Galaxy A56 5G vs Pixel 9a Review: Google’s budget powerhouse crushes Samsung’s mid-ranger
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Intro
Samsung's new Galaxy A56 5G is coming to the US sometime in the near future, where it will bolster the company's efforts to dominate the mid-range market. Last year's Galaxy A55 wasn't officially launched in the US, but you're not missing much––the Galaxy A56 5G is mostly the same phone, with just a few changes here and there.
However, another challenger has just appeared, and it carries the Pixel 9a name. This one is a value powerhouse, boasting the latest Tensor chipset, a potent camera flush with the body, and a large battery in a fairly compact package. All of that at the hard-to-beat $499 price.
With Google's regular software updates, this one will undoubtedly prove a top choice for Android fans on a budget.
Galaxy A56 5G vs Google Pixel 9a differences:
| Galaxy A56 5G | Pixel 9a |
|---|---|
| Flat aluminum design with plastic back | Flat aluminum/plastic design with the familiar Pixel design DNA |
| Large 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen with Gorilla Glass Victus+ | A smaller 6.3-inch OLED screen with Gorilla Glass 3 |
| 1,200 nits peak brightness (high-brightness mode) | 2,700 nits peak brightness |
| A bit thinner at 7.4mm | Slightly thicker design at 8.9mm |
| Slightly protruding camera bump | No camera bump |
| Exynos 1580 (4nm) chipset | Google Tensor G4 on board (also 4nm) |
| 50MP main and 12MP ultrawide cameras | 48MP main and 13MP ultrawide cameras |
| 5,000mAh battery inside | 5,100mAh battery on deck |
| Third camera (5MP macro) | No third camera |
| Fast 45W wired charging and no wireless charging | Slower 23W wired charging, but has 7.5W wireless charging |
| Most certainly starting at $499 | $499 starting price tag |
Table of Contents:
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Design and Size
Best of both worlds
(Image by PhoneArena)
With the Galaxy A56, we get the familiar Galaxy DNA that has been guiding the Samsung mid-range design language for years now. The new phone employs a flat aluminum frame with Gorilla Glass Victus+ at the front and at the back. The design is notably thinner than before, at just 7.4mm. It's also fairly lightweight for a 6.7-inch device, tipping the scales at 198gr.
(Image by PhoneArena)
There's just one major design change with the Galaxy A56––all cameras are combined in a unified vertical strip at the rear, whereas most other Galaxies use separate camera rings. And like most other phones, this one is slightly raised from the rear panel that surrounds it.
Meanwhile, with the Pixel 9a, we get the familiar Pixel design language that has been reiterated time and time again with the Pixel 8a, Pixel 7a, and Pixel 6a. The Pixel 9a, however, appears to be the most sophisticated one yet, with a flat aluminum frame with right angles going to the front and the plastic back, and most importantly, a camera that's flush with the rear panel.
And sure, the bezels here are totally enormous, but this might as well be the only downside of this phone.
Yes, no more 3D Camera Visor at the back. Excessive camera strips have been a signature feature of most Pixels since the Pixel 6 generation arrived, but with the Pixel 9a, we will finally see the camera strip gone. Is this the return of completely flat phones? Doubtful, but we can hope.
(Image by PhoneArena)
Samsung's latest mid-ranger comes in Pink, Olive, Graphite, and Lightgray colors, while the Pixel 9a arrives in Obsidian (black), Porcelain (white), Iris (lavender/purple), and Peony (pink) colors. Talk about variety! Of the two phones, we definitely dig the Pixel color selection a bit more, as it's bolder and more vivid while still giving us the standard black and white colors.
The Galaxy A56 5G arrives with IP67 water- and dust-resistance, but the Pixel 9a one-ups that with a slightly more robust IP68 rating, which allows is to survive deeper submersion for longer.
One thing is for certain, none is coming with a charger in the box.
Display Differences
(Image by PhoneArena)
A 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen graces the front of the Galaxy A56, a slight bump over the 6.6-inch display on the Galaxy A55. The rest of the hardware specs sheet looks the same: FHD+ resolution, HDR support, 120Hz refresh rate, and finally, up to 1,200 nits of brightness in high-brightness mode.
The Pixel 9a utilizes a smaller 6.3-inch OLED screen, but apart from that, it is surprisingly similar to the Galaxy A56 as far as the other specs are considered: we get FHD+ resolution, HDR, and 120Hz screen refresh rate as well.
In terms of display properties, the Pixel 9a is much brighter than the Galaxy A56: 2561 vs 1715 nits. However, the rest of the specs are mostly in the Galaxy's favor, as it has slightly lower minimum brightness and is a bit more color-accurate in the default screen mode. Nevertheless, both aren't that different from one another and employ fairly decent OLED panels.
Display Measurements:
Biometrics-wise, we get in-display fingerprint sensors on both, but probably the slightly less accurate optical variety. Ultrasonic ones are faster and more accurate, so usually reserved for flagship phones.
Performance and Software
Tensor dominance once again
(Image by PhoneArena)
Samsung has put the Exynos 1580 built on a 4nm node on the Galaxy A56 5G, a capable mid-range chip that will do just fine in regular everyday situations. With 8GB of RAM and either 128 or 256GB of storage, it's a pretty adequate device. Have in mind that Samsung has dropped the microSD card slot, so quick and easy storage expansion is no longer possible.
Meanwhile, the Pixel 9a comes with the latest Tensor G4 chip, built on a 4nm manufacturing node. It's the same chip found on Google's latest Pixels, and although it's not a particularly fast benchmark monster, this chip is more than enough for regular everyday workflows. We get 8GB of RAM and 128GB/256GB storage options on the Pixel 9a as well.
What does this mean for performance, though?
But wait until you see just how much better the Pixel 9a performs in terms of graphics: it leaves the Galaxy A56 in the proverbial dust in the 3DMark Extreme stress test. With Google's latest phone, you really get a significantly better gaming experience with consistently higher frame rates and less thermal throttling issues.
In both the single- and multi-core Geekbench 6 tests, it's the Pixel 9a that dominates the Galaxy A56 in what's yet another win for Tensor versus the Exynos lineup. This result reflects on our real-life experience with the Pixel 9a, which feels and performs slightly more snappy in comparison with this Galaxy.
Both phones come along with Android 15, with the Pixel 9a getting the vanilla flavor and the Galaxy A56 relying on One UI 7. The Pixel 9a boasts access to all the Gemini-powered AI features that the Pixel phones have, as it uses the same chipset.
However, the Galaxy A56 only arrives with Samsung's mid-range Awesome Intelligence suite of AI features, which is quite limited in scope and not on the same level as Galaxy AI.
Both phones will be supported for seven years, which spells good news for any interested adopters.
Camera
Triple versus dual camera, but don't let that fool you: less is more
(Image by PhoneArena)
The Galaxy A56 5G comes with a triple camera, consisting of a 50MP main one, a 12MP ultrawide, and a gimmicky 5MP macro camera. That's basically the same setup we've seen on previous Galaxy A phones, with only the front-facing camera being slightly different this time around.
The Pixel 9, on the other hand, features a 48MP main and a 13MP ultrawide cameras, but it will probably deliver better image quality overall. That's how Pixels are, with software image-processing that punches above the weight that hardware delivers. Most importantly, you won't be treated to a useless macro camera with the Pixel phone.
PhoneArena Camera Score:
Well, the Pixel 9a totally crushes the Galaxy A56 in the custom PhoneArena battery test. The latest Google champ dominates in both the still photo and video tests, etching a comfortable lead over the Galaxy A56.
Image Quality
Wow, what a difference from the get-go. Immediately, we are struck with an unhealthy-looking greenery in the Galaxy A56 sample, that doesn't look a micro forest, but the eldritch spawn of a Lovecraftian nightmare. We're struggling to like that one. In comparison, the Pixel 9a has delivered a significantly better-looking photo, with realistic greenery, better dynamics, and slightly cleaner details.
Zoom in and the Pixel 9a bags another victory. It provides sharper and better-defined detail, which is key when lacking a proper telephoto camera.
In the ultrawide camera sample, Samsung is once again delivering questionable results, with an overly vivid verdant landscape, with artificially overexposed scene that will only look good to Facebook aunties. The Pixel 9a is miles away in the proper direction with a more realistic and moodier scene.
More camera samples
Video
The Pixel 9a captures videos with significantly better dynamics and more believable colors, not to mention the better definition in the detail. The Galaxy A56 gives off that oversharpened and overprocessed, vivid look that doesn't look great at all.
Battery Life and Charging
The year of long-lasting mid-rangers
(Image by PhoneArena)
The Galaxy A56 5G comes with a 5,000mAh battery, while the Pixel 9a features a slightly larger 5,100mAh battery. It's actually the largest battery ever fitted on a Pixel phone. Those are large batteries that will likely deliver great battery life, as the chipsets on both devices are fairly efficient, the Tensor G4, in particular.
And it appears that our custom battery tests agree! Both phones deliver very decent battery life, but it's the Pixel 9a that takes the cake here with significantly better battery endurance. The phone scores nearly 20 hours in our web browsing test, almost 11 hours in our video-streaming exercise, and 12 hours and a half in our custom gaming test.
That's more than enough to beat the Galaxy A56's decent results of almost 18 hours in the web browsing test, 9 hours in the video test, and a bit over 10 hours in the gaming test.
PhoneArena Battery and Charging Test Results:
Charging-wise, the Samsung phone is victorious here. It comes with 45W wired charging, just as quick as the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Plus, even the Galaxy S25 can't match that charging speed! At the same time, there's no wireless charging on the Galaxy A56.
Meanwhile, the Pixel 9a arrives with slower 23W wired and 7.5W wireless charging, so definitely less impressive in the charging department. Still, an improvement over the 18W that the Pixel 8a featured, that's for sure.
Audio and Haptics
Both phones deliver decent audio, but the Pixel 9a sounds slightly better, with a little more definition and clear high/mids even at high-volume levels. At the same time, the Galaxy A56 is equally loud, but the audio quality is slightly less impressive.
Haptics are good on both, but once again the Pixel 9a delivers better results with a more precise and strong vibration.
Specs Comparison
Here's a brief rundown of the Galaxy A56 5G vs Pixel 9a specs:
| Galaxy A56 5G | Pixel 9a |
|---|---|
| Size, weight 162.2 x 77.5 x 7.4 mm, 198 gr | Size, weight 154.7 x 73.3 x 8.9mm, 186gr |
| Screen 6.7" OLED FHD+ 120Hz 1200 nits brightness (HBM) | Screen 6.3" OLED FHD+ 120Hz 1800 nits HDR brightness/2700 nits peak brightness |
| Processor Exynos 1580 (4nm) 4nm | Processor Tensor G4 4nm |
| Versions: 8GB/128GB 8GB/256GB LPDDR5 | Versions: 8GB/128GB 8GB/256GB LPDDR5 |
| Cameras: 50MP main 12MP ultra 5MP macro 12MP front | Cameras: 48MP main 13MP ultra 13MP front |
| Battery: 5,000mAh | Battery: 5,100 mAh |
| Charging: USB-C 45W wired No wireless | Charging: USB-C 27W wired 7.5W wireless |
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Summary
Overall, considering that both phones are contesting the same $499 space, we are in for a particularly heated mid-range battle.
However, after toying around with either one, the Pixel 9a shapes up as the clear winner, beating the Galaxy as the go-to value-for-money offering in 2025. For the same price tag, you get better performance, better camera, and better battery life, which are all essential differences that will have significant repercussions on your daily activities with either device.
The Galaxy A56 5G isn't a bad phone in its own right, but it is shaping up to be a worse deal than the Pixel 9a, and a cheaper price tag would have definitely evened things out. Samsung hasn't made any significant changes with its latest mid-range device, and this could come back to bite it once the phone hits the shelves.
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