4 reasons why Samsung's Galaxy A56 is a better buy than the iPhone 16e

Samsung Galaxy A56 (left) and iPhone 16e (right) laying next to each other on a woodgrain table.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The iPhone 16e is intended to be an affordable entry point into Apple's iOS ecosystem; however, its hefty $599 / £599 / AU$999 price tag is a far cry from what could be considered budget-friendly — especially when you compare it to the iPhone SE (2020), which launched at $399 / £389 / AU$679.

Conveniently, Samsung's Galaxy A56 arrives less than a month after the iPhone 16e, providing users with an affordable alternative to its flagship Galaxy S25 series, which launched in early February.

While it's true that the Galaxy A56 isn't intended as a direct competitor to the iPhone 16e (it's sure to have more in common with the inevitable Pixel 9a), it's my opinion that Samsung's top A-series phone provides far better value for money than Apple's new entry-level handset.

The Galaxy A56 is far more affordable than the iPhone 16e

Unlike the iPhone 16e, which is priced at the high end of mid-range, the Galaxy A56 can genuinely be considered an budget-minded device.

With its starting price set at £499 / AU$699 (a US release has been confirmed for later in the year, priced at $499), the Galaxy A56 is a whopping AU$300 cheaper than the iPhone 16e, making it affordable enough for potential customers to buy outright.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 16e's higher price point may inspire customers to take on a long-term payment plan with a carrier. In that instance, it could be argued that it makes more sense to raise the monthly repayment amount slightly and get a proper iPhone 16 instead.

By comparison, the Galaxy A56 is priced low enough to make it feel like an absolute bargain for what you're getting, rather than a compromised version of a better phone.

The Galaxy A56 has a brighter display with a 120Hz refresh rate

Samsung's Galaxy A56 (left) laying on a table next to Apple's iPhone 16e (right) — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

I won't mince words: it feels like a slap in the face for a manufacturer to deliver a handset with a 60Hz display in 2025.

Here in Australia, budget handsets like the Oppo A80 and the Nubia Focus offer 120Hz displays at roughly a third of the price of the iPhone 16e.

Admittedly, the iPhone 16e comes out favorably against the Galaxy A56 in terms of pixel density, with its 457 ppi screen living up to Apple's much ballyhooed Super Retina branding. But in a side-by-side comparison, the difference is marginal at best, and certainly not worth the trade-off of a sluggish refresh rate.

On top of this, Galaxy A56 has a much brighter display, reaching a peak brightness of around 1,900 nits, as opposed to the iPhone 16e's 1,200 nits.

The Galaxy A56 looks more premium

It's hard to believe, but Apple is still pushing the notch cutout in 2025, instantly making the iPhone 16e look like a phone from five years ago.

I'm happy that the notch brings full Face ID capability to the iPhone 16e, allowing users to securely unlock their phone and make payments at a glance, but I wish the Apple would've implemented its unique Dynamic Island feature instead.

Additionally, I'm disappointed to see that the iPhone 16e has thicker bezels than the rest of the iPhone 16 lineup. When combined with the aforementioned notch cutout, the iPhone 16e looks much cheaper than it is.

Samsung's Galaxy A56, on the other hand, sports thin bezels that are only slightly more pronounced than the top-end Galaxy S25 Ultra, along with a tiny pinhole camera which makes the phone look as modern as any other device on the market.

The Galaxy A56's camera system offers more flexibility

In-hand image of Samsung Galaxy A56 with camera app open and facing a large tree — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

There's no denying that the 48MP fusion camera featured in the iPhone 16e is a massive improvement on the 12MP camera featured on the iPhone SE (2022). And given that the iPhone 16e has a single-camera system, the results are quite impressive.

In Apple's words, the fusion camera delivers "the capabilities of two cameras in one", but what that really means is that it's a single camera with in-built 2x telephoto zoom capability. The Galaxy A56, on the other hand, only offers digital zoom functionality, which is disappointing.

However, I must admit that I still prefer the flexibility offered by Galaxy A56's triple camera system, which sports a 50MP main sensor, a 12MP ultra-wide sensor (a personal favorite of mine, as I love being able to take ultra-wide landscape shots) and a 2MP macro sensor for close-up photography.

So which phone should you buy?

There are several reasons why one might consider buying Apple's iPhone 16e over Samsung's Galaxy A56. For one, it's currently the least expensive way for users to try out the iPhone's new Apple Intelligence features. Others may simply be too locked-in to step away from Apple's ecosystem.

If those things are really important to you, I would suggest paying a little more for a standard iPhone 16 instead. If, however, you want a truly affordable device with premium looks and a robust set of features, the Galaxy A56 is a much better device from a value standpoint.

Samsung's Galaxy A56 releases in the UK on March 19 and in Australia on March 27.

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Stephen Lambrechts is the Managing Editor of Tom's Guide AU and has written professionally across the categories of tech, film, television and gaming for the last 15 years. Before Tom's Guide, he spent several years as a Senior Journalist at TechRadar, had a brief stint as Editor in Chief at Official Xbox Magazine Australia, and has written for such publications as APC, TechLife Australia, T3, FilmInk, AskMen, Daily Telegraph and IGN. He's an expert when it comes to smartphones, TVs, gaming and streaming. In his spare time, he enjoys watching obscure horror movies on physical media, keeping an eye on the latest retro sneaker releases and listening to vinyl. Occasionally, he also indulges in other non-hipster stuff, like hiking.