Which Samsung Galaxy A56 and A36 Is Better to Purchase?

The Samsung Galaxy A56 and A36 are here! I got a chance to hold both phones, and I want to share everything I learned about them. Let’s dive in!

Design: Similar Yet Different

When you first see the Galaxy A36 and A56, they look almost the same. Both are slimmer than last year’s models, now at just 7.4 mm thick. They have a new look with a linear camera module, moving away from the old Triple Ring design.

It can be tricky to tell them apart! I picked up the A56 thinking it was the A36, and I did the same with the A36. But if you look closely, you will see differences. The A36 has flat camera lenses, while the A56 has indented circles for its cameras. The A36 has a polycarbonate frame, which means it’s made of plastic. The A56, on the other hand, has a brushed aluminum frame, which feels more premium.

Both models have Gorilla Glass Victus Plus, making them tough. They come in four colors. The A36 has black, lime, white, and lavender. I really like the lavender! It reminds me of the Note 10 series. The A56 has light gray, olive, pink, and graphite. All these colors look great!

Both phones also have an IP67 rating, meaning they are water and dust resistant.

Display: Bright and Clear

The displays on both phones are the same. They have a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and Full HD Plus resolution. This year, the displays are even brighter! They can reach up to 1200 nits in high brightness mode, which is a step up from last year’s models.

Cameras: New Features for Great Photos

Both phones have new selfie cameras with 12 megapixels. This is a bit lower than last year, but they have larger sensor sizes, which means better detail and dynamic range in your pictures. They both support 4K video at 30 frames per second and video HDR.

The rear cameras are similar too, with a triple camera setup. There’s a 50-megapixel main camera with Optical Image Stabilization. The A36 has an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, while the A56 has a better 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera. I noticed that the selfie camera has improved a lot, but I need more time to test these cameras fully.

Performance: Power Under the Hood

Now, let’s talk about performance. The A36 uses the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset. It’s a new 4nm chipset that offers about an 8% improvement over last year’s model. The A56 is powered by the Exynos 1580 chipset, also a 4nm chip. It gives you better performance with around a 12% improvement in CPU power and a whopping 177% boost in GPU performance compared to the A55.

Both phones come with either 8GB or 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM. The A56 has larger vapor chambers for better cooling, similar to what we see in the S24 Plus.

For software, both phones run One UI 7.1. Samsung promises six years of OS updates and security updates. That is impressive for this price range!

Battery Life: All-Day Power

Both devices have a large 5,000 mAh battery. This is similar to what we see in the flagship S25 Ultra. You should expect good battery life from both. The A56 may have a slight edge thanks to its more efficient chipset.

This year, the phones support super-fast charging at 45 watts, a jump from the 25 watts we had last year. You can get about a 65% charge in just 30 minutes! However, remember that in the UK, you won’t get a charger in the box, so check with your local retailer.

Pricing: What’s the Cost?

In the UK, the A36 is priced at £399, while the A56 is at £499. Both models come in a 256GB variant, and the A36 is likely to be very popular due to its price point.

You can pre-order both phones now, and they will be available on March 19th.

Which One Should You Buy?

If you don’t need the extra features of the A56, the A36 is a great choice! It’s affordable and has a lot to offer. But if you want a better build, more performance, and that higher resolution ultra-wide camera, then the A56 is worth the extra money.

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