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

Apple iPhone Air: 256 GB · Sky Blue; model number varies by market (US A3260)

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.

SpecificationApple iPhone AirSamsung Galaxy A56 5G (SM-A566B)
Release year20252025
Display6.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED (6.55 inches as a standard rectangle); 2736 × 1260, 460 ppi; Dynamic Island, Always-On

Because the corners are rounded, the visible area is slightly smaller than the rectangular measurement.

Apple
6.7-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
Refresh rateProMotion, adaptive up to 120 Hz

The panel varies its rate with the content, keeping scrolling smooth and lowering the rate for still images and Always-On to save power.

Apple
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Brightness1000 nits typical, 1600 nits peak HDR, 3000 nits peak outdoor; 1 nit minimum

3000 nits is a short-term peak reached in strong sunlight, not a sustained full-screen brightness.

Apple
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Front and back glassCeramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield back; fingerprint-resistant and anti-reflective coating Apple—
FrameTitanium

GSMArena reports the frame is grade 5 titanium.

Apple
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ChipA19 Pro; 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 5-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, 16-core Neural Engine; hardware ray tracing

The A19 Pro in the iPhone 17 Pro models uses a 6-core GPU; the Air's version has 5 GPU cores.

Apple
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Storage256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB

Apple says a standard setup uses about 12–24 GB for iOS and deletable apps, and Apple Intelligence models about 7 GB. GSMArena reports 12 GB of RAM in all versions; Apple does not publish RAM size.

Apple
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Rear camera48 MP Fusion main camera (26 mm, f/1.6, sensor-shift stabilisation); 12 MP optical-quality 2x (52 mm); up to 10x digital zoom; sapphire lens cover

There is a single rear camera; the 2x view uses the centre of the 48 MP sensor rather than a separate telephoto lens. There is no ultrawide or macro camera.

Apple
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Video4K Dolby Vision at 24/25/30/60 fps; 1080p slo-mo at 120/240 fps; Action mode up to 2.8K 60 fps Apple—
Front camera18 MP Center Stage, f/1.9; 4K Dolby Vision up to 60 fps

Center Stage automatically widens and shifts the frame, allowing landscape-style framing while holding the phone upright.

Apple
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BatteryUp to 27 hours of video, up to 22 hours of streamed video playback

With the separately sold iPhone Air MagSafe Battery, video playback rises to 40 hours. Apple does not give capacity in mAh; GSMArena reports 3149 mAh.

Apple
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Wired chargingAbout 50% in 30 minutes with a 20 W or higher USB-C adapter

No adapter is included; the box has a 1 m USB-C cable.

Apple
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Wireless chargingUp to 20 W with MagSafe and Qi2

MagSafe needs a 30 W or higher adapter for 20 W.

Apple
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USBUSB-C; charging and USB 2 (up to 480 Mbit/s)

The USB 2 speed slows wired transfers of large video files to a computer.

Apple
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WirelessApple N1 chip: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 6, Thread; second-generation Ultra Wideband; NFC with reader mode

Wi-Fi 7 availability varies by country; Thread connects to compatible smart-home devices.

Apple
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Cellular modemApple C1X; 5G (sub-6 GHz) and Gigabit LTE, 4x4 MIMO

mmWave 5G support is not listed.

Apple
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SIMeSIM only; two active eSIMs, eight or more stored

Physical SIM cards cannot be used; eSIM needs carrier support.

Apple
Nano-SIM and eSIM; SIM+SIM, SIM+eSIM or dual eSIM combinations Samsung
Satellite featuresEmergency SOS and messaging via satellite

Satellite features work only in supported countries; some require a carrier plan.

Apple
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DurabilityIP68 (IEC 60529); up to 6 metres for up to 30 minutes

Tested under lab conditions; resistance is not permanent and liquid damage is not covered by warranty.

Apple
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ButtonsAction button and Camera Control

Camera Control adjusts exposure, depth, zoom and styles with a slide.

Apple
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Dimensions and weight156.2 × 74.7 × 5.64 mm; 165 g

The thickness is for the body and excludes the camera plateau.

Apple
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SoftwareCurrent boxes ship with iOS 27

According to GSMArena's review, the phone went on sale in September 2025 with iOS 26.

Apple
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ColoursSpace Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky Blue AppleAwesome Graphite, Awesome Lightgrey, Awesome Olive, Awesome Pink Samsung
Glass—Corning 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
Processor—Exynos 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 storage—8 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 cameras—50MP 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
Front camera and video—12MP 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 charging—5,000 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
Connectivity—5G 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
Location and sensors—GPS, 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 resistance—IP67 (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
Software and updates—Ships 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
Security—Samsung 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 weight—162.2 × 77.5 × 7.4 mm; 198 g Samsung