Samsung Galaxy A56 5G (SM-A566B) / Apple iPhone 14 Plus

Samsung Galaxy A56 5G (SM-A566B): SM-A566B (Europe/UK); the listed configuration is 8 GB / 256 GB, with 8/128 and 12/256 GB depending on market. The Galaxy A55 (previous generation) and Galaxy A36 5G are separate models.

Apple iPhone 14 Plus: iPhone 14 Plus (2022); 128, 256 and 512 GB. Models sold in the UK and Europe use nano-SIM and eSIM; the US model A2632 is eSIM-only and supports mmWave 5G. The 6.1-inch iPhone 14 and the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max are separate models.

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A56 5G (SM-A566B)Apple iPhone 14 Plus
Release year20252022
Display6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED, 2340 × 1080; up to 120 Hz refresh; up to 1,200 nits in High Brightness Mode

120 Hz makes scrolling smoother; 1,200 nits is reached in High Brightness Mode, which switches on automatically in sunlight. Allowing for the rounded corners, the visible area is 6.5 inches.

Samsung		6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2778 × 1284 pixels, 458 ppi; HDR, True Tone, wide colour (P3)

Typical maximum brightness is 800 nits, with 1,200 nits peak for HDR content; typical contrast is 2,000,000:1. Because of the rounded corners the screen measures 6.68 inches as a rectangle and the viewable area is slightly smaller. Apple does not list a refresh rate; 120 Hz ProMotion is only on the Pro models.

Apple
GlassCorning Gorilla Glass Victus+ front and back (camera glass excluded)

Glass on the back as well is uncommon in this class; Samsung notes the camera lens covers are not included.

Samsung		—
ProcessorExynos 1580 (4 nm); octa-core: 1 × 2.9 GHz, 3 × 2.6 GHz, 4 × 1.9 GHz; Xclipse 540 GPU

Samsung says a larger vapor chamber than the previous generation spreads heat better in games and multitasking.

Samsung		—
Memory and storage8 GB RAM, 256 GB storage (234.4 GB available); 8/128 and 12/256 GB options depending on market; no microSD slot

With no card slot, storage cannot be expanded later, so the capacity choice matters for heavy photo and video use.

Samsung		—
Rear cameras50MP wide, ƒ/1.8, autofocus and OIS; 12MP ultra-wide, ƒ/2.2; 5MP macro, ƒ/2.4; 10× digital zoom

Optical stabilisation (OIS) is on the main camera only and reduces shake at night and in video. There is no telephoto camera; zoom is digital.

Samsung		12 MP Main (26 mm, ƒ/1.5, sensor-shift optical image stabilisation, 100% Focus Pixels) and 12 MP Ultra Wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.4, 120°); 2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 5x

There is no telephoto camera: the 2x figure refers to switching from the main to the ultra wide camera. Photos are processed with the Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion and Smart HDR 4; Night mode and Portrait mode are included.

Apple
Front camera and video12MP front camera, ƒ/2.2, fixed focus; 4K 30 fps recording on the rear camera, 240 fps slow motion in HD; 10-bit HDR video on the front camera

4K recording is limited to 30 fps; smoother video needs a drop to 1080p.

Samsung		—
Battery and charging5,000 mAh (typical); up to 29 hours video playback; 45 W Super Fast Charging 2.0 (adapter sold separately)

45 W speeds need a 45 W USB PD PPS adapter; lower-powered adapters take longer.

Samsung		Up to 26 hours of video (20 hours streamed), up to 100 hours of audio; built-in lithium-ion battery; 15 W MagSafe and 7.5 W Qi wireless charging; about 50% in around 30 minutes with a 20 W or higher adapter

These are longer than the iPhone 14’s 20 hours of video and 80 hours of audio. No power adapter is in the box; the fast-charge time comes from Apple’s test with a 20 W adapter.

Apple
Connectivity5G Sub-6; Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax, 2.4/5 GHz); Bluetooth 5.3; NFC; USB-C (USB 2.0); no 3.5 mm headphone jack

USB 2.0 is slower than USB 3 ports for large video transfers and has no video output.

Samsung		—
SIMNano-SIM and eSIM; SIM+SIM, SIM+eSIM or dual eSIM combinations SamsungModels sold outside the US: nano-SIM + eSIM or dual eSIM; US: dual eSIM only (no physical SIM support)

According to Apple the US model runs two active eSIMs and can store eight or more. eSIM needs carrier support.

Apple
Location and sensorsGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS; in-display fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, geomagnetic, light and virtual proximity sensor

A virtual proximity sensor uses software and other sensors rather than dedicated hardware to turn the screen off during calls.

Samsung		—
Water and dust resistanceIP67 (tested in up to 1 m of fresh water for up to 30 minutes)

This is no guarantee against seawater, pool water or pressurised water.

Samsung		IP68 (IEC 60529; maximum depth of 6 metres for up to 30 minutes)

According to Apple this resistance is not permanent and may decrease with normal wear; liquid damage is not covered by the warranty.

Apple
Software and updatesShips with One UI 7; 6 generations of Android/One UI upgrades and 6 years of security updates (until 31 March 2032 on the UK page)

This is the longest support yet in the Galaxy A series; rollout timing can vary by country and carrier.

Samsung		—
SecuritySamsung Knox Vault, Auto Blocker, Theft Protection

Knox Vault stores sensitive data such as PINs and passwords in an isolated hardware area separate from the main processor.

Samsung		—
Size and weight162.2 × 77.5 × 7.4 mm; 198 g Samsung160.8 × 78.1 × 7.80 mm; 203 g Apple
ColoursAwesome Graphite, Awesome Lightgrey, Awesome Olive, Awesome Pink Samsung—
Build—Ceramic Shield front, glass back and aluminium frame Apple
Chip—A15 Bionic: 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

This is the A15 version with a five-core GPU used in the iPhone 13 Pro; the A15 in the iPhone 13 has a four-core GPU.

Apple
Storage—128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB

Capacity is chosen at purchase; there is no memory card slot.

Apple
Video—4K Dolby Vision HDR at 24/25/30/60 fps; Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR at 30 fps; Action mode up to 2.8K at 60 fps; 1080p slo-mo at 120/240 fps

Recording formats are HEVC and H.264, with stereo audio. 8 MP stills can be taken while recording 4K video. Action mode crops the image to reduce shake and tops out at 2.8K.

Apple
Front camera and Face ID—12 MP TrueDepth, ƒ/1.9, autofocus with Focus Pixels; Face ID

The front camera also records 4K Dolby Vision video; Face ID uses the same TrueDepth camera system.

Apple
Cellular and wireless—5G (sub-6 GHz; mmWave as well on the US model), Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO, Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.3, Ultra Wideband chip, NFC with reader mode

The band list depends on the model number. The US page lists n258, n260 and n261 for mmWave; the UK page has no mmWave.

Apple
Satellite and safety features—Emergency SOS via satellite, Crash Detection, Roadside Assistance via satellite

According to Apple the satellite features are free for two years after activating any iPhone 14 model; connection and response times vary with location and site conditions.

Apple
Location—GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou; digital compass; iBeacon Apple
Port and video output—Lightning; up to 1080p video through the Lightning Digital AV Adapter; up to 4K HDR over AirPlay

Adapters are sold separately.

Apple
Audio and video formats—AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Atmos; Spatial Audio; Dolby Vision, HDR10+/HDR10 and HLG for video playback Apple
Sensors—Face ID, barometer, high dynamic range gyro, high-g accelerometer, proximity sensor, dual ambient light sensors

The high-g accelerometer and gyro are used for Crash Detection.

Apple