaxy A36 features 6GB/8GB/12GB RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage. 

The devices are loaded with OneUI 7.0, which runs on the Android 15 operating system. Samsung has also ensured that the devices receive longer software updates and has promised six years of OS upgrades and six years of security patches with the new Galaxy devices. 

The Samsung Galaxy A36 is available in three colour options: Awesome Lavender, Awesome Black, and Awesome White.

That said, what makes them different from their predecessors is the inclusion of Galaxy AI features. The Samsung Galaxy A56 gets the most AI features out of the lot. The company has promised to get features like Circle of Search, Object Eraser, Edit Suggestion, Auto Trim, Best Face, AI Select, Rear Aloud, Instant slo-mo, My Filter, and more. These are some of the interesting AI features in this list that are also present in the current Galaxy S25 series. 

The Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36 also feature an improved camera system. Both devices have a triple-camera setup on the rear panel. Interestingly, both feature a 50-megapixel primary sensor with OIS support and an f/1.8 aperture. The Galaxy A56 has a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, while the Galaxy A36 has an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor. Lastly, the handsets feature a 5-megapixel macro sensor with an f/2.4 aperture.

Both handsets on the front feature a 12-megapixel selfie camera that supports 10-bit HDR, which is interesting in this price segment. We haven't used the cameras of both devices in different conditions, so stay tuned with us for a detailed camera review. 

The Samsung Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36 are also loaded with a 5,000mAh battery. Both the devices are packed with 45W fast charging support, which is an upgrade. Moreover, the company claims that the new devices can provide up to 29 hours of video playback, which will be an interesting claim to test during our battery HD loop test. 

Both devices are loaded with a 5,000mAh battery and support 45W fast charging.

To conclude, the Samsung Galaxy A56 and Samsung Galaxy A36 do bring some interesting features to the table. Whether be it new design language or dependable cameras coupled with six years of OS and security updates, both devices have a lot to offer in this price segment. However, can they survive this tough competition? We will be able to answer this in our upcoming review. So, stay tuned.