Galaxy A56 might bring a much needed selfie camera upgrade

Our colleagues at GalaxyClub have received word of the alleged camera configuration for the upcoming Galaxy A56. For the most part, the camera setup looks similar to this and last year, but there's one key difference. Here's the rumored setup:

• 50MP primary (wide).
• 12MP ultrawide.
• 5MP macro.
• 12MP selfie.

Disappointingly, the Galaxy A56 still appears to have a 5MP macro camera, which will likely be relatively pointless. On the bright side, the Galaxy A56 should take better selfies.

Why is a lower-resolution selfie sensor better?

If you look at resolution in a vacuum, a higher pixel count will always be superior to a lower one. In the real world, however, cameras need to handle more than just a high pixel count.

A selfie shooter, and cameras in general, should have a good field of view and a sensor that can create a pleasant depth-of-field effect. They need to take in light and perform well in a variety of lighting conditions, capture moving objects without blur, recreate details without muddying them up, deliver accurate colors, and so on.

This is why, for example, the Galaxy S24's 12MP selfie camera is vastly superior to the Galaxy A55's 32MP unit. Resolution doesn't matter much when everything else is lacking.

The story continues after the video

As far as Samsung's mid-range A5x series goes, the company has used a 32MP selfie camera for years. Every phone, from the Galaxy A51 to the Galaxy A55, has had a 32MP selfie shooter. Technically, it hasn't been the same 32MP camera every year, but regardless, neither unit has been anything to write home about.

Now, while we don't know which 12MP selfie sensor the Galaxy A56 might employ, it is an important change, and the new shooter will likely yield better results than the 32MP formula. It probably won't be the same 12MP selfie camera you get from the Galaxy S24, but we don't expect it to be worse than anything the A5x series has thrown at us so far.