REVIEW: Samsung Galaxy A36 and A56 give you AI features on a budget
AI is transforming smartphones of today. It has become a must-have feature in phones, particularly flagship devices.
Just look at the latest iPhone 16 series, which was built for Apple Intelligence, and Samsung's latest Galaxy S25 series, which comes with the latest Galaxy AI functions. However, AI capabilities aren't just limited to pricier premium phones—some midrangers are getting the AI treatment, like the Galaxy A36 5G and A56 5G.
PhilSTAR L!fe got to test both models, and here's what we think.
Design and specs
The Galaxy A36 and A56 are easy on the eyes. Our test unit came in the uber-trendy tones of Awesome Lavender and Awesome Pink, respectively, and the A36, in particular, has an iridescent sheen to it that changes its color depending on the lighting.
Coming with a 6.7-inch display, the phone is on the bigger side and wide in hand. I have smaller hands, and it takes a bit of maneuvering to reach across the screen when I'm using the device one-handed. It takes a bit more effort, too, to reach up to the volume rocker that sits above the power button on the right side of the phone.
However, having a larger screen is a plus for watching content, which I did a lot of on the Galaxy A36. The phones have a vibrant Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and loud and punchy speakers that produce good audio.
Powering the Galaxy A36 is a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chip, while the Galaxy A56 is equipped with an Exynos 1580 processor.
User experience
These midrange phones come with some Galaxy AI features like Circle to Search, which lets you Google anything you see onscreen. However, some of the newer and more advanced features, such as Now Brief, Sketch to Image, and Live Translate, are not available.
Both phones also come equipped with Object Eraser, which lets you remove distractions from your photos. On the Galaxy A36, you have to dig around for the feature when you tap the Edit icon in the gallery. While on the Galaxy A56, you can access the feature by simply tapping the Galaxy AI icon in the middle of the menu bar.
Object Eraser isn't perfect, though. So far, it kind of just blurs the object you want to remove instead of cleaning up the image. In the photo below, I attempted to remove a tumbler in the background, but you can still see it.
In terms of gaming, the phone can handle popular MMORPGs like Honor of Kings and even battle royal first-person shooters like Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile.
Mainly, I used the phones for gaming and streaming content, and I had enough battery to last the whole day. It takes time, however, to charge the devices. Using a 20W charger, the phones took about an hour and a half to reach 100%.
The cameras on the phones are serviceable. They're good enough for clear shots for posting memories and 'fit checks on social media. On the Galaxy A36, there's a 50MP+8MP+5MP shooter, while on the Galaxy A56, a 50MP+12MP+5MP camera takes care of photos. Portrait mode on the phones gives you that creamy bokeh, but I found that it doesn't always capture your subject in full. Like, for instance, some parts of my dog's fur or his ears get blurred out.
Additionally, you can get creative with photos and videos on the devices as they offer different shooting modes like night, food, panorama, macro, slow motion, hyperlapse, and single take. The Galaxy A56 offers another mode called Dual Rec where you can capture from both the front and rear cameras.
Verdict
If you're looking for AI features on a smartphone but don't have the budget for flagship devices, the Galaxy A36 5G and A56 5G fit the bill. The Galaxy A56 would be the better option if you want a more powerful device.
While these devices aren't as powerful as the Galaxy S25 series, they're a good fit as a first phone for a student.
The Galaxy A36 5G (8GB/256GB) is priced at P21,990, while the Galaxy A56 5G (8GB/256GB) is available for P25,990.
