Samsung Galaxy A56 5G

In terms of optics, the Samsung Galaxy A56 sports triple rear cameras with a 50MP primary sensor, a 12MP ultrawide lens and a 5MP macro unit. Up front, it sports an upgraded 12MP snapper for selfies and video calling. The handset is capable of shooting videos at UHD (4k) at 30 frames per second, with sufficient stabilisation, good auto-focus speed, and near-accurate colour rendering.In still photography, the Galaxy A56 excels in detail preservation, natural colour accuracy, and well-balanced exposure with its primary camera. While there is room for improvement in colour accuracy, especially with ultra wides, low-light detail retention and portrait processing, the handset is a strong contender in its segment. Samsung has also incorporated a few AI features to further enhance the photography experience on the Galaxy A56. The list includes:Best Face- This feature enables users to modify the subject's expression or open their eyes after capturing the photo. However, it is important to note that Motion Photo must be enabled in the camera app for this functionality to work. The feature works seamlessly as long as it is not a portrait.Object Eraser- This feature, now common on most smartphones, removes unwanted objects from images. It works as advertised; however, the results are not as polished as the Galaxy S25 series' object eraser tool.Remaster- The tool performs a hygiene check on an image, refining it with improved balance and enhanced exposure. It provides subtle changes without altering the actual representation of the scene.These are some of the standout AI-powered camera features of the Galaxy A56. While most of these tools are on-device, they do require a Samsung account for access. Additionally, the device allows users to customise an image's background by adjusting the focal length for a bokeh effect. It also includes Auto Trim, which enables quick and easy video edits in both vertical and horizontal formats, and Instant Slow-Mo, allowing users to slow down any video with a simple long press. The end result is nothing short of impressive.Here's a rundown of the Samsung Galaxy A56's camera performance against the OnePlus 13R and Galaxy A36:DaylightThe Samsung Galaxy A56 excels in dynamic range and controlled exposure. While its colours appear slightly more vivid with a subtle bluish tint, it preserves finer details better than the OnePlus 13R. The latter crushes the shadows, but outputs vibrant images with brighter tones, enhancing exposure and revealing impressive detail even in shadowy areas.Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy A36 exhibits a stronger blue cast than the Galaxy A56, making the images more contrasty. However, the Galaxy A56 outshines its younger sibling with superior detail, a more accurate representation of the scene, and good exposure for subjects in shadowy areas such as the bushes in the background on the right.UltrawideThe Samsung Galaxy A56 boasts a superior 12MP ultrawide sensor, which captures more details than the 8MP ultrawide on the OnePlus 13R. The Samsung smartphone also offers vivid colours and a wider field of view. Conversely, the OnePlus smartphone follows the same colour science as its primary sensor, ensuring consistent image quality.The Galaxy A56's ultrawide camera captures more detail and offers a wider field of view compared to the Galaxy A36 as well. That said, neither smartphone achieves completely accurate colours. The more affordable A-series offering produces brighter images, whereas the A56 delivers shots with higher contrast.PortraitThe OnePlus 13R's dedicated telephoto lens for portraits captures more facial details than the Galaxy A56's in-sensor zoom, which defaults to 2x magnification in portrait mode. Additionally, the OnePlus 13R excels in edge detection, reducing distortion around the subject for a cleaner separation. However, the Samsung smartphone excels with a more natural-looking bokeh effect.The Samsung Galaxy A56 outperforms the Galaxy A36 with superior edge detection, more natural skin tones, and a refined bokeh effect. In contrast, the Galaxy A36's portraits exhibit noticeable edge warping, washed-out colours, an overly artificial bokeh effect, and a lack of fine detail.SelfieThe Samsung Galaxy A56 captures selfies with balanced exposure, whereas the OnePlus 13R tends to brighten images, making them more vibrant but slightly overexposed. If you prefer a more natural look with well-preserved shadows and accurate skin tones, the Galaxy A56 is the better choice. When it comes to facial detail, both phones deliver similar performance.Against the Samsung Galaxy A36, the Galaxy A56 offers more accurate skin tones and well-balanced exposure, making it a more appealing choice. The A36 selfies, in comparison, offer inferior details and noisier background.Low light (with night mode)In low light, both the OnePlus 13R and Samsung Galaxy A56 activate Night Mode to improve image quality, minimising graininess compared to standard shots. However, neither smartphone does a perfect job. The OnePlus 13R excels in detail retention, while the Samsung Galaxy A56 delivers more accurate colours.The Galaxy A56 produces more natural-looking images compared to the Galaxy A36, which boosts greens for extra vibrancy. However, the A36 falls short of capturing the finer details that the higher-end A56 manages with ease. Additionally, the A56 offers superior noise reduction and maintains consistent focus across the frame, resulting in sharper, more balanced shots.

Under the hood, the Samsung Galaxy A56 rocks in-house Exynos 1580 SoC paired with 8GB/ 12GB of RAM and 128GB/ 256GB storage. We received the top 12GB RAM + 256GB storage variant for review. The performance remains modest both in synthetic benchmarks and real-world tests. The handset might not entice power-hungry users but has plenty to offer to casual everyday users.The handset handled social media scrolling, web browsing, video streaming, and casual gaming smoothly. There were no awkward app crashes or freeze issues even during multitasking. That said, the device could have been better for anything demanding like playing games such as BGMI, Call of Duty Mobile, and Real Racing 3. The A56 support inferior graphics compared to some of the other smartphones within the segment. Furthermore, its thermal efficiency remains underwhelming. After playing the three games for 30 minutes each, the Samsung smartphone heated up by almost 30 degrees Celsius.SmartphonePre-installed appsOS updatesSamsung Galaxy A56556 years major + 6 years securityOnePlus 13R474 years major + 6 years securitySamsung Galaxy A36526 years major + 6 years security

Keeping the lights on is a standard 5,000mAh battery, which offers decent endurance. In the PCMark battery test, the Samsung Galaxy A56 achieves a commendable score of 10 hours and 4 minutes. Furthermore, during our lab tests, the handset reported a 4 percent battery drop after streaming a YouTube video for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, an intensive 90-minute gaming session—including BGMI, Call of Duty, and Real Racing 3—resulted in a 26 percent battery drop.The battery holds up well for everyday tasks like streaming, browsing, and social media scrolling, but not for heavy usage. Regular users can expect all-day battery life, and in my experience, the device still had 20-25 percent charge remaining by bedtime after a full day of use.SmartphoneBattery and charging speedCharging time (20-100 percent)Samsung Galaxy A565,000mAh (45W)68 minutesOnePlus 13R6,000mAh (80W)40 minutesSamsung Galaxy A365,000mAh (45W)63 minutes