What you need to know
- Samsung is launching the Galaxy A56 5G for $500 later this year, packing an Exynos 1580 chipset.
- The Samsung Galaxy A36 5G and Galaxy A26 5G will hit shelves this month for $400 and $300.
- All three phones will get "Awesome Intelligence," a suite of select AI features coming to the A-series.
After a few hot weeks of leaks, Samsung is officially announcing the Galaxy A26 5G, Galaxy A36 5G, and Galaxy A56 5G today, March 1. Notably, the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G will be available "later this year" at a $499.99 price point. Meanwhile, the just-announced Galaxy A36 5G and Galaxy A26 5G will be available starting March 26 and March 28, respectively.
Aside from hardware upgrades, all three A-series phones are debuting with major software improvements. For starters, the Galaxy A26 5G, Galaxy A36 5G, and Galaxy A56 5G will all ship with One UI 7, which is based on Android 15. From there, these phones will get six years of full OS upgrades, which is a first in Samsung's budget lineup.
The company is also debuting what it calls "Awesome Intelligence," a pared-down version of Galaxy AI that includes the essentials — including features like Best Face on the Galaxy A56 5G, and enhanced Object Eraser and Circle to Search on all models.
There's also a new "Filters" feature that mimics Apple's successful Photographic Styles tool, adding "custom filter creation by extracting colors and styles from existing photos for users to apply for a unique and personalized effect depending on mood and taste."
Samsung didn't bring the Galaxy A55 5G to the U.S. last year, and the Galaxy A56 5G could receive the same fate. If it does arrive in the U.S., it'll immediately compete with the pricier OnePlus 13R and the rumored Google Pixel 9a at the $500 price point. With a 5,000mAh battery, an Exynos 1580 chipset, and 8GB of memory, the Galaxy A56 5G could give those other phones a run for their money. On the back, you get a triple-camera system with a 50MP main sensor, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 5MP macro camera.
The next step down in the A-series lineup is the Galaxy A36 5G, which nets you the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 mobile platform for the processor. That's paired with 6GB of memory and a 5,000mAh battery. In terms of cameras, you get a 50MP main sensor, an 8MP ultrawide camera, and a 5MP macro lens on the back. This phone is priced at $399.99 and comes in three colorways: Awesome Black, Awesome Lavender, and Awesome Lime (Best Buy exclusive).
The cheapest A-series phone, not including the already-released Galaxy A16 5G, is the new Galaxy A26 5G. It costs $299.99, and it's only available in black. This smartphone has a 50MP main camera, an 8MP ultrawide lens, and a 2MP macro camera.
Samsung's refresh of the A-series lineup also brings some consistency to the Galaxy A26 5G, Galaxy A36 5G, and Galaxy A56 5G. They all feature 5,000mAh batteries, 128GB of storage, and IP67 dust and water resistance. This year, the Galaxy A36 5G and the Galaxy A56 5G all have bigger screens. All three phones use a 6.7-inch AMOLED display panel with 120Hz refresh rate support.
You can buy the Galaxy A36 5G and Galaxy A26 5G starting later this month, and there's no timetable for the Galaxy A56 5G's availability yet.
