The affordable smartphone market is heating up, with various brands vying for attention. Recently, Apple made its move, Google is expected to follow suit, and now Samsung has entered the fray with its Galaxy A-series. The lineup is set to be refreshed next month, starting with the Galaxy A36 at $400, the Galaxy A26 at $300, and the Galaxy A56 at $500, although a release date for the latter has not been announced. One notable feature across all three devices is “Awesome Intelligence,” which appears to be Samsung’s rebranded version of Galaxy AI for its budget-friendly offerings.

The Galaxy A56, A36, and A26 share the same 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a feature not commonly found at this price point, as well as a 5,000 mAh battery. Each phone comes with 128GB of storage. The Galaxy A56 is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 1580 chipset, while the Galaxy A26 and A36 utilize Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 platform. The Galaxy A56 stands out with 8GB of RAM, whereas the A36 and A26 have 6GB. It will be intriguing to see how Awesome Intelligence performs, given the trend of flagships adopting more RAM for AI capabilities. Samsung has also committed to providing six years of software support and Android OS updates.

The camera systems across the A-series vary slightly. The Galaxy A56, considered the top tier, features a 12-MP ultrawide camera, a 50-MP primary camera, a 5-MP Macro camera, and a 12-MP front-facing camera. The Galaxy A36, starting at $400, has the same primary camera but is equipped with an 8-MP ultrawide camera and a 5-MP macro camera, along with a 12-MP front camera. The Galaxy A26, priced at $300, has a similar setup except for a 20-MP macro camera and a 13-MP front camera.

Awesome Intelligence

The concept of “Awesome Intelligence” might be unfamiliar, but it essentially refers to Samsung’s efforts to rebrand artificial intelligence for its budget phone lineup. This move allows Samsung to differentiate its product from Galaxy AI, which may be perceived as more forward-thinking. Awesome Intelligence enables the use of key Google Gemini features, such as Circle to Search, including the new ability to identify songs introduced in the Galaxy S25 series. Additionally, it provides access to Galaxy AI features like Object Eraser and Nightography algorithms in the camera app. This approach diverges from that of Apple and Google, which use the same processors across their flagship and lower-cost devices to maintain software parity. Instead, Samsung is leveraging its manufacturing strengths to deliver impressive screens and larger batteries in its budget-friendly phones.

It will be interesting to observe how Samsung continues to adapt AI features from its flagships to its lower-cost devices and what features it deems essential for Awesome Intelligence. This approach may allow Samsung to offer a unique selling point in the competitive affordable smartphone market.