While the Samsung Galaxy S25 is still having its moment, Samsung is taking advantage of their momentum with the more affordable A series devices—the Samsung Galaxy A36 5G and the Galaxy A56 5G.

We were able to get our hands on these new devices to give it an initial go-around to share our experience with you to see if you should take advantage of the amazing deals Samsung gives when you pre-order their devices.

In terms of looks, both phones are nearly identical and mostly has the same DNA as their S series cousins. The frames are, for the most part, flat but the volume rocker and power button are slightly protruded. It’s a little unclear to me why they chose to do this but it is inconsequential enough to get a pass.

In case you’re wondering, these devices also get an IP67 rating to protect it from the elements a little better plus Corning Gorilla Glass protection for your everyday wear and tear.

In terms of size, they’re closer to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus because of their screen size, which is at 6.7-inches; an upgrade compared to previous versions of these devices. They use Samsung’s tried and tested Super AMOLED displays at 120Hz Refresh Rate. We weren’t able to take these device out to see how well it handles sunlight but they say that the brightness does go up to 1200 nits, so it should be fine in that regard.

Picture quality looks good as well but they’ve also added stereo into the mix for both the Samsung Galaxy A36 and A56 to make late night doom scrolling a little more enjoyable.

While both these devices do look alike, there are key differences in the hardware that they’re packing. The Samsung Galaxy A36 gets a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor, while the Galaxy A56 gets an Exynos 1580; both paired with 8 GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. Time will tell how well these will hold up to the needs of their users but they should be more than enough for scrolling through your feed, and sending reels to your significant other or the GC that’s not meant to be seen by anyone.

Both phones will also be equipped with a 5000mAh battery, and charging speeds get an upgrade: this time, you’re getting the same 45w charging as the Galaxy S series.

Another key difference between the two phones are its camera. Physically, you will see glass between covering the three cameras on the A36, while the A56 has texture nodules similar to its cousins in the S series.

They’ve also got different cameras on them as well with the A56 getting the edge in terms of megapixel count with its ultrawide at 12-megapixel, while the A36 only gets an 8-megapixel one. They do share the same 50-megapixel main camera that has OIS and HDR shooting, plus a 5-megapixel macro camera and a 12-megapixel front camera as well.

The biggest addition to the Samsung Galaxy A36 5G and Samsung Galalxy A56 5G however is One UI 7.0, which is what made our experience with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra really shine as well.

This means that you’re also getting some of the AI functionality that we’ve been seeing on the new S series as well, like: Circle to Search with Audio, AI Select, and all the photography options we’ve come to know and love. We also got a chance to see their Best Face feature in action as well to make group shots a little easier at family gatherings.

As for the price, the Samsung Galaxy A36 5G starts at Php 19,990 for the 8GB/128GB model and Php 21,990 for the 8GB/256GB model. If you’re looking at the Galaxy A56 5G, its price starts at Php 23,990 the 8GB/128GB model, while Php 25,990 for the 8GB/256GB variant.

Note that the base models for both these phones are Online Exclusives on Samsung’s Online Store.