Samsung Galaxy A56 5G (SM-A566B) / Apple iPhone 13 mini

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 13 mini: iPhone 13 mini (2021); 128, 256 and 512 GB. The iPhone 13, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max are separate models.

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A56 5G (SM-A566B)Apple iPhone 13 mini
Release year20252021
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		5.4-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2340 × 1080 pixels, 476 ppi; HDR, True Tone, wide colour (P3)

Typical maximum brightness is 800 nits, 1200 nits peak for HDR content; typical contrast 2,000,000:1. There is no ProMotion; that is only on the 13 Pro models. Because the corners are rounded, the visible area is slightly smaller than the 5.42-inch rectangle.

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 12 MP: Main (ƒ/1.6, sensor-shift optical image stabilisation, 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 refers to switching from the main to the ultra-wide camera. Night mode, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 4 and Photographic Styles are included; macro photography and ProRAW are only on the Pro models.

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 (13 hours streamed), up to 55 hours audio; built-in lithium-ion battery; MagSafe wireless charging up to 15 W, Qi 7.5 W; up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20 W or higher adapter

According to Apple’s MagSafe charger page, the iPhone 13 mini charges at up to 12 W on a MagSafe Charger with an adapter of at least 9V/2.03A. No adapter is in the box.

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 + eSIM) or dual eSIM 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; up to 6 metres for 30 minutes)

Apple notes that liquid damage is not covered by warranty and that resistance may decrease with normal wear.

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 Samsung131.5 × 64.2 × 7.65 mm; 140 g Apple
ColoursAwesome Graphite, Awesome Lightgrey, Awesome Olive, Awesome Pink Samsung—
Body—Ceramic Shield front, glass back, aluminium frame; fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating Apple
Chip—A15 Bionic: 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 4-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

The A15 in the iPhone 13 Pro has a 5-core GPU; the mini and standard iPhone 13 have 4 cores.

Apple
Storage—128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB

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

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

Recording formats are HEVC and H.264; ProRes recording is only on the Pro models.

Apple
Front camera and Face ID—12 MP TrueDepth, ƒ/2.2; Face ID

The front camera also supports 4K Dolby Vision video and Cinematic mode.

Apple
Cellular and wireless—5G (sub-6 GHz, 4x4 MIMO), Gigabit LTE (4x4 MIMO, LAA), Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, Ultra Wideband chip, NFC with reader mode

The models on the UK page list no mmWave 5G. Ultra Wideband availability varies by region.

Apple
Port and video output—Lightning; up to 1080p video via the Lightning Digital AV Adapter; up to 4K HDR via AirPlay

Adapters are sold separately.

Apple
Audio and video formats—AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Atmos; Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG for HDR video Apple
Sensors—Face ID, barometer, three-axis gyro, accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor Apple