Review of Samsung Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A56 smartphones: in a shadow of light

 

Samsung is successful in the Android smartphone market not only in the flagship segment. Budget and mid-range A-series models have repeatedly made it to the top sales.

 

Obviously, this year’s update will be no less interesting. The Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A56 smartphones not only look good, but also receive some of the S-series features. This, by the way, also applies to the youngest model, the Galaxy A26, which is not included in this review.

 

 

The Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A56 have equally good displays, capacious batteries, and support for software updates for 6 years. Let’s talk in more detail about what else is interesting about the Samsung Galaxy A36 and Samsung Galaxy A56, as well as what is noteworthy about the company’s line of available models in general.

 

Design and ergonomics

 

 

The Samsung Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A56 immediately attract attention with their design similarities to the flagships. Neat lines, minimal bezels, traditionally high-quality assembly. In general, the body of the smartphones looks great and this is emphasized by bright displays, multi-colored colors of the back panel and the use of metal. In the hands of the models feel very solid.

 

 

The layout of buttons and connectors, although usual, has its own characteristics. So, the volume and power buttons on the side are placed on a small protrusion of the frame. The three modules of the main camera are combined by an island-superstructure. The edges are slightly rounded and allow you to comfortably hold the devices in your hands, despite the relatively large screen diagonal.

 

 

On the bottom of both there is a tray for two SIM cards. Let’s just say that memory cards are not supported, but this is compensated by an acceptable amount of storage. Instead, the devices also support eSIM. Further down we see two holes for the conversational microphone and the speaker. Two more microphone holes are on the top.

 

 

The Galaxy A36 has a plastic frame, while the Galaxy A56 has a metal frame. This doesn’t really affect the ergonomics, but it certainly feels tactile. The Galaxy A56 could easily be mistaken for a Galaxy S model. The A line is also notable for its bright body colors – from subdued black to variations of pink and turquoise with a chameleon effect.

 

 

An important feature is the level of protection against water and dust according to the IP67 standard. What used to be a feature of top-end devices is increasingly found in more affordable segments. So, playing sports, walking in the rain, and accidentally getting water and sand in them are not too scary for these models.

 

Display, processor and hardware

 

 

Samsung Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A56 received displays based on the Super AMOLED matrix with a diagonal of 6.7 “with a resolution of 1080 × 2340. Compared to the previous generation, the screen diagonal has become slightly larger – by 0.1 inches. However, due to slightly thinner frames. matrix – as always, an excellent solution of the company, which we have also met in expensive models.

 

 

More differences in processors. The middle model is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, while the older one has the proprietary Samsung Exynos 1580.

 

Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 is an eight-core chipset, which is manufactured using a 6-nanometer process technology. It has 2 Cortex-A78 cores at 2300 MHz and 6 cores Cortex-A55 at 2000 MHz.

 

Samsung Exynos 1580 is also an octa-core chipset, manufactured using a 4-nanometer process technology. It has 1 Cortex-A720 core at 2900 MHz, 3 Cortex-A720 cores at 2600 MHz and 4 Cortex-A520 cores at 1950 MHz.

 

 

Both allow you to play modern games at medium settings, some can be tried to run at increased texture quality.

 

 

Both models have a 128 GB storage, 6 GB of RAM for the younger device and 8 GB for the older one. There are other versions of volume combinations – from 6 to 12 GB of RAM and with 256 GB of ROM.

 

 

In terms of communications, there is everything you need – a new version of the Bluetooth controller, Wi-Fi, NFC and modern navigation systems. Perhaps what is missing to surprise with the level of equipment is wireless charging. But this is still the prerogative of only flagship smartphones.

 

Cameras

 

 

As already mentioned, the Samsung Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A56 received triple main cameras. The main module has a size of 50 megapixels with an aperture of F2.2 and optical stabilization. There is a 10x digital zoom. Video recording in UHD 4K with a frequency of 30 fps is supported.

 

The second module of smartphones is different – 5 megapixels in the younger model and 8 megapixels in the older model. The additional sensor of these models is 5 megapixels. The front camera also doesn’t have a record number of pixels, but the sensor itself is relatively large and the selfies are good.

 

In general, the cameras focus quickly, have good detail, white balance and general algorithm settings are very similar to flagship models. At one time, the gap between the capabilities of camera algorithms and post-processing was very large. Focusing took a relatively long time, sometimes not in the area that was planned. Nevertheless, even in budget phones, something needs to be improved from generation to generation, so the current A-series is not about weak cameras, but about decent results in photos and videos. Examples of photos taken on the Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A56 in different conditions can be seen below:

Photos taken on the Samsung Galaxy A36

Photos taken on Samsung Galaxy A36

 

AI for A

 

 

Artificial intelligence buns are not only for flagships. The A-series also has them, in a slightly different format and functional content, but they are there. There is a Now bar, which shows widgets of running programs on the lock screen. The Circle to search function works, which supports searching not only by a fragment of the image, but also by audio. There is the ability to remove unnecessary objects from a captured photo, photo filters, and create facial expressions in a portrait photo. Perhaps the most noticeable thing that the A-series lacks is Dex. This is also the prerogative of flagship devices for now.

 

Impressions

 

Each of the models feels ergonomic and high-quality. Self-sufficient in its price segment. Good ergonomics, bright colors of the case, bright and juicy display, good cameras and good speed. No less significant is the long-term software support. The presence or absence of certain functions or features may upset those accustomed to flagships. However, conditionally, if the usage scenario does not include playing games in maximum quality and shooting smooth 4K video at 60 frames, then these smartphones are ready to give everything you need every day with the advantages of an A-brand.

 

Samsung Galaxy A36 (SM-A366B) and Galaxy A56 (SM-A566) specifications

OS:	Android 15 with One UI 7
Screen:	6.7”, 1080×2340, Super AMOLED, 120 Hz
Processor:	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, 2.4 + 1.8 GHz	Samsung Exynos 1580, 1×2.91 GHz + 3×2.6 GHz + 4×1.95 GHz
Graphics:	Adreno 710	Xclipse 540
RAM, storage:	6 GB, LPDDR4X + 128 GB, UFS 3.1	8 GB, LPDDR4X + 128 GB, UFS 3.1
Main camera:	50 MP F2.2, OIS, 10x zoom 8 MP F2.4 5 MP F1.8	50 MP F2.2, OIS, 10x zoom 12 MP F2.4 5 MP F1.8
Front camera:	12 MP
Slot for cards:	2×nano-SIM, eSIM
Communications:	Wi-Fi 6, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3
Navigation:	A-GPS, GPS, Beidou, Galileo
Connector:	USB Type-C
Sensors:	Accelerometer Gyroscope Light sensor Proximity sensor
Fingerprint sensor:	Under the screen
Protection:	IP67
Battery:	5000 mAh
Power charging:	45 W
Dimensions:	162.1×77.9×7.4 mm	162.1×77.4×7.4 mm
Weight:	195 g	198 g
Supplier:	Samsung Electronics Ukraine
Price (for version 8+128):	14799 UAH	19 899 UAH

Rating:

+ display

+ battery life

+ optical camera stabilization

+ ergonomics

+ NFC

-no wireless charging

 

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