What’s new with the Galaxy A56, A36, and A26: Somesome Intelligence in a Water-resistant Galaxy

Samsung says the Galaxy A36 will be available for order in the US on March 26, with the Galaxy A26 to follow on March 28. The company teased the A56 5G as a $500 phone that will hit the US later this year. Here’s what they’re all about.

The cheapest of the two is the A36, while the one with the most bells and whistles starts at $300. The announcement ends with the launch of Apple’s cheap iPhone 16e, and the new Nothing’s Phone series, a successor to the well-received Phone 2a.

It is the best part of the A-series that they will get 6 years of updates, compared to the previous offering of four and 5 years of updates. That makes them some of the only smartphones in this price bracket to offer such extensive software support—you’ll continue getting new Android features and your phone will be more secure.

The phones are slimmer and lighter, with a glossy finish on the back, as well as having a camera module with a linear lens layout. All three devices have Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus+ for better scratch and shatter resistance, first employed on phones like Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S22 series from 2022. Water resistance, and the fact that they can be submerged in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes, make them an excellent choice.

The budget friendly phones from Samsung will be getting even more artificial intelligence. The new Galaxy A56, A36, and A26 now come with what the company calls “awesome intelligence,” enabling an array of new AI-powered image editing features already available with Samsung’s pricier S25 lineup.

One of these features is Best Face, an AI tool that lets you swap the facial expressions of up to five people in a motion photo in case someone blinks or looks away from the camera. It’s similar to Google Pixel’s Best Take and launched with the Galaxy S25 in January.

The A-Series Galaxy Phones come with a 5 mAh battery and an IP67 Dust and Water Resistance that’s IP67

The A56 and A36 have upgraded Exynos chips, but the A36 has the same chip as the last Gen 3. The A56 and A36 support 45W charging and come with a larger vapor chamber in order to improve performance, but all the A-Series devices have a 5000 mAh battery. For the first time, the A26 has dust and water resistance that’s IP67. The phones will ship with Android 15 and come in a range of colors that vary by device.