Samsung Galaxy A56 5G vs Samsung Galaxy A21s

Compared 2 smartphones : Samsung Galaxy A56 5G Manufactured in March, 2025, with display 6.7 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 1580, vs Samsung Galaxy A21s, Manufactured in June, 2020 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 850. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
  • Larger display: 6.7in
  • Higher pixel density: 385ppi
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.3 vs 5
  • Built-in eSIM
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy A21s
  • Lighter design: 192g vs 198g

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 6/128 GB
- 6/256 GB
- 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB
- 12/256 GB
- 2/32 GB
- 3/32 GB
- 3/64 GB
- 3/128 GB
- 4/32 GB
- 4/64 GB
- 4/128 GB
- 6/64 GB
- 6/128 GB

Review

Key Specs Samsung Galaxy A56 5G and Samsung Galaxy A21s
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Camera
Main & front camera tests
Performance
App & system performance
Games
3D gaming performance
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
Connectivity
Connectivity features
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
Customize your score
Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison

Display

Display quality comparison
Type Super AMOLED PLS TFT
Size 6.7 in 6.5 in
Resolution 1080x2340 pixels 720x1600 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.5:9 20:9
Pixel density 385 ppi 270 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes No
Max brightness 1200 nits 540 nits
HDR support Yes HDR10+ No
Screen-to-body ratio 87.6 % 82.9 %
Features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
n/a
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
1214 nits
Samsung Galaxy A21s
487 nits
sRGB gamut99.1 %88.4 %
PWM (Flicker)120 Hz500 Hz
Response time1 ms30.4 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite1500:1

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 162.2 mm (6.39 in) 163.6 mm (6.44 in)
Width 77.5 mm (3.05 in) 75.3 mm (2.96 in)
Thickness 7.4 mm (0.29 in) 8.9 mm (0.35 in)
Weight 198 g (6.98 oz) 192 g (6.77 oz)
Water resistance IP67 No
Cooling system Vapor chamber n/a
Back panel Glass Plastic
Frame Metal Plastic
Colors - Black
- Gray
- Green
- Pink
- Black
- Blue
- Red
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display Yes rear
Screen-to-body ratio
Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
87.6 %
Samsung Galaxy A21s
82.9 %

Performance

Testing Samsung Galaxy A56 5G and Samsung Galaxy A21s In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Samsung Exynos 1580 Samsung Exynos 850
Max Frequency 2900 MHz 2000 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (1 + 3 + 4) 8 (8)
Architecture - 4/1.95 (Cortex-A520)
- 3/2.6 (Cortex-A720)
- 1/2.9 (Cortex-A720)
8/2 (Cortex-A55)
Process Samsung Samsung
Transistor Size 4 nm 8 nm
Neural Processor Yes No
Graphics Samsung Xclipse 540 Mali-G52 MP1
GPU Cores 256 24
GPU Frequency 1300 MHz 850 MHz
FLOPS 1331.2 GFLOPS 40.8 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
1364
Samsung Galaxy A21s
484
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
3899
Samsung Galaxy A21s
1523
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)1364484
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)38991523
Geekbench Compute (GPU)6816n/a
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
906997
Samsung Galaxy A21s
191375
CPU28951968748
GPU26530226807
Memory15629459210
UX19588236610
NanoReview Score906997191375
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
n/a
Samsung Galaxy A21s
425
Max Surface Temp.n/a43.2 °C
Stabilityn/a98 %
Graphics Testn/a2 fps
Graphics Scoren/a425
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
n/a
Samsung Galaxy A21s
5429
Writing scoren/a5426
Web scoren/a4708
Video editingn/a5145
Data manipulationn/a3808
NanoReview Scoren/a5429

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 6 GB - 3 GB
- 4 GB
Memory Type LPDDR5 LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 3200 MHz 1866 MHz
Channels 4 2
Storage
Storage Capacity128 GB- 32 GB
- 64 GB
Storage TypeUFS 3.1eMMC 5.1
Memory CardNoMicroSD

Software

OS Android 15 Android 10 (Upgradeable to Android 12)
OS Size 21.5 GB 12 GB
UI Skin One UI 7.0 One UI 4.1

Battery

Volume 5000 mAh 5000 mAh
Max Charging Power 45 W 15 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-Po
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No No
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (65% in 30 min) Yes (50% in 60 min)
Full Charge Time 1:13 h 2:10 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
28:42
Samsung Galaxy A21s
25:00
Web Browsing11:28 h09:45 h
Video Playback19:50 h14:13 h
Games04:53 h05:34 h
Standby Mode131 h128 h

Main camera

Matrix 50 MP 48 MP
Photo resolution 8192x6144 pixels 8000x6000 pixels
Zoom Digital Digital
Flash LED LED
Stabilization Optical Digital
8K Recording No No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 30 fps) No
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
Slow Motion 240 fps (720p) No
Wide-angle lens 123 ° 123 °
Lenses count Standard: 50 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP
Macro: 5 MP
Standard: 48 MP
Ultra-wide: 8 MP
Macro: 2 MP
Depth: 2 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
Bokeh effect
Main lens
Matrix50 MP48 MP
Aperturef/1.8f/2.0
Focal lengthn/a26 mm
SensorSony IMX906Samsung S5KGM2
Sensor size1/1.561/2.0
Pixel size1 μm0.8 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus
StabilizationOpticalDigital
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix12 MP8 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
SensorSony IMX258n/a
Sensor size1/3.061/4.0
Pixel size1.12 μm1.12 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital

Front camera

Matrix 12 MP 13 MP
Photo resolution n/a 4128x3096 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.2
Sensor Samsung S5K3LC CMOS
Sensor size n/a 1/3.1
Pixel size n/a 1.12 μm
Autofocus No No
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 30 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
- Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5.3 5
Bluetooth features LE PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 2 2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
- Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
DisplayPort No n/a
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- QZSS
- GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*22
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM ModeDual SIM StandbyDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *YesNo
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
3G BandsUMTS B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900)B1 (2100), B2 (1900), B5(850), B8 (900)
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B17/B20/B25/B26/B28/B38/B40/B41/B66)LTE (B1/B2/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B28)
LTE categoryn/a13
5G SupportYesNo

Sound

Speakers n/a Mono
3.5 mm Jack No Yes
FM Radio No Yes
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
87.7 dB
Samsung Galaxy A21s
79.5 dB

Other

Class Mid-range Budget
Announced March, 2025 yr May, 2020 yr
Release Date March, 2025 yr June, 2020 yr
Launch Price ($) n/a 200
MSRP ($) 499 n/a
Sensors - Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
- Hall Sensor
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included No n/a
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

After analyzing the data, we consider Samsung Galaxy A56 5G the clear winner in this comparison.

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