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

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 Pro Max: iPhone 13 Pro Max (2021); 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB. Apple’s spec page lists model codes A2483 and A2484; band support varies by country model. The iPhone 13 Pro (6.1-inch), iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 Pro Max are separate models.

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A56 5G (SM-A566B)Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
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		6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED with ProMotion; 2778 × 1284 pixels, 458 ppi; adaptive refresh up to 120 Hz; HDR, True Tone, wide colour (P3); typical 1000 nits, 1200 nits HDR; 2,000,000:1 contrast

ProMotion lowers the refresh rate for static content and raises it to 120 Hz for scrolling and animations, for both smoothness and battery savings. Because of the rounded corners, the diagonal measured as a rectangle is 6.68 inches.

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		Triple 12 MP: Telephoto (ƒ/2.8, 3x optical zoom), Wide (ƒ/1.5, sensor-shift OIS), Ultra Wide (ƒ/1.8, 120°); 6x optical zoom range, up to 15x digital; LiDAR Scanner; Apple ProRAW

Macro photography works by switching to the Ultra Wide camera when you get close to a subject. The LiDAR Scanner speeds up focusing in the dark and enables Night mode portraits.

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 28 hours video (25 hours streamed), up to 95 hours audio; built-in lithium-ion battery; 15 W MagSafe, 7.5 W Qi wireless; about 50% in 30 minutes with a 20 W or higher adapter

The adapter is not included and is sold separately. MagSafe uses a magnet array in 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 SamsungNano-SIM + eSIM or dual eSIM

eSIM is not supported in all regions; micro-SIM cards are not compatible.

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
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 × 7.65 mm; 240 g Apple
ColoursAwesome Graphite, Awesome Lightgrey, Awesome Olive, Awesome Pink Samsung—
Body—Ceramic Shield front, textured matte glass back, stainless-steel frame; Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue, Alpine Green Apple
Chip—A15 Bionic: 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

The A15 Bionic in the iPhone 13 and 13 mini has a 4-core GPU; the Pro models have one more GPU core.

Apple
Storage—128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB

Capacity is chosen at purchase; there is no memory card slot. On the 128 GB model ProRes video is limited to 1080p 30 fps instead of 4K.

Apple
Video—Up to 4K 60 fps with Dolby Vision HDR; ProRes up to 4K 30 fps (1080p 30 fps on 128 GB); Cinematic mode 1080p 30 fps; macro video; 1080p 120/240 fps slow motion

ProRes is a professional video format that edits with little loss in editing software; its files are much larger than HEVC.

Apple
Front camera and Face ID—12 MP TrueDepth, ƒ/2.2; Face ID Apple
Cellular and wireless—5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) with 4x4 MIMO, Gigabit LTE, Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, Ultra Wideband chip, NFC with reader mode

5G and LTE bands vary by model number and carrier; Apple advises checking with your carrier.

Apple
Port and video output—Lightning; up to 1080p via Lightning Digital AV Adapter; up to 4K HDR via AirPlay Apple
Audio formats—AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Atmos; spatial audio playback Apple
Software—Launched with iOS 15 Apple