At $500, the Galaxy A56 5G beats the Galaxy S25 in some key areas, offering far more value than the flagship phone.
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
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.
