I looked at the new affordable galaxy of Samsung a at MWC 2025

Samsung He debuted his mid -range phones, $ 500 Galaxy A56, $ 400 A36 and $ 300 A26. All three devices have larger displays, powerful processors and, inevitably, new features of AI. I got a first look at the phones during Mobile world congress In Barcelona and my first impression was that they felt impressively a premium than the price of their sticker, thanks to their bright displays, a glass pad and the use of Samsung’s most recent One user interface 7S

Watch this: Galaxy a Series First Look: Three new phones under $ 500

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Arrival on the heels of $ 599 iPhone 16EApple’s idea of ​​an affordable phone that is Away from cheapAll three new Samsung Galaxy A phones seem to prove that the phone manufacturer can still make a cheap phone This is really affordable and bends new features such as Android 15 and Google’s Search a tool. All phones are built to last you for a while, with six years of axis and security updates, Samsung’s Pink vault For security and confidentiality of the device and assessment of IP67 for dust and water resistance.

Here’s all you know about the Galaxy A36, A26 and A56.

Read more: MWC 2025: All phones, wearer, robots and AI live from Barcelona

Samsung Galaxy A36: $ 400

8.2 mm thick and 196 grams, the Galaxy A36 5G is smoother and lighter than last year Galaxy A35 5Gwhich was 7.4 mm thick and weighed 209 grams. Like last year, the 5000-hah battery packs, but now has a 45-watt super fast charge, which Samsung says it can charge the phone nearly 70% in 30 minutes. (CNET will test this after we receive the review devices so stay up -to -date.)

The smaller frames hit the display up to 6.7 inches, compared to 6.6 inches per A35. The A36 has 120Hz refresh speed and increased peak brightness of 1900 nits, ideally facilitates the vision of the screen, even if you are in a brightly lit environment. Both the front and back have Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus Plus, which Samsung says improves endurance. The company says they are all “FHD+” resolution, which usually means 2,220×1,080 pixels.

The display personally looked nice and bright, and the frames are still quite noticeable, but not intrusive. There is enough enough to help him feel more premium than his price offers, but it is still completely light.

The cameras also receive an upgrade, with HDR video recording support for a 50-megapixel main camera. Like last year’s phone, the A36 also has an 8-megapixel UV and a 5MP macro camera. The front camera runs from 13 to 12 megapixels, but supports 10-bit HDR video recording. It is worth noting that more megapixels do not automatically mean a better camera.

HDR maintenance can help images and videos have a broader dynamic range (the difference between the smoother parts of the image and the darker parts) and looks more detailed and colorful. For night photos, Samsung says that larger pixels serve more acres, more vibrant images with minimal noise, even in extremely low light -larger pixels can collect more light and have less noise than the image. Follow the CNET tests to see how the camera performs.

You will find A36 AI features such as Google’s search circle that can now translate text on screen and identify music. Samsung debuts these new capabilities on its flagship Galaxy S25 Composition in January. AI -powered photo editing tools include an improved tire object that now allows you to select multiple objects to be removed and a filter feature that allows you to create a custom filter based on each photo. For example, if you have a sunset photo and like the image tone, you can also apply this filter to other photos. The editing proposal will use AI to analyze an image and serve recommendations for improving it, such as removing shadows or reflections.

A36 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 processor against Exynos 1380 presented at Galaxy A35S It has 6 GB RAM and 128 GB of storage. Samsung says there is also a larger cooling system for better heat dissipation and optimizing gameplay and streaming.

The Galaxy A36 will be available on March 26th in Black and Lavender. An exclusive version of VAR is also available through Best Buy.

Read more: The best Android phone for 2025

Samsung Galaxy A26: $ 300

(Even the cheaper) Galaxy A26 is also smaller than its predecessor, measuring 7.7 mm compared to Galaxy A25“8 mm. It also receives a larger FHD+ display thanks to the reduced frames corresponding to 6.5 inches per A36. It shares a 120Hz refresh rate.

The A36 frames are more clear than the A26 and A56, especially on the bottom of the phone and around the camera. The display is also a little softer.

While last year’s A25 included a glass front and plastic back, A26 steps things with Gorilla Glass Victus Plus in front and back, just like the A36. The frame remains plastic. Despite the upgrade to a glass pad, A26 does not have the same premium, Heftier feels in hand as A36 and A56. But he has a smooth interface and is very responsive, just like his sisters.

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

Despite the shorter price, you will still receive AI features as a proposal to edit photos and delete objects, as well as a search round. The A26 manages the Exynos 1380 chipsets and comes with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB storage. In addition, there is an expandable memory of up to 2TB and a 5000 mAh battery.

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

Read more: These are the best camera phones for 2025.

Samsung Galaxy A56: $ 500

To complete the trio, the Galaxy A56 has a 6.7-inch display and a 5000 mAh battery that, like A36, supports a 45-watt charge. The A56 is powered by the Exynos 1580 chipset, and there is also a bigger money camera to help you play games and watch videos for a long time.

The A56 has a 50-megapixel camera, a 12-megapixel UV camera and a 5MP macro camera. Selfie camera has a 12MP sensor compared to the Galaxy A55 front camera at a 32-megapixel camera that took both 12- or 8-megapixel images After pixel binningS The selfie camera also gets 10-bit HDR support, and the low noise mode helps to take sharper low-light photos, Samsung says.

A functional feature available on the A56 is called Best Face, which can help you get a group photo by selecting the best expressions of up to five people and then combining them into one image. This is similar – by name and when performing – on Google’s Best to pick up Pixel series function. The A56 also receives improved capabilities for deleting objects and filtering.

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

The A56 will be available later this year.

Samsung Galaxy A Series Comparison