We have the brand new Galaxy A56 in the office and in for review, folks. Ours is the Awesome Lightgray model and it ships with a USB-C cable. You need to get a case or charger additionally – and you might need to as one of the bigger upgrades over the Galaxy A55 is the addition of 45W charging.
The Galaxy A56 feels nice in the hand. At 6.7-inch it’s a large phone but its frame is comfortable. The volume and power buttons occupy their own raised island in the frame.
We love what Samsung did with the frame. The raised island for the buttons is rounded and has a smooth finish but it tapers to a brushed aluminum rail. It’s pretty and unique and it’s satisfying bordering on addictive to run a nail through the texture.
The camera island is the same brushed aluminum as the frame, but has a dark finish, creating a dual-tone look.
The A56 is a quality piece of kit – the phone is IP67-rated for dust and water and packs Gorilla Glass Victus+ on both sides of the aluminum frame. On the software side, Samsung promises six years of security updates and six OS updates.
Samsung has kept the camera system mostly unchanged from last year. At the helm is a 50MP 1/1.56-inch main camera with a f/1.8 lens. Next up is a 12MP f/2.2 fixed-focus ultrawide, and a 5MP f/2.4 macro. Upfront sits a 12MP f/2.2 selfie whereas there was a 32MP f/2.2 unit on the A55.
The display has grown by 0.1-inch this year, and it’s nearly twice as bright as the A55’s.
We’re off to do some testing and will report back!