Google’s newest mid-ranger, the Pixel 9a, is right here, and it is going toe to toe with Samsung’s Galaxy A56. Each gadgets provide wonderful worth, however relying on the kind of person you might be, one is likely to be a considerably higher deal.

Value and Availability

Each the Pixel 9a and the Galaxy A56 begin at $499, with the bottom mannequin of each gadgets sporting 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. Each gadgets provide as much as 256GB storage, however solely the A56 comes with a 12GB variant.

The Pixel can be obtainable beginning April 10, 2025, on Google’s official on-line retailer and by way of shops. Samsung has confirmed the Galaxy A56 is coming to the US “later this 12 months” however with no definitive launch date, supposedly to keep away from jeopardizing the gross sales of the S25 collection.

The Pixel 9a is on the market in 4 colours: Obsidian, Porcelain, Iris, and Peony. The Galaxy A56 additionally is available in 4 reasonably boring colours: Pink, Olive, Graphite, and Lightgray.

Galaxy A56 Is Taller and Slimmer Than the Pixel 9a

The Pixel 9a flaunts a brand-new, fully flat design with no digicam bump, which is not like any of the opposite telephones within the Pixel 9 collection. Scratch that, it is not like something we have seen on any main smartphone collection in a very long time.

The brand new design is reasonably polarizing. Whereas some love the absence of a digicam bump, others usually are not too pleased about dropping that iconic Pixel digicam visor (though it does retain the capsule form of the digicam cutout). Personally, I kinda like the brand new design for its minimalist look.

The Galaxy A56 additionally sports activities a brand new design, however I would a lot reasonably have the person digicam rings of its predecessor, the A55 as a result of they strongly resemble 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 previous can be heavier at 198 grams, whereas the latter weighs 186 grams.

Each telephones sport an aluminum body, however the Galaxy A56 has a glass again, which feels premium within the hand, whereas the Pixel has a plastic again with a matte end, which helps keep away from fingerprints and appears tremendous clear. The latter additionally has a superior IP68 rating for water and dirt resistance over the IP67 ranking of the previous.

Galaxy A56 Has a Greater Display screen and Thinner Bezels

Most individuals want larger screens as a result of they’re higher for media consumption and multitasking, so the Galaxy A56 has a transparent benefit right here with its 6.7-inch panel. Not solely that, the cellphone additionally has considerably smaller bezels in comparison with its rival, attaining a powerful 87.7% screen-to-body ratio.

That stated, measurement is not every part. Whereas the 6.3-inch Pixel 9a does lose some fashion factors because of its huge (albeit uniform) bezels and 83.5% screen-to-body ratio, its brighter panel is best fitted to out of doors use. The cellphone helps 2700 nits of peak brightness and 1800 nits in Excessive Brightness Mode (HBM), whereas its rival is capped at 1900 nits and 1200 nits, respectively.

As a bit of aspect word: peak brightness would not actually matter; ideally, you need to solely verify the max brightness in HBM as that is the spec that tells you the utmost brightness the cellphone is able to. Peak brightness is usually a advertising and marketing gimmick.

Each gadgets have a variable refresh fee (60-120Hz) and an optical under-display fingerprint reader, however the Pixel’s show is technically sharper, with a pixel density of 422 PPI in comparison with 385 PPI on the A56, however this distinction is not perceptible except you are nitpicking.

The Pixel 9a makes use of Gorilla Glass 3 safety on the entrance, whereas the Galaxy A56 makes use of the harder Gorilla Glass Victus+ on each the back and front, making the latter extra proof against scratches and cracks.

Nevertheless, I do wish to level out that the angle at which your cellphone drops is a a lot larger issue than the energy of the glass in figuring out whether or not the display will crack. So, it is wiser to make use of a case and a display protector whatever the cellphone you purchase.

Pixel 9a Has a Bigger Battery However Slower Charging

The Pixel 9a is almost 20% thicker than the Galaxy A56, however Google has made good use of all that additional thickness by cramming a bigger 5100mAh battery contained in the machine. The Galaxy A56 has a 5000mAh battery compared, which is commonplace for telephones of that measurement.

This additional 100mAh may not appear to be a lot, nevertheless it makes an enormous distinction. Understand that the Pixel 9a has a smaller display, so its common energy consumption can be decrease than the A56, leading to noticeably longer battery life.

The Galaxy A56 does reclaim a few of its footing with its sooner 45W charging, in comparison with the 23W on the Pixel, which is straight-up gradual in as we speak’s time. That stated, should you’re somebody who fees their cellphone in a single day anyway, this distinction would not be an enormous deal to you.

Solely the Pixel helps wi-fi charging at 7.5W, and neither cellphone helps reverse wi-fi charging or comes with a charger within the field.

One UI 7 Is Extra Characteristic-Packed Than Android 15

Out of the field, the Galaxy A56 comes with One UI 7 based mostly on the most recent Android 15, which brings new options like Galaxy AI, redesigned app icons and widgets, Now Bar, Dwell Notifications, and the power to enlarge app folders so you possibly can launch an app with out having to open its folder first.

The Pixel 9a comes with the inventory model of Android 15, which means it is clear and free from bloatware that Samsung telephones are infamous for. In fact, it additionally comes with all types of AI goodies, like Gemini Dwell, Circle to Search, Pixel Studio, and Add Me, nevertheless it would not get the brand new Pixel Screenshots app and Name Notes, that are unique to the Pixel flagships.

The Galaxy A56 comes with six years of software program assist, whereas the Pixel 9a can be supported for seven. In case you like customizing your cellphone and tinkering with new options, Samsung is the apparent alternative. One UI is crammed with helpful options, a few of that are so essential to me that I actually cannot think about myself utilizing a cellphone that does not have equivalents.

Modes and Routines, for instance, is well essentially the most superior automation suite on any smartphone; edge panels and pop-up app home windows can help you multitask to your coronary heart’s content material; and Good Lock is all you will ever have to make your cellphone actually yours.

Tensor G4 Simply Outperforms Exynos 1580

The Pixel 9a will get the identical 4nm Tensor G4 chip discovered on the flagship Pixel 9 collection, which is each extra highly effective and extra environment friendly than the 4nm Exynos 1580 chip on the Galaxy A56. I perceive that Samsung is attempting to guard its flagship Galaxy S collection through the use of an inferior chip on its mid-range gadgets, however as a person, this compromise is upsetting.

I normally advise individuals to not obsess an excessive amount of about benchmark scores as a result of trendy telephones are already very highly effective. Nonetheless, on telephones the place longer software program assist is a significant promoting level, extra energy does assist in future-proofing.

In case you solely use your cellphone to do fundamental duties like internet looking, texting, and scrolling social media, you possible will not discover any distinction in efficiency in any way. Neither of those gadgets is supposed to deal with extended and intense gaming periods, however should you needed to choose, the Pixel can be a safer alternative just because it has extra uncooked energy.

That stated, the Galaxy A56 does have a 12GB variant that prices a bit extra, so it has a better ceiling for preserving apps in reminiscence or doing AI-related duties. Each telephones use the UFS 3.1 storage commonplace, which is not the finest however is completely ample for telephones on this section.

Pixel’s Computational Pictures Is Unmatched

The Pixel 9a comes with two rear cameras: a 48MP primary lens with Optical Picture Stabilization (OIS) and a second 13MP ultrawide lens with a 120˚ field-of-view (FoV). That is technically a downgrade from its predecessor, the Pixel 8a, which had a higher-resolution 64MP primary digicam. On the entrance, the Pixel 9a has a 13MP shooter similar to the 8a.

The Galaxy A56 comes with three rear cameras: a 50MP primary lens with OIS, a second 12MP ultrawide lens with 123˚ FoV, and a 3rd 5MP macro lens, which I doubt anybody even makes use of however can ship satisfactory macro photographs in good lighting circumstances. On the entrance, the cellphone has a 12MP shooter—a technical downgrade from its predecessor’s 32MP digicam.

In case you’re solely taking a look at specs, the primary digicam on the Galaxy A56 has a much bigger 1/1.56-inch picture sensor in comparison with the 1/2.0-inch sensor on the Pixel 9a. Meaning, not less than on paper, the previous needs to be extra succesful. Nonetheless, smartphone images as we speak is much less about {hardware} and extra in regards to the picture processing that occurs after you click on the shutter button, and the Pixel is thought for its digicam system.

Do not get me fallacious; each telephones take nice pictures, particularly within the daylight, however Samsung tends to tilt towards cooler tones and processing your pictures such that they’re extra shareable at the price of wanting a bit unnatural. That is not inherently fallacious as a result of some persons are actually into that look, however personally, I might nonetheless aspect with the Pixel 9a for its extra balanced strategy and higher low-light efficiency.

Which Is the Proper Cellphone for You?

As you possibly can see, each telephones have their execs and cons, and neither is clearly higher. In case you care about cameras, battery life, and efficiency, choose the Pixel. If you’d like a much bigger display, sooner charging, and extra options, go along with the Galaxy. There actually isn’t any definitive winner.

Each Google and Samsung telephones lose their resale worth reasonably shortly and get huge reductions through the holidays, so I counsel ready a bit to see should you can snag a deal then.