Samsung Galaxy A56 5G vs Google Pixel 9a: Google might have a winner on its hands
Intro
Samsung's new Galaxy A56 5G is coming to the US sometime in the near future, where it will bolster the company's efforts to dominate the mid-range market.
Samsung is already releasing the Galaxy A36 and A26 later this March, but the Galaxy A56 will be a more powerful crown jewel.
Meanwhile, just a week remains until we see the Pixel 9a potentially unveiled. The newest affordable Pixel will be a value powerhouse, boasting the latest Tensor chipset, a flush camera, and a large battery in a fairly compact body.
With Google's regular software updates, this one will undoubtedly prove a top choice for Android fans on a budget.
Both phones will most likely start at $499, making them the perfect rivals.
Galaxy A56 5G vs Google Pixel 9a expected differences:
| Galaxy A56 5G | Pixel 9a |
|---|---|
| Flat aluminum design with Gorilla Glass Victus+ at the front and back | Flat design with the familiar Pixel design DNA |
| Large 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen | A smaller 6.3-inch OLED screen |
| A bit thinner at 7.4mm, but with raised cameras | Slightly thicker, but no camera bump |
| Exynos 1580 (4nm) chipset | Google Tensor G4 on board (also 4nm) |
| 50MP main and 12MP ultrawide cameras | 48MP main and 13MP ultrawide cameras |
| 5,000mAh battery | 5,100mAh battery on deck |
| Third camera (5MP macro) | No third camera |
| Fast 45W wired charging and no wireless charging | Slower 18W wired and 7.5W wireless charging |
| Most certainly starting at $499 | Expected $499 price tag as well |
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Design and Size
Best of both worlds
With the Galaxy A56, we get the familiar Galaxy DNA that has been guiding the Google mid-range design language for years now. The new phone employs a flat aluminum frame with Gorilla Glass Victus+ at the front and at the back. The design is notably thinner than before, with the phone being 7.4mm thin. It's also fairly lightweight for a 6.7-inch device, tipping the scales at 198gr.
There's just one major design change with the Galaxy A56––all cameras are unified in a unified vertical strip at the rear, whereas most other Galaxies use separate camera rings. And like most other phones, this one is slightly raised from the rear panel that surrounds it.
Meanwhile, with the Pixel 9a, we get the familiar Pixel design language that has been reiterated time and time again with the Pixel 8a, 7a, and 8a. The Pixel 9a, however, appears to be the most sophisticated one yet, with a flat aluminum body, glass up front and at the back, and most importantly, a camera that's flush with the rear panel.
Excessive camera strips have been a signature feature of most Pixels since the Pixel 6 generation arrived, but with the Pixel 9a, we will finally see the camera strip gone. Is this the return of completely flat phones? Doubtful, but we can hope.
The Galaxy A56 5G arrives with IP67 water- and dust-resistance, and we expect that the Pixel 9a will do too.
Samsung's latest mid-ranger comes in Pink, Olive, Graphite, and Lightgray colors, while the Pixel 9a is expected to come in Obsidian (black), Porcelain (white), Iris (lavender/purple), and Peony (pink) colors. Talk about variety!
One thing is for certain, none is coming with a charger in the box.
Display Differences
A 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen graces the front of the Galaxy A56, a slight bump over the 6.6-inch display on the Galaxy A55. The rest of the hardware specs sheet looks the same: FHD+ resolution, HDR support, up to 120Hz refresh rate, and finally, up to 1,200 nits of brightness.
The Pixel 9a will utilize a smaller 6.3-inch OLED screen, but apart from that, it will be mostly similar to the Galaxy A56: FHD+ resolution and 120Hz screen refresh rate as well. One major difference between the two could be the peak brightness because the Pixel 9a could employ up to 2,000 nits of brightness.
Biometrics-wise, we get in-display fingerprint sensors on both, but probably the slightly less accurate optical variety. Ultrasonic ones are faster and more accurate, so usually reserved for flagship phones.
Performance and Software
Tensor dominance
Samsung has put the Exynos 1580 built on a 4nm node on the Galaxy A56 5G, a capable mid-range chip that will do just fine in regular everyday situations. With 8GB of RAM and either 128 or 256GB of storage, it's a pretty adequate device. Have in mind that Samsung has dropped the microSD card slot, so quick and easy storage expansion is no longer possible.
Meanwhile, the Pixel 9a is most certainly coming with the latest Tensor G4 chip, built on a 4nm manufacturing node. It's the same chip found on Google's latest Pixels, and although it's not a particularly fast benchmark monster, this chip is more than enough for regular everyday workflows. We expect 8GB of RAM and 128GB/256GB storage options on the Pixel 9a as well.
Performance-wise, we'd expect the Tensor G4 to perform much better in comparison with the Galaxy A56 5G.
Both phones will boast Android 15, with the Pixel 9a getting the vanilla software and the Galaxy A56 relying on One UI 7. The Pixel 9a will have access to all the Gemini-powered AI features that the Pixel phones have as it boasts the same chipset and is not constrained by hardware. That's precisely the case with the Galaxy A56, though, which only arrives with Samsung's mid-range Awesome Intelligence suite of AI features, which is quite limited in scope and not on the same level as Galaxy AI.
Both phones will be supported for seven years, which is great.
Camera
Triple versus dual camera, but don't let looks fool you
The Galaxy A56 5G comes with a triple camera, consisting of a 50MP main one, a 12MP ultrawide, and a gimmicky 5MP macro camera. That's basically the same setup we've seen on previous Galaxy A phones, with only the front-facing camera being slightly different this time around.
The Pixel 9, on the other hand, will arrive with a 48MP main and 13MP ultrawide cameras, but it will probably deliver better image quality overall. That's how Pixels are, with software image-processing that punches above the weight that hardware delivers.
Most importantly, you won't be treated to a useless macro camera with the Pixel phone.
Battery Life and Charging
5,000mAh batteries for all
The Galaxy A56 5G comes with a 5,000mAh battery, and the Pixel 9a is likely getting a slightly larger 5,100mAh battery. This is just the standard at this point, on par and even beating some flagship phones out there.
Those are large batteries that will likely deliver great battery life, as the chipsets on deck are fairly efficient. The Tensor G4, in particular, isn't half-bad when it comes to battery efficiency. We can only hope the Galaxy A56 is as efficient.
Charging-wise, the Samsung phone will most certainly be victorious. It comes with 45W wired charging, just as quick as the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Plus, even the Galaxy S25 can't match that charging speed. At the same time, there's no wireless charging on the Galaxy A56.
Meanwhile, the Pixel 9a will likely come with 18W wired and 7.5W wireless charging, so definitely less impressive in the charging department.
Specs Comparison
Although the Pixel 9a is not yet official, we already seem to know just enough to compare the Galaxy A56 5G vs Pixel 9a specs:
| Galaxy A56 5G | Pixel 9a |
|---|---|
| Size, weight 162.2 x 77.5 x 7.4 mm, 198 gr | Size, weight 154.7 x 73.2 x 8.9mm, 186gr |
| Screen 6.7" OLED FHD+ 120Hz 1200 nits brightness | Screen 6.3" OLED FHD+ 120Hz |
| Processor Exynos 1580 (4nm) 4nm | Processor Tensor G4 4nm |
| Versions: 8GB/128GB 8GB/256GB LPDDR5 | Versions: 8GB/128GB 8GB/256GB LPDDR5 |
| Cameras: 50MP main 12MP ultra 5MP macro 12MP front | Cameras: 48MP main 13MP ultra 13MP front |
| Battery: 5,000mAh | Battery: 5,100 mAh |
| Charging: USB-C 27W wired MagSafe | Charging: USB-C 18W wired 7.5W wireless |
Summary
Overall, considering that both phones could end up with a similar $499 price tag attached to them, we might be in for a particularly heated mid-range battle.
Currently and based on our expectations, it seems like the Pixel 9a could be the better pick, with potentially better performance, better battery life, a better camera, and a design with no camera bump.
The Galaxy A56 5G isn't a bad phone, but it is shaping up to be a worse deal than the Pixel 9a. Samsung hasn't made any significant changes with its latest mid-range device, and this could come back to bite it once the phone hits the shelves.
It looks like a worse bargain in comparison with Google's upcoming bargain phone.
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