Samsung’s mid-range Galaxy A series just got a serious glow-up — and yes, I saw it coming.
Back in March at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the Galaxy A36 and A56 were already quietly impressive. Not in a “redefines the category” kind of way — Samsung doesn’t need them to. But in the way they felt: solid, considered, and unmistakably Galaxy, right down to the softened camera housing and matte finishes that wouldn’t look out of place next to a flagship.
Now they’ve landed in South Africa, and Samsung’s giving them the full “Awesome Intelligence” treatment. That’s marketing-speak for Galaxy AI — features like Circle to Search, Object Eraser, and on-device music recognition — retooled to run smoothly on hardware that doesn’t cost R20,000 or more.
And it works. You can now tap and hold on anything onscreen — a landmark, a handbag, a song playing in a video — and Awesome Intelligence will figure it out. Object Eraser clears up photos like it’s nothing. Filters steal the colour profile from one image and apply it to another. It’s S24 magic — on A-series silicon.
There’s also a new wildcard: Samsung SOS+, built in partnership with South African security platform AURA. It’s a real-time emergency response service that shares your live location with nearby responders and gives you a direct call-back. It’s local, it’s practical, and it’s free for the first 12 months if you buy one of the new A-series phones. In a market where safety tech rarely shows up in the mid-range, this one feels personal.
The hardware is dependable. All three new devices — the Galaxy A56 5G, A36 5G, and A26 5G — come with 50MP main cameras, 5,000mAh batteries, and IP67 water and dust resistance. The A56 and A36 support 45W fast charging, while the A26 settles for a slower top-up — but still gets the flagship look and improved durability. Everything runs on One UI 7 with a promise of four years of OS updates and six years of security patches.
Here’s what you’ll pay in South Africa:
- Galaxy A26 5G (128GB) – R4,999
Buy now - Galaxy A36 5G (128GB) – From R7,299
Buy now - Galaxy A56 5G (256GB) – R10,999
Buy now
This isn’t just Samsung porting down features. It’s the company actually rethinking what its most popular phones should do — and who they should serve. The Galaxy A56 and A36 aren’t flashy, but they’re serious. AI smarts, local safety, long-term support — and all of it landing in the sweet spot of South Africa’s smartphone market. That’s not just mid-range done right. That’s mid-range done meaningfully.