Samsung Galaxy A56 5G (SM-A566B) / Apple iPhone 12

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 12: iPhone 12; 64, 128 and 256 GB. Apple’s UK spec page lists model A2403; bands depend on the model number. The iPhone 12 mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max are separate models.

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A56 5G (SM-A566B)Apple iPhone 12
Release year20252020
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		6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2532 × 1170 at 460 ppi; HDR display, True Tone, Wide colour (P3), Haptic Touch

The display is 60 Hz; Apple does not list ProMotion for this model. Because of the rounded corners the rectangle measures 6.06 inches and the actual viewable area is slightly less. True Tone adjusts white balance to ambient light.

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		Dual 12MP: Main (ƒ/1.6, OIS, seven-element lens, 100% Focus Pixels) and Ultra Wide (ƒ/2.4, 120°); 2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 5x

There is no telephoto camera; 2x optical zoom out means switching to the ultrawide. Night mode and Deep Fusion merge several frames in low light to reduce noise. Smart HDR 3 and Portrait mode with six Portrait Lighting effects are supported.

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 17 hours video, 11 hours streamed, 65 hours audio; built-in rechargeable lithium-ion; up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W or higher adapter; MagSafe up to 15W, Qi up to 7.5W

No power adapter is included; the box contains only a USB-C to Lightning cable and documentation. MagSafe uses a magnet array on the back to align chargers and accessories.

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 SamsungDual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)

eSIM use depends on 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		—
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 Samsung146.7 × 71.5 × 7.4 mm; 162 g Apple
ColoursAwesome Graphite, Awesome Lightgrey, Awesome Olive, Awesome Pink SamsungBlack, White, (PRODUCT)RED, Green, Blue, Purple Apple
Brightness and contrast—625 nits max brightness (typical); 1,200 nits max brightness (HDR); 2,000,000:1 contrast

1,200 nits applies only to HDR video and photos; the normal interface tops out at 625 nits. The 2,000-nit outdoor mode of newer iPhones is not on this model.

Apple
Design and materials—Ceramic Shield front, glass back and aluminium design; fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating Apple
Chip—A14 Bionic chip; 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores, 4-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

The Neural Engine speeds up photo processing such as Deep Fusion and Night mode and other on-device machine-learning tasks.

Apple
Storage—64 GB, 128 GB or 256 GB

There is no memory card slot; formatted capacity is lower.

Apple
Video—HDR video with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 30 fps; 4K at 24/25/30/60 fps; 1080p slo-mo at 120/240 fps; cinematic stabilisation; HEVC and H.264

Dolby Vision recording is limited to 30 fps at 4K; 4K at 60 fps does not use Dolby Vision HDR. 8 MP stills can be taken while recording 4K.

Apple
Front camera and Face ID—12MP TrueDepth (ƒ/2.2); Dolby Vision HDR up to 4K at 30 fps; Face ID Apple
Wireless—5G (sub-6 GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE; Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO; Bluetooth 5.0; Ultra Wideband chip; NFC with reader mode

The UK page lists model A2403; bands depend on the model number and this page has no mmWave. Express Cards with Power Reserve keep some transit cards usable for a few hours after the battery runs out.

Apple
Port—Lightning connector

It is not USB-C. Wired video out through the Lightning Digital AV Adapter is limited to 1080p; AirPlay to Apple TV mirrors up to 4K HDR.

Apple
Durability—IP68 (maximum depth of 6 metres up to 30 minutes, IEC 60529) Apple
Operating conditions—Ambient temperature 0–35 °C; relative humidity 5–95% non-condensing; tested up to 3,000 m altitude Apple
Service programme—Free service programme for receiver (earpiece) no-sound issues; iPhone 12 and 12 Pro made between October 2020 and April 2021

Apple says a very small percentage of devices may have a failing component in the receiver module, so no sound is heard on calls. The programme covered units for 3 years after first retail sale and does not extend the warranty; other damage such as a cracked screen may need fixing first. The iPhone 12 mini and 12 Pro Max are not included.

Apple