Samsung Mobile South Africa believes the time is finally ripe to “launch” the decisively budget and mid-range Galaxy A Series in South Africa, despite the devices hitting shelves in March. Officially unveiled at a launch event in Johannesburg this evening, Samsung offered attendees a closer look at the three devices – the Galaxy A56 5G, A36 5G, and A26 5G – and their (supposedly) ‘Awesome’ Intelligence features.
“The new Galaxy A series marks an important step in our mission of AI for all, by opening Galaxy’s incredible mobile AI experiences to even more people around the world,” said TM Roh. “With these awesome new features and capabilities, we are excited to unlock limitless creativity on the Galaxy A series while ensuring a safe, reliable and fun mobile experience.”
A Samsung Galaxy A56 to remember (until next year)
The Galaxy A56 5G is easily the most overqualified smartphone of the lot. That doesn’t mean it’s looking for any particularly overqualified wallets to take it home, however. The A56 towers above the rest of the mid-range competition with an R11,000 starting price, delivering a superb 6.7in Full HD+ Super AMOLED 120Hz and HDR10+-capable display, if Samsung’s previous efforts are anything to go by.
Powering the thing is a passable 5,000mAh battery that’s overshadowed by the Exynos 1580 chipset. It’s this, in conjunction with up to 12GB of RAM, that’ll deliver the suite of ‘Awesome Intelligence’ features – essentially a watered-down version of the Galaxy Intelligence package that hit the company’s flagship phones in recent years. Unfortunately, the A56 lets itself down with a meagre 256GB of storage.
A 50MP sensor leads the triple-camera line-up on the rear, accompanied by 12MP and 5MP ultrawide and macro shooters, respectively. The front is home to a 12MP camera that’ll likely prove its worth on your social feed.
Right down the middle
Looking to keep it under five digits? Enter the Galaxy A36, which shares the same 6.7in Full HD+ Super AMOLED display used in the more expensive A56, though notably without any HDR support. You can still expect a silky 120Hz refresh rate, however. Better yet, it shares the same 5,000mAh battery as its siblings, though whether the weaker Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset can handle the pressure remains to be seen.
Expect up to 12GB of RAM and the disappointing 256GB storage cap, made up for by the 50MP main shooter and 8/5MP ultrawide and macro sensors along for the ride. Available in Awesome Black and Lime, the Galaxy A36 5G demands a price of R7,500 locally. Considering what you’re getting, that’s far from a bad deal.
Sticking to a budget with the Galaxy A26
Finally, the ultimate budget entry under the Samsung umbrella: the Galaxy A26 5G. Coming in at R5,000, it’s difficult to sneer at the Exynos 1380 chipset, nor the far more satisfactory 256GB storage and 8GB of RAM. It’s the heaviest of this year’s siblings, beating out the A36 by a measly 5g. We doubt Samsung will hear many complaints, especially at this price.
Once again matching the trio, the Galaxy A26 sports a 5,000mAh battery and a 25W charge spec that falls short of the 45W standard set by the other devices. Finally, sitting pretty on the rear is the 50MP main sensor, bolstered by a 8MP ultrawide camera and 2MP macro shooter. Flip it over, and you’ll find a 13MP sensor staring back at you. Samsung drops the ‘Awesome’ where the colours are concerned. This one is available in Black and Mint.
