Samsung Galaxy A26, A36 and A56 UK release date: Everything we know about the price, specs and more

Last March, we were introduced to the 2024 A Series line-up, the Samsung Galaxy A55 and A35, which came armed with AI enhanced technology, improved durability, and Samsung Knox security, securing their place as two of the frontrunners in the mid-range smartphone guide.

Now, Samsung has made some significant improvements to its A Series, yet has kept the same inexpensive price-point. Here's everything we found out about the new Samsung Galaxy A26, A36 and A56.

Can't wait until the new A Series?

Check out the Samsung Galaxy A Series smartphones at Samsung

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Jump to:

• Where can I buy the new Samsung Galaxy A Series in the UK?
• Samsung Galaxy A26, A36 and A56 release date
• What are the Samsung Galaxy A26, A36 and A56 UK prices?
• Samsung Galaxy A Series design
• Samsung Galaxy A Series specs
• Our hands-on review of the new Samsung Galaxy A Series

Where can I buy the new Samsung Galaxy A Series in the UK?

The Samsung Galaxy A26, A36 and A56 are available to buy from the official Samsung store from Wednesday 19th March.

You will also be able to buy the new Samsung Galaxy A Series smartphones from reputable UK retailers and mobile networks, and as usual, the RadioTimes.com Technology team will list them below when they're available.

Samsung Galaxy A26, A36 and A56 release date

The Samsung Galaxy A26, A36 and A56 are available to buy outright from next Wednesday 19th March.

For Samsung offers, check out the best Samsung Galaxy S25 deals.

What are the Samsung Galaxy A26, A36 and A56 UK prices?

So, how much will these mid-range smartphones set you back? If you're used to seeing flagship prices, you'll certainly be pleased with the new Samsung Galaxy A Series.

• The Samsung Galaxy A26 will cost from £299.
• The Samsung Galaxy A36 will set you back from £399.
• And, the Samsung Galaxy A56 will cost you from £459.

Samsung Galaxy A Series design

At this week's hands-on event, there was a big emphasis on the word 'awesome'; while the 'A' in Samsung Galaxy A Series stands for 'Alpha' (as the first phone in the range was the Samsung Galaxy Alpha, released in 2014), you'd be forgiven for thinking it refers to being awesome.

Each of the Samsung Galaxy A Series colourways have 'awesome' in front of them: the Samsung Galaxy A56 comes in Graphite, Light Grey, Olive and Pink colours, whereas the Samsung Galaxy A36 comes in Black, White, Lavender and Lime.

The smartphones have a linear camera layout on the back, as is expected with the Samsung Galaxy A Series and is comparable to the flagship Samsung Galaxy S Series smartphones.

Despite its larger display — which has been upsized from 6.6-inches to 6.7-inches — the new Samsung Galaxy A Series smartphones are thinner; the Samsung Galaxy A36 and A56 are 7.4mm wide, down from 8.2mm. However, the Samsung Galaxy A26 is slightly thicker, at 7.7mm.

Both the Samsung Galaxy A36 and A56 come in at 1,200 nits brighter than their predecessors.

Plus, the A Series line-up is durable, too, with all three smartphones offering an IP67 dust and water resistance, and Corning Gorilla Glass.

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Samsung Galaxy A Series specs

The Samsung Galaxy A56 has a 12MP camera and the Samsung Galaxy A36 has a 8MP camera, and both smartphones have video HDR.

For all of you gamers and streamers out there, you'll be pleased to know that the Samsung Galaxy A56 and A36 comes with a larger vapour chamber, which is actually comparable to the Samsung Galaxy S24 in size, as well as a 5,000mAh battery with 29-hour video playback. So, if you're looking to binge-watch the latest season of The White Lotus, we know two smartphones that won't let you down!

Some of the AI features that we know and love, such as Read Aloud, AI Select, Circle to Search and visual editing tools, for example, object remover, are included on the Samsung Galaxy A36 and A56. The Samsung Galaxy A56 also offers improved portrait shots with the help of AI.

The Samsung Galaxy A36 and A56 come with six OS updates and six years of security updates, and it's also the first A Series line-up with One UI 7.0, a new interface which offers sophisticated and easier-to-find app icons, smarter notification management, a new lock screen with a quick overview of ongoing activities, plus more.

Our hands-on review of the new Samsung Galaxy A Series

The Technology team were lucky enough to get hands-on time with the brand-new Samsung A Series smartphones: the Samsung Galaxy A26, A36, and A56. So, what did we think?

In terms of the initial appearance, we loved the new colourways the A Series come in: an array of Graphite, Light Grey, Olive, Pink, Black, White, Lavender and Lime colours. However, we do think the A Series is large for a mid-range smartphone.

We know that customers often opt for a mid-range phone, such as the Samsung A Series or the Apple SE smartphones (now the Apple iPhone 16e) as they're affordable, slightly smaller versions of the flagship devices, which come with the same great (albeit, fewer) features. The Samsung Galaxy A36 and A56 have displays of 6.7-inches, an additional 0.1-inch in comparison to its predecessors, and 0.6-inches bigger than the Apple iPhone 16e's 6.1-inches.

If sizeable smartphones don't concern you, we like everything else about the new Samsung Galaxy A Series. For an affordable smartphone, it certainly packs in a lot of brilliant features.

We like that the Samsung Galaxy A36 and A56 boast features which we saw on the flagship Samsung Galaxy S25, such as AI Select, which suggests actions for anything you select on screen, and Read Aloud, where you can listen to articles and webpages like they're your very own personal podcasts.

The Samsung Galaxy A Series also comes equipped with other intelligent features such as object eraser, edit suggestions, and custom filters, all in the photo application.

Can't wait until the new A Series?

Check out the Samsung Galaxy A Series smartphones at Samsung

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