I Got a Look at Samsung’s New Affordable Galaxy A Phones at MWC 2025

Samsung has debuted its newest midrange telephones, the $500 Galaxy A56, $400 A36 and $300 A26. All three units have bigger shows, extra highly effective processors and, inevitably, new AI options. I acquired a primary have a look at the telephones throughout Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and my first impression was that they felt impressively extra premium than their sticker value, due to their brilliant shows, glass backing and use of Samsung’s newest One UI 7. 

Watch this: Galaxy A Collection First Look: Three New Telephones Below $500

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Arriving on the heels of the $599 iPhone 16E, Apple’s thought of an inexpensive telephone that is far from cheap, all three new Samsung Galaxy A telephones appear to show a phone-maker can nonetheless make a cheap phone that is actually inexpensive and flexes new options like Android 15 and Google’s Circle to Search instrument. All of the telephones are constructed to final you some time, with six years of OS and safety updates, Samsung’s Knox Vault for machine safety and privateness and an IP67 ranking for mud and water resistance. 

This is every thing to know in regards to the Galaxy A36, A26 and A56. 

Learn extra: MWC 2025: All the Phones, Wearables, Robots and AI Live From Barcelona

Samsung Galaxy A36: $400

At 8.2mm thick and 196 grams, the Galaxy A36 5G is thinner and lighter than final yr’s Galaxy A35 5G, which was 7.4mm thick and weighed 209 grams. Like final yr, the telephone packs a 5,000-mAh battery however now options 45-watt tremendous quick charging, which Samsung says can cost the telephone practically 70% in half-hour. (CNET will take a look at this as soon as we get the units in for evaluate, so keep tuned.)

Thinner bezels bump the show to six.7 inches, in comparison with the A35’s 6.6 inches. The A36 contains a 120Hz refresh fee, and an elevated peak brightness of 1,900 nits, ideally making it simpler to see the display screen even should you’re in a brightly lit surroundings. Each the back and front function Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus Plus, which Samsung says improves sturdiness. The corporate says they’re all “FHD+” decision, which normally means 2,220×1,080 pixels.

In particular person, the show appeared good and brilliant, and the bezels are nonetheless fairly noticeable, however not obtrusive. There’s simply sufficient heft to the telephone to assist it really feel extra premium than its value suggests, nevertheless it’s nonetheless light-weight altogether.

Cameras get an improve, too, with assist for HDR video recording on the 50-megapixel important digicam. Like final yr’s telephone, the A36 additionally options an 8-megapixel ultrawide and 5-megapixel macro digicam. The entrance digicam goes from 13 to 12 megapixels, however helps 10-bit HDR video recording. It is value noting that extra megapixels does not routinely imply a greater digicam. 

HDR assist may also help photos and movies have a wider dynamic vary (the distinction between the brightest elements of a picture and the darkest elements) and look extra detailed and colourful. For nighttime photographs, Samsung says bigger pixels serve up sharper, extra vibrant photos with minimal noise, even in extraordinarily low mild — bigger pixels can collect extra mild and have much less picture noise. Keep tuned to CNET’s exams to see how the digicam performs.   

You may discover AI options on the A36 like Google’s Circle to Search, which may now additionally translate on-screen textual content and determine music. Samsung debuted these new capabilities on its flagship Galaxy S25 lineup in January. AI-powered photograph modifying instruments embody an enhanced Object Eraser that now lets you choose a number of objects to be eliminated, and a Filter function that permits you to create a customized filter based mostly on any photograph. For instance, when you have a shot of a sundown and also you just like the tone of the picture, you’ll be able to apply that filter to different pictures, too. Edit Suggestion will use AI to research a picture and serve up suggestions to enhance it, like eradicating shadows or reflections. 

The A36 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor, versus the Exynos 1380 featured on the Galaxy A35. It has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Samsung says there’s additionally a bigger cooling system to higher dissipate warmth and optimize for gameplay and streaming. 

The Galaxy A36 can be obtainable on March 26 in black and lavender. An unique lime model can also be obtainable by Greatest Purchase. 

Learn extra: Best Android Phone for 2025

Samsung Galaxy A26: $300

The (even cheaper) Galaxy A26 can also be thinner than its predecessor, measuring at 7.7mm in comparison with the Galaxy A25‘s 8.3mm. It additionally will get a much bigger FHD+ show, due to diminished bezels, matching the A36’s 6.5 inches. It shares a 120Hz refresh fee. 

The bezels on the A36 are extra apparent than on the A26 and A56, particularly alongside the underside of the telephone and across the digicam. The show can also be a bit dimmer. 

Whereas final yr’s A25 featured a glass entrance and plastic again, the A26 steps issues up with Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on each the back and front, identical to the A36. The body stays plastic. Regardless of the improve to a glass backing, the A26 does not have the identical premium, heftier really feel in hand because the A36 and A56. Nevertheless it has a clean interface and is extremely responsive, identical to its A sequence sisters.

Like final yr’s mannequin, the A26 contains a 50-megapixel wide-angle digicam, 8-megapixel ultrawide digicam and 2-megapixel macro digicam, in addition to a 13-megapixel selfie digicam. 

Regardless of the cheaper price, you will nonetheless get AI options like Photograph Edit Suggestion and Object Eraser, in addition to Circle to Search. The A26 runs the Exynos 1380 chipset, and comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It additionally has expandable reminiscence as much as 2TB, and packs a 5,000 mAh battery. 

The A26 will change into obtainable March 28, and is just obtainable in black. 

Learn extra: These Are the Best Camera Phones for 2025

Samsung Galaxy A56: $500

To finish the trio, the Galaxy A56 has a 6.7-inch show and a 5,000 mAh battery, which, just like the A36, helps 45-watt charging. The A56 is powered by the Exynos 1580 chipset and in addition has a bigger vapor chamber that can assist you play video games and watch movies for longer.

The A56 has a 50-megapixel large digicam, a 12-megapixel ultrawide digicam and a 5-megapixel macro digicam. The selfie digicam has a 12-megapixel sensor in comparison with the Galaxy A55’s 32-megapixel front-facing digicam, which took both 12- or 8-megapixel photos after pixel binning. The selfie digicam additionally will get 10-bit HDR assist, and a Low Noise Mode helps to take sharper low-light pictures, Samsung says. 

A function solely obtainable on the A56 is named Greatest Face, which may also help you nail a gaggle photograph by selecting the perfect expressions on as much as 5 individuals after which combining them into one picture. That is related — in identify and in execution — to Google’s Best Take function on the Pixel sequence. The A56 additionally will get an enhanced Object Eraser and Filter capabilities. 

Samsung hasn’t but shared shade choices for the A56, however the model I acquired a fast have a look at was white. It feels much like the A36 when it comes to weight, thickness and really feel, and the display screen brightness can also be comparable. 

The A56 can be obtainable later this yr. 

Samsung Galaxy A sequence comparability