Samsung just turned up the volume on its most popular smartphone line. At a high-energy launch event held in Johannesburg last night, the tech giant pulled the wraps off its new Galaxy A56 5G, A36 5G, and A26 5G—ushering in what it calls “Awesome Intelligence“. In simple terms – Real-deal Galaxy AI features, previously locked behind flagship doors, are now available to everyone.
Yup, AI is no longer just for the S24 Ultra crowd. With the latest Galaxy A series, Samsung is democratising the smart experience—bringing smarter tools, slicker content creation, and even personal safety features to a much wider audience.
“These new A series devices aren’t just updates—they’re upgrades,” said Justin Hume, Samsung South Africa’s VP of Mobile Experience. “With Awesome Intelligence and Samsung SOS+, we’re delivering flagship-level smarts and life-saving functionality in a package that’s more accessible than ever.”
What Exactly Is Awesome Intelligence?
Let’s start with One UI 7, the brain behind the beauty. Circle to Search is now in play, letting users find info on literally anything—whether it’s an image, a snippet of text, or even music playing in a video. Hear a track in a TikTok? Tap a button, get the name. No Shazam needed.
Camera-wise, all three models come with a sharp 50MP main sensor, but the magic happens in the software. AI-enhanced shooting makes your snaps and vids pop, no effort required. Want to clean up the background? Object Eraser has you covered. Want your feed to feel more “you”? Filters can extract colours and tones from any image and turn them into your own custom style.
Built to Last, Designed to Flex
Battery life? You’re looking at 5,000mAh across the board, with the A56 and A36 getting the bonus of 45W Super-Fast Charging 2.0. They’ll keep going longer than you will. And for the first time, even the A26 5G joins the IP67 club—meaning dust and water resistance is now standard across the range. Rain or rinse, these phones can handle it.
Samsung SOS+: Safety in Your Pocket
Now for something genuinely impactful—Samsung SOS+. This new emergency response feature, created in partnership with South Africa’s leading safety platform AURA, lets users instantly alert medical or armed responders with one call.
Here’s how it works: dial the dedicated SOS+ number and your live location is sent directly to AURA’s secure system. Help is dispatched immediately, and you get a call-back from the control centre to confirm assistance is on the way.
It’s a service that could save lives—and Samsung is making it free for the first 12 months when you buy any of the new Galaxy A models. After that, it rolls into a subscription service launching 1 May 2025.
