Dollar For Dollar, The Galaxy A56 5G Is A Better Value Than The Galaxy S25

Paul Jones / Android Authority

While the original Galaxy S came out nearly fifteen years ago, it was the Galaxy S2 that cemented the line as Android’s predominant flagship series. Like it or not, Samsung’s flagships enter the zeitgeist in ways few Android phones can. The Galaxy S25 series was poised to do the same, even if those of us who are into this sort of thing find them boring. However, Samsung had other plans, as the newly announced Galaxy A56 5G overshadows the base model Galaxy S25 in price and (some) specs.

I just got my hands on the Galaxy S25, switching to the petite flagship as an alternative to the behemoth that is my Galaxy S24 Ultra. As such, I have mixed feelings about a phone that costs $300 less and has specs and features that are so similar and, in some cases, better.

The Galaxy A56 5G puts the S25’s charging speeds to shame

Paul Jones / Android Authority

For $500, the Galaxy A56 5G gives you a lot of hardware. I won’t cover every spec and feature; you can check out our breakdown of Samsung’s new mid-range phones for that. However, some demand our attention, especially as we compare them to the Galaxy S25. The battery is certainly one of them. The Galaxy S25 has a 4,000mAh battery, while the cheaper Galaxy A56 5G has the same 5,000mAh cell as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Charging is also better on the A56 5G, with the phone supporting the same 45W “super fast charging” that the Galaxy S25 Plus and Ultra have. The Galaxy S25 can only charge at 25W.

Expecting the S25 to have a 5,000mAh battery is unrealistic until Samsung switches to a more advanced battery technology. And we have to take into account that the Galaxy A56 5G is considerably larger than the S25 — 6.7 inches vs. 6.2 inches. So while 5,000mAh is out of the question, the 4,000mAh cell in the Galaxy S25 is still smaller than it could be. The Motorola ThinkPhone 25 is only 0.1 inches larger and packs 4,310mAh and 68W charging. In my experience, the Galaxy S25 has okay battery life — about the same as my S24 Ultra — but the A56 5G is sure to run rings around its flagship cousin.

The Galaxy S25 is faster than the A56 5G, but the difference might not be as drastic as you’d think. The Exynos 1580 is no match for the Snapdragon 8 Elite, but the differences will only be felt in certain use cases. The lesser AI performance means that some of the Galaxy AI features the S25 enjoys are missing, but that’s hardly a reason to pay the extra $300. No, the two main areas where you’ll usually see a difference between chips like this are battery life and performance in heavy tasks like gaming. Any power efficiency the Snapdragon 8 Elite has over the Exynos 1580 will be immediately negated by the larger battery in the A56 5G, and gaming will be good enough for most users. Sure, the A56 5G won’t be able to crank the latest AAA Android game, but it’ll play Candy Crush just fine.

Storage is equal to or greater than the Galaxy S25, depending on where you live. The Galaxy S25 starts at 128GB worldwide, while the Galaxy A56 5G starts at 256GB in some regions, including the UK. The difference in RAM, 8GB in the A56 5G and 12GB in the Galaxy S25, could be noticeable if you like to run lots of heavy apps simultaneously, but it’s more than enough for most people, especially at this price point.

The Galaxy S25 is still better. Sometimes.

Zac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority

The Galaxy S25 is still the better phone overall. Its third camera lens is a 3X telephoto, something far more useful than the 5MP macro lens on the A56 5G. While wired charging is slower, the Galaxy S25 has 15W wireless charging and is Qi2-ready, while the A56 5G doesn’t have wireless charging at all. The Galaxy A56 5G gets some of the best One UI 7 features, like the Now Bar, Best Face, and Auto Trim. However, it lacks Now Brief and Audio Eraser. Audio Eraser can transform videos recorded in loud environments and is one of the most useful AI features. Both phones have 1080p displays that reach 120Hz, although the Galaxy S25 is far more attractive with its small, even bezels.

While we praise the Galaxy A56 5G for offering unquestionable value for $500, we should also demand that Samsung provide the same value with the Galaxy S series moving forward.

The Galaxy A56 5G will get six years of OS updates, while the Galaxy S25 will get seven years. A year of support doesn’t sound like a reason to spend an extra $300. However, the S25 will be ahead of the A56 in the update queue and get those updates faster. Likewise, while the A56 5G only misses out on Now Brief and Audio Eraser now, as One UI 8 and beyond are likely to focus more on AI than ever, the feature disparity between them will only grow, even as they get the same versions of One UI.

Wireless charging and the superior cameras are things I wouldn’t give up, even for a $300 savings, and I imagine most people who have decided to buy a Galaxy S25 would feel the same way. Despite that, the Galaxy A56 5G highlights a problem that Samsung and Google both share — there aren’t enough differences between midrange and high-end phones. The Galaxy A56 5G and Pixel 8a offer 90% of the experience for roughly 60% of the cost of a Galaxy S25 or Pixel 9.

So, while we praise the Galaxy A56 5G for offering unquestionable value at $500, we should also demand that Samsung provide the same value with the Galaxy S series moving forward. Give the base model S phone a better zoom camera, faster charging, and a larger battery. The law of diminishing returns can’t be taken out of the equation entirely, but Samsung can and should do better than it is.

What about you? Would you pick the Galaxy A56 5G over the Galaxy S25, or are there things the flagship phone offers that are worth the extra $300? Let us know in the comments.