Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Samsung Galaxy A56 5G Specs Comparison

Display

Size
6.2-inch	6.7-inch
Resolution
2400x1080px, 20:9 ratio, 424 PPI	2340x1080px, 19.5:9 ratio, 385 PPI
Technology
Dynamic AMOLED	Super AMOLED
Refresh rate
120Hz (adaptive)	120Hz
Screen-to-body
86.06 %	87.64 %
Peak brightness
1300 cd/m2 (nit)	1900 cd/m2 (nit)
Features
HDR support, Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor	HDR support, Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Hardware

System chip
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 (5 nm)	Samsung Exynos 1580
Processor
Octa-core 1x 2.84GHz Kryo 680 + 3x 2.42GHz Kryo 680 + 4x 1.80GHz Kryo 680 64-bit	Octa-core 1x 2.9GHz + 3x 2.6GHz + 4x 1.9GHz
GPU
Adreno 660	Xclipse 540
RAM
8GB (LPDDR5)	8GB (LPDDR4)
Internal storage
128GB (UFS 3.0), not expandable	128GB (UFS 3.1), not expandable
OS
Android (13, 12, 11), Samsung One UI	Android (15), One UI

Battery

Capacity
4000 mAh	5000 mAh
Type
Li - Polymer, Not user replaceable	Li - Ion, Not user replaceable
Charging
Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, USB Power Delivery, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging, Qi and Powermat wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging	Fast charging
Max charge speed
Wired: 25.0W Wireless: 15.0W	Wired: 45.0W

PhoneArena Battery Tests

Battery Life Estimate

4h 28min

Browsing

7h 47min

Video

7h 36min

Gaming

7h 9min

Battery Life Estimate

7h 3min

Browsing

17h 46min

Video

9h 9min

Gaming

10h 11min

Find out more details about battery and charging for all phones we have tested on our PhoneArena Battery Score page.

Camera

Rear
Triple camera	Triple camera
Main camera
12 MP (OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 26 mm Sensor size: 1/1.76" Pixel size: 1.8 μm	50 MP (OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.8 Sensor size: 1/1.56" Pixel size: 1.0 μm
Second camera
64 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F2.0 Focal Length: 29 mm Sensor size: 1/1.7" Pixel size: 0.8 μm	12 MP (Ultra-wide) Aperture size: F2.2 Sensor size: 1/3.06" Pixel size: 1.12 μm
Third camera
12 MP (Ultra-wide, Autofocus) Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 1.4 μm	5 MP (Macro) Aperture size: F2.4
Flash
LED	LED
Video recording
7680x4320 (8K UHD) (24 fps), 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (960 fps) OIS, HDR, Hyperlapse, Continuous autofocus, Video light, EIS	3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps)
Front
10 MP (PDAF, HDR), Video capture: 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps)	12 MP, Video capture: 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps)

PhoneArena Camera Tests

N/A

Overall

N/A

Photo

N/A

Video

122

Overall

131

Photo

113

Video

Find out more details about photo and video scores for all phones we have tested on our PhoneArena Camera Score page.

Design

Dimensions
5.97 x 2.80 x 0.31 inches (151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm)	6.39 x 3.05 x 0.29 inches (162.2 x 77.5 x 7.4 mm) thickness with camera 0.35 inches (8.9 mm)
Weight
6.03 oz(171.0 g)	6.98 oz(198.0 g)
Materials
Back: Plastic Frame: Aluminum	Back: Glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+) Frame: Aluminum
Resistance
Water, Dust; IP68	Water, Dust; IP67
Biometrics
2D Face unlock, Ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint	Optical in-screen fingerprint
Keys
Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key	Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key
Colors
Phantom pink, Violet, Gray, White	Pink, Olive, Graphite, Lightgray

Cellular

5G
Bands n2, n5, n12, n25, n41, n66, n71, n77, n260, n261, SA, NSA, Sub-6, mmWave	Bands n1, n3, n5, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n77, n78, SA, NSA, Sub-6
4G (FDD)
Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 14(700 PS), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 30(2300 WCS), 66(AWS-3), 71(600)	Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 17(700 b), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 32(1500 L-band), 66(AWS-3)
4G (TDD)
Bands 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+), 46, 48(3600)	Bands 38(2600), 40(2300), 41(2600+)
3G
Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 8(900)	Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 8(900)
Data Speed
LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS	LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s
SIM type
Nano SIM	Dual Nano SIM + eSIM

Multimedia

Headphones
No 3.5mm jack	No 3.5mm jack
Speakers
Earpiece, Multiple speakers	Earpiece, Multiple speakers
Features
32-Bit DAC, Dolby Atmos, aptX, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus
Screen mirroring
Wireless screen share	Wireless screen share
Radio
FM, Stereo, RDS
Additional microphone(s)
Noise cancellation, Video recording	Noise cancellation

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
5.0	5.3
Wi-Fi
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,ax(Wi-Fi 6),dual-band MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot	802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,ax(Wi-Fi 6) Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
USB
Type-C (reversible), USB 3.2, Features: Charging, Headphones port, OTG, Video out	Type-C (reversible), USB 2.0, Features: Charging, OTG
Hearing aid compatible
M3/T3
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning	GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers), Barometer	Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass
Other
NFC, ANT+	NFC

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: Dec 08, 2020 FCC ID value: A3LSMG991U
Measured SAR
Head: 0.36 W/kg Body: 1.08 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 3.96 W/kg Wireless Router: 1.09 W/kg Phablet: 2.49 W/kg

Buyers information

MSRP
$ 800	$ 499
In The Box
C to C Data Cable, Ejection Pin

Availability

Officially announced
Jan 14, 2021	Mar 01, 2025

Alternative variants

with 256GB storage

Internal storage	256GB

With 256GB internal storage

Internal storage	256GB

for Europe

System chip	Samsung Exynos 2100 (5 nm)
Processor	Octa-core 2900 MHz 1x 2.91GHz Cortex-X1 + 3x 2.81GHz Cortex-A78 + 4x 2.2GHz Cortex-A55 64-bit
GPU	Mali G78 MP14
Weight	5.96 oz(169.0 g)
5G	Bands SA, NSA, Sub-6
FCC approval	Date approved: Dec 18, 2020 FCC ID value: A3LSMG991B
Measured SAR	Head: 0.42 W/kg Body: 0.94 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 3.96 W/kg Wireless Router: 1.34 W/kg Phablet: 2.37 W/kg

With 12GB RAM and 256GB internal storage

RAM	12GB
Internal storage	256GB

Links

Full specifications
Samsung Galaxy S21 Specs	Samsung Galaxy A56 5G Specs
PhoneArena Review
Samsung Galaxy S21 Review	Samsung Galaxy A56 5G Review
User Reviews
Samsung Galaxy S21 User Reviews