Flagship-level experience for less money?

Like: Flagship-grade premium build

The first thing I immediately like about the Samsung Galaxy A56 is its design and build. Not only does it look like a typical modern Samsung Galaxy S flagship, it feels like one too, thanks to its glass design, which is wrapped by a handsome chamfered and brushed aluminium frame. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but its camera bump looks very neat too.

Not only is it made of premium materials, but the Galaxy A56 is built super solidly too, as the phone won’t budge even if we try bending it, JerryrigEverything style. Don’t just take my word for it, go out and hold the phone yourself, and you will understand what I mean.

Like: Another impressive Samsung Super AMOLED display

Over the last decade, Samsung has built a reputation for making smartphones with great displays. In fact, the company also supplies its AMOLED panels to many other smartphone manufacturers, including some of its closest competitors.

Despite being priced in the RM2,000 range, the Samsung Galaxy A56 doesn’t disappoint, delivering a premium viewing experience with its 6.7″ Full HD+ (2340×1080 pixels) Super AMOLED display with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz.

Like: Awesome camera experience for the price

Imaging-wise, the Samsung Galaxy A56 packs a triple camera setup at the rear, consisting of a 50MP f/1.8 main camera with OIS, a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle shooter, along with a 5MP f/2.4 dedicated macro snapper.

Photos taken using these cameras look pretty good, especially when you consider the Galaxy A56’s asking price. Colours look natural and have decent dynamic range. Having an ultra-wide-angle lens is also a convenient bonus. I say this because not all midrange smartphones, including those in the premium midrange segment, will definitely come with one.

Like: Galaxy AI Awesome Intelligence

In 2025, you almost can’t launch a smartphone without a single AI feature. With the 2025 Galaxy A series, Samsung has equipped them with what it calls the Awesome Intelligence suite.

This AI suite includes features such as Circle to Search, Object Eraser, My Filter, Edit Suggestion, along with three Galaxy A56-exclusive features — Auto Trim, Best Face, and Instant Slow-Mo.

I personally find features such as Circle to Search and Object Eraser particularly useful, and they should be made available to every single modern smartphone.

Like: What’s not to like about six years of software upgrade support?

Extensive software support beyond four years is no longer limited to just flagship smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy A56, in particular, is promised with up to six years of major Android OS and security updates. This is two years of 50% more than the four years of software support that last year’s Galaxy A55 was promised.

This means that you theoretically receive the latest features brought by Android and Samsung’s latest software for the next six years. You can also be assured that your phone will be protected from malware and cyber threats, allowing it to stay secure and perform optimally. Samsung’s One UI 7 skin on top of Android 15, which not only looks good but is also feature-packed, is just the cherry on top.

Dislike: Missing telephoto camera

As mentioned above, the Samsung Galaxy A56 comes with a triple rear camera setup, consisting of a main, ultra-wide-angle, and a macro module. What’s missing here, though, is a dedicated telephoto camera, which can allow you to capture higher quality photos of faraway objects.

With the telephoto camera missing on the Galaxy A56, you will be fully relying on the main camera, forcing it to sensor crop every time you need to zoom in to take a photo. We say this because competitors like the Xiaomi 14T and Nothing Phone (3a) series come with dedicated telephoto cameras.

Although similarly priced competitors from brands such as Oppo and Vivo don’t include a telephoto lens either, it will still be great to see Samsung adding this to their next premium midranger.

Dislike: There’s Awesome Intelligence, but where’s Galaxy AI?

The Samsung Galaxy A56 does come with the above mentioned Awesome Intelligence suite. But don’t be fooled, this is nowhere near the same as Galaxy AI found in more premium Samsung devices.

Aside from fundamental AI features like Circle to Search and Object Eraser, Galaxy AI offers way more advanced AI features, including Generative Edit, which can help erase objects from an image and regenerate photos using generative AI, and Chat Assist that can assist you with changing your writing tone, and even come out with a fulls sentence based on point forms given by you, and so on.

As to why Galaxy AI isn’t made available for the 2025 Galaxy A series, or at least the Galaxy A56? Well, only Samsung knows the true answer to that.

Dislike: Higher price tag for Galaxy A56 over Galaxy A56

The Samsung Galaxy A56 is sold with a starting retail price of RM1,999 for the 8GB+128GB model and RM2,199 for the 12GB+256GB model. The latter is RM200 more costly than last year’s Galaxy A55, which came with a launch price of RM1,999 for the sole 12GB+256GB equipped model.

But if you purchase the Samsung Galaxy A56 between now and the 31st of March, Samsung is offering a “2x storage upgrade promotion”, slashing the phone’s price tags to RM1,799 for the 8GB+128GB configuration and RM1,999 for the 12GB+256GB option.

Additionally, you will also get a RM100 exclusive e-voucher, a 1-year extended warranty, and a 30% purchase with purchase (PWP) discount for selected Galaxy Watch, Buds, Tablet, or accessories.

Although the Galaxy A56 costs slightly more than the Galaxy A55, you’re, at the end of the day, paying for a more polished product. For starters, you get a phone that’s built way more premium and solid, along with longer software upgrade support, which should turn out as a better investment over time.

What do you think of the Samsung Galaxy A56? Do you agree with the things we like and dislike about it? Do share your thoughts with us.