Pixel 9a vs. Samsung Galaxy A56: Which Is the Better Deal?

Google's latest mid-ranger, the Pixel 9a, is here, and it's going toed to toed with Samsung's Galaxy A56. Both devices connection astonishing value, but depending connected the benignant of idiosyncratic you are, 1 mightiness beryllium a importantly amended deal.

Price and Availability

Both the Pixel 9a and the Galaxy A56 commencement astatine $499, with the basal exemplary of some devices sporting 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. Both devices connection up to 256GB storage, but lone the A56 comes with a 12GB variant.

The Pixel volition beryllium disposable starting April 10, 2025, connected Google's authoritative online store and via retail outlets. Samsung has confirmed the Galaxy A56 is coming to the US "later this year" but with nary definitive merchandise date, supposedly to debar jeopardizing the income of the S25 series.

The Pixel 9a is disposable successful 4 colors: Obsidian, Porcelain, Iris, and Peony. The Galaxy A56 besides comes successful 4 alternatively dull colors: Pink, Olive, Graphite, and Lightgray.

Galaxy A56 Is Taller and Slimmer Than the Pixel 9a

The Pixel 9a flaunts a brand-new, wholly level plan with nary camera bump, which is dissimilar immoderate of the different phones successful the Pixel 9 series. Scratch that, it's dissimilar thing we've seen connected immoderate large smartphone bid successful a agelong time.

The caller plan is alternatively polarizing. While immoderate emotion the lack of a camera bump, others are not excessively blessed astir losing that iconic Pixel camera visor (although it does clasp the pill signifier of the camera cutout). Personally, I kinda similar the caller plan for its minimalist look.

The Galaxy A56 besides sports a caller design, but I'd overmuch alternatively person the idiosyncratic camera rings of its predecessor, the A55 due to the fact that they powerfully lucifer Samsung's flagships. The A56 measures 162.2 x 77.5 x 7.4 mm, making it taller, broader, and slimmer than the Pixel 9a, which measures 154.7 x 73.3 x 8.9 mm. The erstwhile is besides heavier astatine 198 grams, portion the second weighs 186 grams.

Both phones athletics an aluminum frame, but the Galaxy A56 has a solid back, which feels premium successful the hand, whereas the Pixel has a integrative backmost with a matte finish, which helps debar fingerprints and looks ace clean. The second besides has a superior IP68 rating for h2o and particulate absorption implicit the IP67 standing of the former.

Galaxy A56 Has a Bigger Screen and Thinner Bezels

Most radical similar bigger screens due to the fact that they are amended for media depletion and multitasking, truthful the Galaxy A56 has a wide vantage present with its 6.7-inch panel. Not lone that, the telephone besides has importantly smaller bezels compared to its rival, achieving an awesome 87.7% screen-to-body ratio.

That said, size isn't everything. While the 6.3-inch Pixel 9a does suffer immoderate benignant points owed to its monolithic (albeit uniform) bezels and 83.5% screen-to-body ratio, its brighter sheet is amended suited for outdoor use. The telephone supports 2700 nits of highest brightness and 1800 nits successful High Brightness Mode (HBM), portion its rival is capped astatine 1900 nits and 1200 nits, respectively.

As a small broadside note: highest brightness doesn't truly matter; ideally, you should lone cheque the max brightness successful HBM arsenic that's the spec that tells you the maximum brightness the telephone is susceptible of. Peak brightness is mostly a selling gimmick.

Both devices person a adaptable refresh complaint (60-120Hz) and an optical under-display fingerprint reader, but the Pixel's show is technically sharper, with a pixel density of 422 PPI compared to 385 PPI connected the A56, but this quality isn't perceptible unless you're nitpicking.

The Pixel 9a uses Gorilla Glass 3 extortion connected the front, whereas the Galaxy A56 uses the tougher Gorilla Glass Victus+ connected some the beforehand and back, making the second much resistant to scratches and cracks.

However, I bash privation to constituent retired that the space astatine which your telephone drops is simply a overmuch bigger origin than the spot of the solid successful determining whether the surface volition crack. So, it's wiser to usage a lawsuit and a surface protector careless of the telephone you buy.

Pixel 9a Has a Larger Battery But Slower Charging

The Pixel 9a is astir 20% thicker than the Galaxy A56, but Google has made bully usage of each that other thickness by cramming a larger 5100mAh artillery wrong the device. The Galaxy A56 has a 5000mAh artillery successful comparison, which is modular for phones of that size.

This other 100mAh mightiness not look similar much, but it makes a large difference. Keep successful caput that the Pixel 9a has a smaller screen, truthful its mean powerfulness depletion volition beryllium little than the A56, resulting successful noticeably longer artillery life.

The Galaxy A56 does reclaim immoderate of its footing with its faster 45W charging, compared to the 23W connected the Pixel, which is straight-up dilatory successful today's time. That said, if you're idiosyncratic who charges their telephone overnight anyway, this quality wouldn't beryllium a large woody to you.

Only the Pixel supports wireless charging astatine 7.5W, and neither telephone supports reverse wireless charging oregon comes with a charger successful the box.

One UI 7 Is More Feature-Packed Than Android 15

Out of the box, the Galaxy A56 comes with One UI 7 based connected the latest Android 15, which brings caller features similar Galaxy AI, redesigned app icons and widgets, Now Bar, Live Notifications, and the quality to enlarge app folders truthful you tin motorboat an app without having to unfastened its folder first.

The Pixel 9a comes with the banal mentation of Android 15, meaning it's cleanable and escaped from bloatware that Samsung phones are notorious for. Of course, it besides comes with each sorts of AI goodies, similar Gemini Live, Circle to Search, Pixel Studio, and Add Me, but it doesn't get the caller Pixel Screenshots app and Call Notes, which are exclusive to the Pixel flagships.

The Galaxy A56 comes with six years of bundle support, portion the Pixel 9a volition beryllium supported for seven. If you similar customizing your telephone and tinkering with caller features, Samsung is the evident choice. One UI is filled with utile features, immoderate of which are truthful important to maine that I truly can't ideate myself utilizing a telephone that doesn't person equivalents.

Modes and Routines, for example, is easy the astir precocious automation suite connected immoderate smartphone; edge panels and pop-up app windows let you to multitask to your heart's content; and Good Lock is each you'll ever request to marque your telephone genuinely yours.

Tensor G4 Easily Outperforms Exynos 1580

The Pixel 9a gets the aforesaid 4nm Tensor G4 spot recovered connected the flagship Pixel 9 series, which is some much almighty and much businesslike than the 4nm Exynos 1580 spot connected the Galaxy A56. I recognize that Samsung is trying to support its flagship Galaxy S bid by utilizing an inferior spot connected its mid-range devices, but arsenic a user, this compromise is upsetting.

I usually counsel radical not to obsess excessively overmuch astir benchmark scores due to the fact that modern phones are already precise powerful. Still, connected phones wherever longer bundle enactment is simply a large selling point, much powerfulness does assistance successful future-proofing.

If you lone usage your telephone to bash basal tasks similar web browsing, texting, and scrolling societal media, you apt won't announcement immoderate quality successful show whatsoever. Neither of these devices is meant to grip prolonged and aggravated gaming sessions, but if you had to pick, the Pixel would beryllium a safer prime simply due to the fact that it has much earthy power.

That said, the Galaxy A56 does person a 12GB variant that costs a spot more, truthful it has a higher ceiling for keeping apps successful representation oregon doing AI-related tasks. Both phones usage the UFS 3.1 retention standard, which isn't the champion but is perfectly capable for phones successful this segment.

Pixel's Computational Photography Is Unmatched

The Pixel 9a comes with 2 rear cameras: a 48MP main lens with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and a 2nd 13MP ultrawide lens with a 120˚ field-of-view (FoV). This is technically a downgrade from its predecessor, the Pixel 8a, which had a higher-resolution 64MP main camera. On the front, the Pixel 9a has a 13MP shooter identical to the 8a.

The Galaxy A56 comes with 3 rear cameras: a 50MP main lens with OIS, a 2nd 12MP ultrawide lens with 123˚ FoV, and a 3rd 5MP macro lens, which I uncertainty anyone adjacent uses but tin present passable macro shots successful bully lighting conditions. On the front, the telephone has a 12MP shooter—a method downgrade from its predecessor's 32MP camera.

If you're lone looking astatine specs, the main camera connected the Galaxy A56 has a bigger 1/1.56-inch representation sensor compared to the 1/2.0-inch sensor connected the Pixel 9a. That means, astatine slightest connected paper, the erstwhile should beryllium much capable. Still, smartphone photography contiguous is little astir hardware and much astir the representation processing that happens aft you click the shutter button, and the Pixel is known for its camera system.

Don't get maine wrong; some phones instrumentality large photos, particularly successful the daylight, but Samsung tends to tilt toward cooler tones and processing your photos specified that they are much shareable astatine the outgo of looking a spot unnatural. That's not inherently incorrect due to the fact that immoderate radical are truly into that look, but personally, I would inactive broadside with the Pixel 9a for its much balanced attack and amended low-light performance.

Which Is the Right Phone for You?

As you tin see, some phones person their pros and cons, and neither is evidently better. If you attraction astir cameras, artillery life, and performance, prime the Pixel. If you privation a bigger screen, faster charging, and much features, spell with the Galaxy. There truly is nary definitive winner.

Both Google and Samsung phones suffer their resale worth alternatively rapidly and get large discounts during the holidays, truthful I suggest waiting a spot to spot if you tin snag a woody then.