Samsung is bringing a “flagship function” to the A-series however is it sufficient to make you rethink?

Earlier than we even get began discussing the improve we should always first tackle the elephant within the room: 45W wired charging is historic. Samsung, Google and Apple are all adamant on staying far behind their rivals on this area. Each this 12 months’s Pixel telephones and the brand new iPhone 16 additionally assist as much as 45W charging, and that “as much as” phrase does loads of heavy lifting in the case of Apple’s latest telephones.Reviews up until now declare that the Galaxy S25 Plus and Extremely will include 45W wired charging speeds, similar as their predecessors. Battery capability will even stay largely the identical as Samsung focuses extra on slimming its telephones down even additional. It’s gotten to the purpose the place one telephone is thrashing the opposite by 0.2 mm: an ego contest no shopper actually cares about.

Distinction these 45W charging speeds with what might be discovered on rivals and it’s truthfully a bit disappointing. Chinese language telephones particularly provide a lot sooner charging and even finances choices cost at double the velocity that the S25 lineup will. Many of those telephones even have sooner wi-fi charging than the wired charging discovered on Samsung’s telephones.

Now there’s one good excuse for this.

Maybe probably the most repeated motive for Samsung and its different big-name rivals not adopting sooner charging know-how is the truth that that tech can be a bit extra harmful. Batteries are most secure once they’re being charged at very low wattage and stay in higher situation for longer in the event that they’re by no means totally charged or fully depleted.

Nevertheless, this isn’t as huge of an issue as many make it out to be and it’s not like Samsung’s by no means had telephones explode in folks’s pockets (lest we overlook the notorious Galaxy Be aware 7). Moreover, latest “adaptive charging” modes have made telephones loads smarter in the case of protecting their batteries joyful.

These modes adapt to consumer habits and cost accordingly: sooner in the course of the day and slower at night time if mentioned consumer works throughout daytime. There are additionally choices to restrict batteries to charging as much as solely 80 p.c after which stopping. Samsung doesn’t actually have any robust causes to nonetheless be sticking to 45W charging. And if the A56 is getting it we would lastly see the flagships take it up a notch.

All of this brings us to the query: is Samsung’s mid-range sequence lastly catching as much as its flagships? And truthfully, I don’t suppose anybody will say sure to that. The flagships and the mid-rangers have their separate goal demographics: those that need the newest and best and those that simply need a strong telephone respectively.

Galaxy A56 could have first rate quantities of RAM (doubtless 8 GB with 12 GB for some markets) and an honest sufficient Exynos processor. It is going to additionally very doubtless obtain six years of software program assist just like the Galaxy A36, which makes it a superb buy for individuals who don’t obsessively improve annually.

However you recognize what it gained’t have? That tremendous snappy response time for energy customers or that completely good display screen with the anti-reflective coating. It additionally gained’t have the comfort of wi-fi charging or choices for enormous quantities of storage. And if we’re being fully useless for a second, it gained’t be the eye-catching stunner that its flagship counterparts can be.

However it is going to most probably have glorious display screen safety and an aluminum body just like the Galaxy A55. It is going to additionally take excellent pictures — even when not one of the best — and include Android 15 out of the field. So if nothing else it is going to nonetheless have the ability to present a fairly spectacular expertise even when it’s not as premium because the flagships.

45W charging for the A56 doesn’t actually present the waning hole between flagships and mid-rangers as a lot because it exhibits the slowing down of innovation for Samsung’s finest fashions. The corporate actually must step up its recreation particularly after being accused of copying Apple’s product design this 12 months.

Should you do go for an A56 subsequent 12 months do not forget that you’ll must buy a 45W charger individually since you gained’t get one within the field. Now that’d be a flagship function I’d like to see return.