Samsung Galaxy A56 5G vs Galaxy A36: Which is better value?

Samsung's latest lot of affordable alternatives to the Galaxy S25 have arrived with more AI but less expandable storage. Both the new Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A56 are due to land on Australian shores later this month.

However, if you're in the market for either device then it might be tricky to tease out the devil in the details and work out which handset is going to be the better fit for your needs. Which model has the best camera? What features does the cheaper model miss out on? We've got the answers to those and other questions so let's break down the differences between your midrange Galaxy smartphone options in 2025. 

Samsung's Galaxy A series devices usually have more in common than they do apart and this year's Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36 aren't an exception to that dynamic but a continuation of it.

To start with, both devices come with the same 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen clocked at 120Hz and 5000mAh battery. The Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36 devices also come with Gorilla Glass protection on the front, 45W fast-charging, an IP67 rating against water/ dust damage and six years of operating system updates.

For many potential consumers, the most notable spec difference between the two devices is going to be the processor and memory.

• The Galaxy A56 runs on the Exynos 1580 and 8GB of RAM
  
• The Galaxy A36 is powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 and 6GB of RAM
  

While we can't say for certain how these two processors compare without having had the opportunity to compare them for ourselves, others who have tested the two against one another generally found that the Exynos 1580 offered better performance. On a more general level, having 2GB of additional RAM is always nice as well as it usually makes for smoother multitasking.

Past that particular spec, the other big difference between the Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36 is the camera hardware. Both handsets come kitted out with a 50MP main lens. However, the Galaxy A56 pairs that up with a larger ultrawide lens while the A36 has to make do with an smaller one. All told:

• The Galaxy A56 has a 50MP main lens, 12MP ultrawide lens and a 5MP macro lens on the back and a 12 selfie camera on the front.
• The Galaxy A36 has a 50MP main lens, 8MP ultrawide lens and a 5MP macro lens on the back and a 12 selfie camera on the front.

To sum things up:

• The Samsung Galaxy A36 is the cheaper of the two new devices, but the camera and processor specs are compromised in a way that reflects this.
• The Samsung Galaxy A56 improves on those fronts at a cost. It's got a faster processor and a better camera setup, but comes in at a higher recommended retail price to compensate for it.

Aussies looking at acquiring either the Galaxy A36 or Galaxy A56 have two colors to choose from. If you're angling for the cheaper Galaxy A36, you've got a choice between Awesome Lavender and Awesome Black. Meanwhile, those keen on  the Galaxy A55 instead are good to go with either Awesome Olive or Graphite.

To recap, here are the colour options for each 2025 Galaxy A Series variant in Australia:

• Galaxy A56: Awesome Olive and Awesome Graphite
• Galaxy A36: Awesome Lavender and Awesome Black