Galaxy A26 makes its way to another Asian market

The Galaxy A26, Samsung's latest A2x phone that managed to avoid being boring, is now available in another Asian market, namely the Philippines. In fact, Samsung says the A26, A36, and A56 are all available in the country, but at the time of writing, only the A26 has a functional “Add to cart” button at the e-shop.

Samsung has launched the Galaxy A26 in the Philippines in three color options: Mint, Black, and Peach Pink, but the latter color can't be ordered yet. We're guessing Samsung will address this shortcoming soon enough.

Memory options include 6GB+128GB for ₱15,990 ($277) and 8GB+256GB for ₱17,990 ($311). For early adopters, these prices include a free 25W charger.

The free bonus is valid until April 30, according to the e-shop page, and until March 31, according to the Newsroom announcement. There is a bit of confusion here, but regardless, you should be able to claim your free 25W charger if you buy the Galaxy A26 by the end of the month, at the very least.

Galaxy A26 buyers in the Philippines can also take advantage of trade-in discounts of up to ₱1,000 ($17), although once again, it's a limited-time offer with an expiration date of April 30—as per the e-shop.

Some of the best characteristics that make the Galaxy A26 feel less of a boring sequel than the previous model are:

One thing to be aware of is that, even though the Galaxy A26 has seen significant upgrades all around, it has joined other more expensive Galaxy phones in abandoning the 3.5mm headphone port. There isn't one.

If you buy the Galaxy A26 and want to use headphones or earbuds, you'll have to switch to a wireless solution. The Galaxy Buds FE are the most affordable earbuds in Samsung's lineup. In the Philippines, the Galaxy Buds FE cost ₱5,490 ($95).

Other than this downgrade, the Galaxy A26 looks like a very solid budget phone that ticks many right boxes.