Samsung Galaxy A56 5G vs Google Pixel 9a: Tough times ahead for Samsung

By Peter Kostadinov

Updated: Mar 19, 2025, 9:30 AM

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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:

Design and Size
Display Differences
Performance
Camera
Battery and Charging
Specs
Summary

Best of both worlds

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

One thing is for certain, none is coming with a charger in the box.

Display Differences

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.

One major difference between the two, however, could be the potential peak brightness. Google says the Pixel 9a will reach 1,800 nits in HDR mode and 2,700 nits at peak brightness, while Samsung advertises a 1,200-nit peak brightness for the Galaxy A56 in high-brightness mode. We can't wait to test both out and see what the real-life top brightness is.

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

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.

Performance-wise, we'd expect the Tensor G4 to perform much better in comparison with the Galaxy A56 5G, based on our experience with this flagship-grade chipset.

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 is great and spells good news for the .

Camera

Triple versus dual camera, but don't let looks fool you

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.

We can't wait to test both out and run them through the paces of our Camera Score benchmark.

Battery Life and Charging

The year of long-lasting mid-rangers

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.

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.

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

Summary

Overall, considering that both phones are contesting the same $499 space, we are in for a particularly heated mid-range battle.

Currently, and judging from the specs alone, it appears that the Pixel 9a is ahead in terms of the sheer value-for-money you're getting. It just looks like the better pick, with potentially better performance, better battery life, a better camera, and a design with no camera bump.

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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Peter, an experienced tech enthusiast at PhoneArena, is captivated by all things mobile. His impartial reviews and proficiency in Android systems offer readers valuable insights. Off-duty, he delves into the latest cryptocurrency trends and enjoys sci-fi and video games.