Samsung Galaxy A56 5G vs Samsung Galaxy M12

Compared 2 smartphones : Samsung Galaxy A56 5G Manufactured in March, 2025, with display 6.7 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 1580, vs Samsung Galaxy M12, Manufactured in April, 2021 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
  • Lighter design: 198g vs 214g
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.3 vs 5
  • Built-in eSIM
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy M12

    Versions

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

    Review

    Key Specs Samsung Galaxy A56 5G and Samsung Galaxy M12
    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 90 Hz
    Adaptive refresh rate Yes No
    Max brightness 1200 nits 450 nits
    HDR support Yes HDR10+ No
    Screen-to-body ratio 87.6 % 82 %
    Features - DCI-P3
    - Always-On Display
    n/a
    Display test
    Peak brightness (auto)
    Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
    1214 nits
    Samsung Galaxy M12
    424 nits
    sRGB gamut99.1 %93.3 %
    PWM (Flicker)120 Hzn/a
    Response time1 ms39 ms
    Contrast∞ Infinite926:1

    Design & Build

    Design and ergonomics comparison
    Height 162.2 mm (6.39 in) 164 mm (6.46 in)
    Width 77.5 mm (3.05 in) 75.9 mm (2.99 in)
    Thickness 7.4 mm (0.29 in) 9.7 mm (0.38 in)
    Weight 198 g (6.98 oz) 214 g (7.55 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
    - Green
    Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display Yes In-Button
    Screen-to-body ratio
    Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
    87.6 %
    Samsung Galaxy M12
    82 %

    Performance

    Testing Samsung Galaxy A56 5G and Samsung Galaxy M12 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 680 MHz
    FLOPS 1331.2 GFLOPS 40.8 GFLOPS
    GeekBench v6
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
    Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
    1364
    Samsung Galaxy M12
    481
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
    Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
    3899
    Samsung Galaxy M12
    1522
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)1364481
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)38991522
    Geekbench Compute (GPU)6816n/a
    AnTuTu 10
    AnTuTu 10
    Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
    906997
    Samsung Galaxy M12
    185374
    CPU28951964990
    GPU26530226753
    Memory15629454180
    UX19588239451
    NanoReview Score906997185374
    3DMark Wild Life
    3DMark Wild Life
    Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
    n/a
    Samsung Galaxy M12
    429
    Max Surface Temp.n/a41.7 °C
    Stabilityn/a98 %
    Graphics Testn/a2 fps
    Graphics Scoren/a429
    PCMark 3.0
    PCMark 3.0
    Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
    n/a
    Samsung Galaxy M12
    5926
    Writing scoren/a5648
    Web scoren/a5853
    Video editingn/a5741
    Data manipulationn/a4734
    NanoReview Scoren/a5926

    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
    - 128 GB
    Storage TypeUFS 3.1eMMC 5.1
    Memory CardNoMicroSD

    Software

    OS Android 15 Android 11 (Upgradeable to Android 13)
    OS Size 21.5 GB 14 GB
    UI Skin One UI 7.0 One UI Core 5.0

    Battery

    Volume 5000 mAh 5000 mAh
    Max Charging Power 45 W 15 W
    Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
    Removable No No
    Wireless Charging No No
    Reverse Charging No No
    Fast Charging Yes (65% in 30 min) Yes (40% in 60 min)
    Full Charge Time 1:13 h 2:30 h
    Battery Life Test
    Battery Life
    Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
    28:42
    Samsung Galaxy M12
    22:27
    Web Browsing11:28 h08:52 h
    Video Playback19:50 h12:52 h
    Games04:53 h05:12 h
    Standby Mode131 h113 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: 5 MP
    Macro: 2 MP
    Depth: 2 MP
    Features - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    Main lens
    Matrix50 MP48 MP
    Aperturef/1.8f/2.0
    SensorSony IMX906Samsung S5KGM2
    Sensor size1/1.561/2
    Pixel size1 μm0.8 μm
    AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus
    StabilizationOpticalDigital
    Ultra-wide lens
    Matrix12 MP5 MP
    Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
    SensorSony IMX258n/a
    Sensor size1/3.061/5.0
    Pixel size1.12 μm1.12 μm
    StabilizationDigitalDigital

    Front camera

    Matrix 12 MP 8 MP
    Photo resolution n/a 3264x2448 pixels
    Aperture f/2.2 f/2.0
    Sensor Samsung S5K3LC CMOS
    Autofocus No No
    Stabilization Digital No
    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 4 (802.11 a/b/g/n)
    Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
    - Wi-Fi MiMO
    - Wi-Fi Direct
    - Wi-Fi Hotspot
    - Wi-Fi Display
    - Wi-Fi Direct
    - Wi-Fi Hotspot
    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)UMTS B1 (2100), B2 (1900), B4(AWS), 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/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B17/B20/B26/B28/B66)
    LTE categoryn/a7
    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 M12
    77.6 dB

    Other

    Class Mid-range Budget
    Announced March, 2025 yr November, 2020 yr
    Release Date March, 2025 yr April, 2021 yr
    Launch Price ($) n/a 180
    MSRP ($) 499 n/a
    Sensors - Gyroscope
    - Accelerometer
    - Ambient Light Sensor
    - Compass
    - Fingerprint sensor
    - Proximity Sensor
    - Accelerometer
    - Ambient Light Sensor
    - 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.

    Survey

    Which smartphone would you pick?
    1 (100%)
    0 (0%)
    Total Votes: 1

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