The day we were waiting for is finally here, and we can’t wait to tell our community all about it. Samsung has pulled the curtain off its new Galaxy A trio, which is the Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36, and for the first time, joining this series is a Galaxy A26. This A series debut was just as exciting as ever.
This series is mostly based on software and AI improvements with something called Awesome Intelligence, which we assume is a lower-level iteration of Samsung’s most flushed Galaxy AI system. “Awesome Intelligence” officially brings system-wide AI integration to the Galaxy Ax6 series that was sadly lacking in the previous A family.
If you are wondering what Samsung’s clever play on the word Artificial Intelligence means with the A series, it is simply the AI suite that was present on the Galaxy S series, now available on the A56, A36, and A26.
Awesome Intelligence should give you a doorway to options like Circle-to-Search, Smart AI Object Eraser, Best Face, Custom filters, improved Nightography, and many other features like these on budget Samsung phones. Of course, AI isn’t all the series improved. Let’s talk about the A series hardware this year.
Samsung Galaxy A56
This is the phone that gets the most hardware from Samsung every year. Galaxy A56 is a 1080p Super AMOLED handset with stuff like 120Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass Victus+. Its size is also decent at 6.7” diagonal. Samsung tuned its brightness to 1900 nits this time, almost twice what it used to be on A55. This panel is also rated with HDR10+.
Galaxy A56 is an Aluminium frame, IP67-rated device, which is only 7.4mm thin. In that chassis, it also fits a 5000mAh battery (45W charging support), dual speakers, 128 GB storage, and 8 GB RAM in the base configuration. Even the camera is just as good as ever.
It may not have the upgrades, but the 50 MP main unit on the back is still solid with OIS and now it has Best Face feature and grain-free Nightography modes. The rear second lens is a 12 MP Ultrawide, and the third is a 5 MP macro. 12 MP front camera is a quite a drop from its 32 MP predecessor, though the new one can do 10-bit HDR recording, so the quality might be better.
Its performance is upscaled dramatically as Samsung upgrades the chip from Exynos 1480 to Exynos 1580. It came with Android 15 OS to boot and 6-year OS support. Galaxy A56’s official price is $499.99 (~PKR 140,000).
Samsung Galaxy A36
It uses the same display with 1080p resolution, 1900 nits brightness, and a 6.7” diagonal size. 120Hz refresh rate and even the Gorilla Glass Victus+ is here to protect it. But, you should know that it’s not as premium with slightly thicker bezels than the A56 and no HDR10+ rating.
This will be a plastic body design at 7.4mm thickness, but at least it keeps the same IP67 rating. We also learned that A36 has a 5000mAh battery and 45W charging but it powers the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chip here. So, its performance will take a hit, especially with its base 6 GB RAM and 128 GB UFS 2.2 storage (the A56 has UFS 3.1).
The camera here is a 50 MP main with OIS. 8 MP rear ultrawide is the second lens, and the tertiary shooter is a 5 MP macro. The selfie shooter on the front: a 12 MP lens with 10bit HDR recording. Samsung gave it the same under-display fingerprint ID as A56 and 6-year OS support as well. Galaxy A36 has a price tag of $399.99 (~PKR 111,000).
Samsung Galaxy A26
This device is not a proper midranger by price. But, it’s still quite the package due to the Exynos 1380 (5nm) chip and almost the same display as the rest: 120Hz super AMOLED panel at 1080p FHD+ resolution. This one also has a Gorilla Glass Victus+, but no HDR10+ or high brightness levels.
A26 at least has an SD card slot, unlike the others. The base trim for this phone is also 6 GB with 128 GB storage, there’s no higher tier 12 GB option. We also learned that it scored only dual-band WiFi instead of WiFi 6, but you do get the same 5000mAh battery. A26’s charging speed is kept at 25W, so you should consider those other models for faster inputs.
It’s a traditional notched panel, so there’s no UD fingerprint. It has one on the side. This phone’s camera is a 50 MP main OIS shooter and a 13 MP selfie on the front. Those other lenses on the back are an 8 MP ultrawide and a 2 MP macro. Even the Galaxy A26 comes with 6-year OS updates, and starts with One UI 7 right out of the gate. The A26 is priced at $299.99 (~PKR 84,000).
The A series retail deployment will vary from region to region and there is no singular date to point at yet. If you want to know when the series will arrive in Pakistan, stick around for more updates about the lineup soon.