Galaxy A57 vs A56: Samsung made it even better, then raised the price

The Galaxy A56 was one of our favorite Samsung products of 2025. It was surprisingly snappy for its class, with smooth One UI performance and a far more responsive camera system than its predecessor.

Its sequel, the Galaxy A57, is now official. It brings a handful of meaningful upgrades, so let’s see how much better the 2026 model really is.

Galaxy A57 vs Galaxy A56: Key upgrades

Instead of listing everything these two phones have and don't have in common, we'll make a quick summary of the key new and updated features A56 owners should be aware of. Without further ado:

Super AMOLED+ display — up from Super AMOLED

More powerful Exynos 1680 chip — up from Exynos 1580

A 13% larger vapor chamber

8GB RAM standard — up from 6GB

New 512GB storage option — the A56 tops out at 256GB

Improved Image Signal Processor and Low Noise Mode for better night photos

First Galaxy A to eliminate camera zoom transition blur between wide and ultrawide lenses

Wi-Fi 6E (first on a non-flagship Galaxy phone) — up from Wi-Fi 6

Bluetooth 6.0 — up from Bluetooth 5.3

IP68 dust and water resistance — up from IP67

Thinner 6.9mm body — down from 7.4mm

Thinner display bezels all around at 1.5/1.5/2.5mm — down from 2.2/2.0/3.3mm

Lighter at 179g — down from 198g

One UI 8.5 out of the box with upgraded Awesome Intelligence, including improved Gemini and Circle to Search

New Voice Transcription tool for productivity

On paper, the Galaxy A57 looks like a solid step up and should satisfy A-series fans hoping for solid, yearly incremental gains and upgrades.

Max Jambor / SamMobile

Samsung Galaxy A57 Bixby

Galaxy A57 display bezels

Abhijeet Mishra / SamMobile

Galaxy A56 software review

Galaxy A56 display bezels

That said, it’s not all good news. These upgrades, along with rising memory costs, have pushed the price higher. The Galaxy A56 launched at €479 in Europe and $499 in the US. Fast forward to 2026, and the Galaxy A57 added a premium of €50/$50 over the A56. The 2026 model starts at €529 and $549.

Trade-in offers, where available, could soften the blow and make upgrading worthwhile. And if you’re coming from an older Galaxy A5x model, the A57 should feel like a much bigger leap than last year’s upgrade.

See Galaxy A57 offers in your market

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Mihai Matei - Senior Editor

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First Samsung device: SGH-A800

Mihai is a blogger and column writer at SamMobile. His first Samsung phone was an A800 which took a lot of beating, and a part of him still misses the novelty of the clamshell design. In his free time, he enjoys watching shows, documentaries, and stand-up comedy; listening to music, taking walks, and occasionally playing old(er) video games.

Phone Galaxy A56 Galaxy A57