Samsung’s New Galaxy A Phones Are Truly Affordable. I Got a First Look at MWC 2025

Samsung made its debut on its latest mid -range phones, the $ 500 Galaxy A56, $ 400 A36 and $ 300 A26. The three devices have larger screens, more powerful processors and, inevitably, new AI features. I had a first overview of the phones during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ​​and my first impression is that they feel impressively more premium than their sticker price, thanks to their light screens, their glass support and the use of the last UI 7 of Samsung.

Arriving on the heels of the iphone 16th of $ 599, the idea of ​​Apple of an affordable phone that is far from cheap, the three new Samsung Galaxy phones seem to prove that a phone manufacturer can always make a really affordable device And Disclaimer of new features like Android 15 and Google’s Circle To Search Tool. All phones are designed to last a certain time, with six years of operating system and security updates, Samsung Vault Knox For the safety and confidentiality of the devices, and an IP67 note for resistance to dust and water.

Here is all that to know about the Galaxy A36, A26 and A56.

Find out more: MWC 2025: all phones, mobile devices, robots and have live from Barcelona

Samsung Galaxy A36: $ 400

8.2 mm thick and 196 grams, the Galaxy A36 5G is thinner and lighter than the A35 5G from last year, which was 7.4 mm thick and weighed 209 grams. Like last year, the phone contains a 5,000 mAh battery, but now offers a super fast load of 45 watts, which, according to Samsung, can load the phone by almost 70% in 30 minutes. (Cnet will test it once we have the apparatus for examination, so stay attentive.)

The thinner glasses drop the screen to 6.7 inch, compared to the 6.6 inches of the A35. The A36 has a 120 Hz refreshment rate and increased maximum brightness of 1,900 nits, which facilitates the adoption of the screen even if you are in a brilliantly lit environment. The front and rear present Gorilla Glass from Corning, who says that Samsung improves sustainability. The company says they are all a “FHD +” resolution, which generally means 2,220×1.080 pixels.

In person, the screen looked beautiful and shiny, and the glasses are still quite visible, but not invasive. There is just enough weight on the phone to help him feel more premium than his price suggests, but it is always light.

The cameras also get an upgrade, with support for HDR video recording on the 50 megapixel main camera. Like last year’s phone, the A36 also has an ultra-edited 8 megapixel and a 5-megapixel macro. The front camera goes from 13 to 12 megapixels, but supports 10 -bit HDR video recording. It should be noted that more megapixels does not automatically mean a better camera.

HDR support can help images and videos have a wider dynamic range (the difference between the brightest parts of an image and the darkest parts) and seems more detailed and colored. For night photos, Samsung says that larger pixels serve clearer and more vibrant images with minimal noise, even in extremely low light – larger pixels can gather more light and have less image noise. Stay listening to CNET tests to see how the camera works.

You will find AI features on the A36 like Google’s Circle To Search, which can now also translate the text on the screen and identify music. Samsung made its debut on these new capacities on its flagship Galaxy S25 range in January. The photo editing tools fed by AI include an improved object gum which now allows you to select several objects to be deleted, and a filter function that allows you to create a personalized filter based on any photo. For example, if you have a photo of a sunset and you like the image tone, you can also apply this filter to other photos. The modification suggestion will use AI to analyze an image and serve the recommendations to improve it, such as the deletion of shadows or reflections.

The A36 is powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor of Qualcomm, against the Exynos 1380 presented on the Galaxy A35. It has 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. Samsung says that there is also a greater cooling system to better dissipate heat and optimize for gameplay and streaming.

The Galaxy A36 will be available on March 26 in black and lavender. An exclusive version of lime is also available via Best Buy.

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Samsung Galaxy A26: $ 300

The Galaxy A26 (even cheaper) is also thinner than its predecessor, measuring 7.7 mm compared to the 8.3 mm of the Galaxy A25. He also obtains a larger FHD + display, thanks to reduced glasses, corresponding to the 6.5 inches of the A36. It shares a 120 Hz refreshment rate.

The glasses on the A36 are more obvious than on the A26 and A56, especially at the bottom of the phone and around the camera. The display is also a little darker.

While the A25 of last year included a glass back and a plastic back, the A26 raises things with Gorilla Glass Victo more at the front and at the rear, just like the A36. The frame remains in plastic. Despite the upgrade to a glass support, the A26 does not have the same premium and stronger in hand than the A36 and the A56. But it has a smooth interface and is very responsive, just as it is a series of sisters.

Like last year’s model, the A26 has a 50 -megapixel wide camera, an ultrawid 8 -megapixel ultrawid camera and a 2 megapixel macro camera, as well as a 13 -megapixel selfie camera.

Despite the lower price, you will always get AI functionalities such as the suggestion of photo modification and the erasure of objects, as well as the circle to search. The A26 performs the Exynos 1380 chipset and is delivered with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. It also has an extensible memory up to 2 TB and contains a 5,000 mAh battery.

The A26 will be available on March 28 and is only available in black.

Find out more: These are the best camera phones for 2025

Samsung Galaxy A56: $ 500

To finish the trio, the Galaxy A56 has a 6.7 -inch screen and a 5,000 mAh battery, which, like the A36, supports a load of 45 watts. The A56 is powered by the Exynos 1580 chipset and also has a larger steam bedroom to help you play games and watch videos longer.

The A56 has a 50 -megapixel wide camera, an ultrairs 12 megapixel camera and a 5 -megapixel macro camera. The selfie camera has a 12 megapixel sensor compared to the 32 megapixel front camera of the Galaxy A55, which took either 12 or 8 megapixels images After the pixel plush. The selfie camera also obtains a 10 -bit HDR support, and a low noise mode helps take more clear light photos, explains Samsung.

A feature available only on the A56 is called Best Face, which can help you nail a group photo by choosing the best expressions on up to five people, then combining them in a single image. This is similar – in the name and in execution – to the Google taking function on the Pixel series. The A56 also obtains improved object and filter capacities.

Samsung has not yet shared color options for the A56, but the version I had quickly was white. It looks like the A36 in terms of weight, thickness and sensation, and the brightness of the screen is also comparable.

The A56 will be available later this year.