Samsung Galaxy A56 vs Galaxy A36 preview: Almost the same phone

Intro

Samsung’s Galaxy A series has long offered a balanced mix of quality features and affordability, making it a popular choice for consumers worldwide. As we look ahead to the Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36, there’s a familiar regional split: the Galaxy A36 will be available exclusively in the U.S., while the Galaxy A56 will not be offered there, though both models will be available internationally.

Design and Size

Colors might be the only difference

Dimensions are almost identical, coming in at about 6.34 x 3.05 x 0.32 inches. The weight will be different since the A36 and its plastic frame weigh less than the A56’s aluminum one. Other than that, both are expected to have the same Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection for the display and glass back panel.

For now, we suspect that both phones will remain with the same IPX67 dusta and water resistance rating, although this is one of the areas that wouldn’t cost Samsung too much to bump up and introduce as an upgrade.

As mentioned, the colors will probably be the sole differentiating factor between the new models, and they will most likely be other hues than the ones this year’s generation had. Unfortunately, there have been no leaks regarding the new colors, so we don’t have much to go on at the moment.

Display Differences

Just like with the design, the displays on the A56 and A36 are also expected to remain the same as the current generation. What we are hoping for, however, is Samsung increasing the brightness levels, as during our tests of this year’s A series the phones managed no more than 930 nits, which is not exactly great for today’s standards.

Both models received a bezel reduction this year. Unfortunately, the bezels are still not uniform, with the lower one being thicker than the rest. This is definitely an area where Samsung can improve the look of the A5x and A3x series, but the chances are pretty slim it will.

So, in other words, we expect the A56 and A36 displays to look the same, at 6.6 inches and with a 1080 x 2340 resolution. Hopefully, if Samsung increases the brightness it will be on both models and not just the pricier A56.

Performance and Software

Where the A56 will certainly be ahead

But in our personal experience in comparing Samsung’s “A” series, they tend to perform similarly in day to day usage. In fact, their benchmark results during our performance tests are not that different either. So, while you will almost certainly get slightly better performance on the A56, it wouldn’t be by a noticeable margin.

As for memory, the leaked Geekbench listing also hints at a jump from 6GB to 8GB, although that is only for the Galaxy A56. Samsung might stick to 6GB on the A36 to keep its price down.

As for the software update situation, our expectations are that Samsung will stick to 4 years of major Android and One UI updates for the A56 and A36, just like with the current models.

Camera

Similar camera quality

The hope is that Samsung will swap the Macro camera on the more expensive A56 for a telephoto one. This would be a first for the series and would help the A56 stand out even more from the A36.

There are also the new chipsets to consider, which can easily affect the image quality from each camera, and introduce new video recording capabilities such as new framerates and photo/video modes.

The increase in memory and the addition of AI has an even greater potential to impact the camera experience on both the A56 and A36.

Battery Life and Charging

Possible increase in battery life

As for charging, the A56 and A36 will probably come with the same 25W of wired charging speed. There is a slight chance that we finally see wireless charging added to the Galaxy A5x series, which would give it one more benefit over the A3x in 2025.

Specs Comparison

*Expected specs

Summary

We still don’t know a lot of details about Samsung’s upcoming mid-rangers. But the little we know from leaks and from the current A series tells us how the Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36 might differ.