Galaxy A36 and A56 release date, price, specs and must-know features
Samsung has finally introduced the Galaxy A56 5G and the Galaxy A36 5G, which are slight upgrades over their predecessors in the mid-range segment.
The Galaxy A56 is back in the U.S. with a $499 price tag, while the A36 is remains available at $399 just like its predecessor.
Both phones come with a redesigned camera module, and both have a slightly bigger 6.7-inch AMOLED display with better peak brightness of 1900 nits.
One of the stand-out features is the new fast 45W wired charging – something that is missing even on the Galaxy S25.
The A56 is powered by an Exynos 1580 chip and has 8GB RAM, and it supports more AI features than the A36 that is equipped with a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 and starts at 6 GB of RAM.
Another surprise are the six to seven years of software update promises from Samsung.
Jump to section:
- Galaxy A56 5G and A36 5G release date
- Galaxy A56 5G and A36 5G price
- Galaxy A56 5G and A36 5G camera
- Galaxy A56 5G and A36 5G storage
- Galaxy A56 5G and A36 5G design
- Galaxy A56 5G and A36 5G display
- Galaxy A56 5G and A36 5G battery
- Galaxy A56 5G and A36 5G features and software
- Galaxy A56 5G and A36 5G hardware
- Comparisons
Galaxy A56 5G and A36 5G release date
Image credit -- Samsung
Samsung announced the Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36 on March 2, 2025. Weirdly, Samsung has given a release date only for the Galaxy A36, which will be available on 26 March. The company has still not stated when the Galaxy A56 will be available.
| Device family | Announcement | Market release |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy A56 5G and A36 5G | March 2, 2025 | 26 March (only A36); A56 release is still unclear |
| Galaxy A55 5G and A35 5G | March 11, 2024 | March 15, 2024 (April 18 for the US) |
| Galaxy A54 5G and A34 5G | March 15, 2023 | March 24, 2023 (April 6 for the US) |
Galaxy A56 5G and A36 5G prices
Notably, the Galaxy A56 is making a return to the U.S., unlike its predecessor. Samsung skipped the A55 in the region, possibly to avoid price overlap with the Galaxy S24 FE, but the A56 will be available for $499.
| Model | Starting price |
|---|---|
| Galaxy A56 5G | $499, €479, £499 |
| Galaxy A55 5G | Was not available in the US | £439, €479 |
| Galaxy A54 5G | $449, £449, €459 |
| Galaxy A36 5G | $399, €379, £399 |
| Galaxy A35 5G | $399, £339, €345 |
| Galaxy A34 5G | Was not available in the US, £349, €325 |
Galaxy A56 5G and A36 5G camera
Image credit -- Samsung
Beyond the redesigned camera island, the hardware remains mostly unchanged.
The Galaxy A36 sticks with a 50 MP main, 8 MP ultrawide, and 5 MP macro camera setup, while the front camera sees a slight change to 12 MP from the A35’s 13 MP selfie shooter. Functional, but nothing groundbreaking.
The Galaxy A36 sticks with a 50 MP main, 8 MP ultrawide, and 5 MP macro camera setup, while the front camera sees a slight change to 12 MP from the A35’s 13 MP selfie shooter. Functional, but nothing groundbreaking.
The Galaxy A56 also keeps the same 50 MP main, 12 MP ultrawide, and 5 MP macro combination from its predecessor.
Galaxy A56 and A36 storage
While both models start at 120 GB of storage, only the A56 base model comes with 8 GB of RAM. To get that on the Galaxy A36, you have to upgrade to its 256 GB storage model. There's also a 256 GB Galaxy A56, but again with 8 GB of RAM.
Galaxy A56 5G and A36 5G design
Image credit -- Samsung
The Galaxy A36 5G is going on a bit of a diet, now thinner at 7.4mm, which is about 1mm less than the Galaxy A35.
The biggest design shift is at the back, though. Samsung has replaced the separate camera lenses with a unified camera island for all three cameras. It’s not a functional change, but it does make the A56 and A36 stand out as the newer model.
Interestingly, unlike previous years, you can now tell the A series apart when comparing them to Samsung's high-end S series, thanks to the camera modules. Before, the models had a similar design, but now the unified camera island of the A36 and A56 makes them stand out from the pricier variants.
The Key Island design (that combines the power and volume buttons) remains.
The biggest design shift is at the back, though. Samsung has replaced the separate camera lenses with a unified camera island for all three cameras. It’s not a functional change, but it does make the A56 and A36 stand out as the newer model.
Interestingly, unlike previous years, you can now tell the A series apart when comparing them to Samsung's high-end S series, thanks to the camera modules. Before, the models had a similar design, but now the unified camera island of the A36 and A56 makes them stand out from the pricier variants.
The Galaxy A56 and A36 colors are:
- Awesome Pink
- Awesome Olive
- Awesome Graphite
- Awesome Lightgray
Galaxy A56 5G and A36 5G display
Both phones get a tiny screen size bump to 7 inches (up from 6.6 inches on the previous models). Other than that, we are looking at the same super AMOLED panels with a dynamic refresh rate that maxes out at 120Hz. Samsung has also increased the peak brightness levels to 1900 nits.
Galaxy A56 and A36 battery
Image credit -- Samsung
Both phones pack 5,000 mAh batteries and surprisingly support 45W wired charging, a standout feature even missing from the Galaxy S25. However, wireless charging is absent on both models.
Samsung does not include a charger with the A56 5G, so buyers will need to purchase a compatible 45W charger separately.
Samsung does not include a charger with the A56 5G, so buyers will need to purchase a compatible 45W charger separately.
Galaxy A56 5G and A36 5G features and software
Image credit -- Samsung
Both models start at 128GB of storage and run Android 15 with One UI 7, even ahead of the Galaxy S24 series. Impressively, Samsung is committing to six years of OS and security updates for the A36, and 7 years for the A56—a rarity for mid-range phones.
A key upgrade in the A56 is 8GB of RAM, which enables more AI features, like Best Face, enhanced nightography, Object Eraser, and custom filters. The A36, with 6GB of RAM, still supports Object Eraser and filters but lacks the full AI suite.
Galaxy A56 5G and A36 5G hardware
Performance is where the pricier Galaxy A5x model typically outshines the A3x, and that holds true for the Galaxy A56 and A36.
The Galaxy A56 5G packs an Exynos 1580 chip, outperforming the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 in the Galaxy A36. Benchmarks confirm the A56 leads in both CPU and GPU tests.
The Galaxy A56 5G packs an Exynos 1580 chip, outperforming the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 in the Galaxy A36. Benchmarks confirm the A56 leads in both CPU and GPU tests.
Comparisons
If you are trying to decide between the Galaxy A56 and A36, or between one of the two and another phone, we have several comparisons you might want to check out:
- Samsung Galaxy A56 vs Galaxy A36 review: Almost the same phone
- Samsung Galaxy A56 vs A55 vs A54: Breaking down the evolution in Samsung’s mid-range series
- Galaxy A56 vs OnePlus 13R: All the differences compared
- Samsung Galaxy A36 5G vs Galaxy S24 FE: Main differences
- Samsung Galaxy A36 5G vs Galaxy S25: Predestined outcome
- Samsung Galaxy A36 5G vs Galaxy A35 5G: Main differences
- Samsung Galaxy A36 5G vs Galaxy A16 5G: Double the price, double the phone?
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