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The Galaxy A57 is Samsung's most recent budget offering boasting of better waterproofing, a slimmer and lighter design, and newer AI features than the Galaxy A56. However, it has gotten a bit more expensive.
The Galaxy A56 is barely a year old and still has plenty of life left in it. While it's not the upgrade we were hoping for from the A55, you still get a fantastic AMOLED display, solid main camera, and six generations of Android OS upgrades.
The Samsung Galaxy A57 didn't have really big shoes to fill, considering how the Galaxy A56 was quite a disappointing release. Android Central's Senior Editor for Mobile, Harish, had some choice words for it, and he wasn't wrong. Thankfully, with time, the price of the Galaxy A56 has come down, and it can usually be found on sale closer to $400. But does this mean it's a better value pick than the new Galaxy A57?
With the new model, Samsung hasn't messed about with the specs a whole lot, but there are a few key areas where it already has a leg-up over the A56, like the SoC, weight, waterproofing, and new Galaxy AI features. The latter part alone makes the Galaxy A57 worth a second look as it now packs more premium AI features that were previously restricted to the Galaxy S models.
If you're out shopping for a new mid-range phone in 2026, let's find out which is the best cheap phone you should be putting your money on.
The Samsung Galaxy A57 goes on sale in the U.S. starting April 9, with a starting price of $549.99. This will be for the unlocked version in the singular Awesome Navy shade. The base model comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, but you can opt for a 256GB model as well (with the same RAM). Global variants of the Galaxy A57 will come in Icyblue and Lilac trims, while the South Korean models will have two additional variants with 12GB RAM and up to 512GB of storage.
The Galaxy A56 launched at $500 and is now available for less. Samsung seems to have paused selling it directly from its site, but you can easily find it on other retailers like Best Buy and Amazon. International, unlocked models with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage can be found for roughly $390 on Amazon. The colors are not that exciting, but that can be easily fixed with the right case.
In terms of aesthetics, not much has changed between the Samsung Galaxy A57 vs. Galaxy A56. You might notice the differences once you hold both phones at the same time. The Galaxy A57 is slimmer at 6.9mm and lighter at just 179 grams. This is something that even Samsung flaunts in its marketing materials. While we didn't have any complaints against the Galaxy A56's dimensions, a lighter and slimmer phone is always welcome.
There doesn't seem to be any difference in the build quality. Both phones use an aluminum frame and feature Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on the front and back. The Galaxy A57 does get an improved IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, which is on par with the Galaxy S25 series. The Galaxy A56 has an IP67 rating, which is still pretty good, but the waterproofing part is not as strong as the A57.
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The displays of the Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A56 seem to be identical when comparing both specs on paper. Both phones have a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 2,340x1,080 pixel resolution. Peak brightness is also the same, up to 1,900 nits.
We didn't face any glaring issues with the screen when we tested the Galaxy A56, so suffice it to say that the Galaxy A57 should behave in a similar manner. Even the most basic of AMOLED displays should provide a far superior viewing experience compared to IPS LCD panels, and it's great that Samsung is increasingly using them in most of its budget phones.
One of our biggest gripes with the Samsung Galaxy A56 was that it struggled to keep up with heavy-duty games. Hopefully, that's solved with the Galaxy A57 as it features a more recent Exynos 1680 chip compared to the Exynos 1580 in the A56. The newer chip also has a more powerful NPU on paper, which should also help deliver better on-device AI performance. There's also Bluetooth 6.0 connectivity on the A57.
The Galaxy A57 has the same 5,000mAh battery capacity and 45W wired charging speed as the Galaxy A56. We still don't have wireless charging for the A series, as that feature is being gate-kept for the S series.
6.7-inch Super AMOLED, 1080 x 2340 resolution, 120Hz, 1900 nits peak brightness, Gorilla Glass Victus+
6.7-inch Super AMOLED, 1080 x 2340 resolution, 120Hz, 1900 nits peak brightness, Gorilla Glass Victus+
Software is one more area where the Samsung Galaxy A57 steps ahead of the A56. It ships with One UI 8.5 and is promised to get up to six generations of OS upgrades and six years of security updates. The Galaxy A56 gets the same update commitment but will probably see one less Android upgrade since it launched in 2025.
What really sets the Galaxy A57 apart are the new "Awesome Intelligence" features that it gets. Features like transcription, AI text extraction, smarter multitasking, and AI camera features like Object Eraser, Best Face, and smarter visual search can now be done on the Galaxy A57. It's hard to say right now if the Galaxy A56 will also inherit these with a future One UI update.
There doesn't seem to be any changes made to the cameras on the Galaxy A57 when compared to the Galaxy A56. In our testing of the A56, we found the selfie camera to be quite competent in well-lit scenarios, despite not having autofocus. The main 50MP sensor was a bit inconsistent, though, as the quality wasn't on par compared to other mid-range [hones at that time. This experience could have gotten better with the A57 thanks to newer software and an updated ISP in the new SoC.
The secondary cameras include a 12MP ultrawide and a 5MP macro on both phones, and they performed quite poorly on the A56. I'm not expecting any drastic improvements on the A57, although we'll know for sure after testing it. I feel we're well past the macro trend that took the smartphone world by storm less than a decade ago. Samsung should either give a proper telephoto or ditch the third camera and improve the quality of the ultrawide. This middle-ground situation benefits nobody.
Samsung has raised the price of the Galaxy A57 by $50 this year, and the upgrades do seem justified, given the ongoing global RAM crisis. If you're still on a Galaxy A53 or older phone, upgrading to the Galaxy A57 should offer a noticeable quality of life improvement. The latest software, along with the sturdier design, should make everyday use feel more enjoyable.
The Galaxy A57 is not perfect, though, as some of its peers offer better value at that price. For instance, if you're after solid gaming performance, then the OnePlus 13R is still a great choice. If it's reliable cameras you're after, you have the Pixel 10a/9a, which will blow the A57 away.
Samsung Galaxy A56 users needn't bother with the A57 as the upgrades are not that substantial. In fact, now's a good chance to get the A56 at a much better price, and you won't be compromising all that much either.
The Galaxy A57 is a mild refresh over the A56. It costs $50 more but in return, you get better waterproofing and a lighter body.
Now's a good time to look for deals on the Galaxy A56 as it doesn't lag behind the A57 by much, and you can save a decent chunk of change as well.
Roydon has been writing about personal technology for 10+ years, and has covered everything from news, reviews, features, to on-ground coverage of big trade shows like CES. He's passionate about mobile technology and computing, dabbles with photography, and is still struggling to work his way through his Steam and PS4 game library.
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