Huawei Nova 14 Pro VS Samsung Galaxy A56 5G

Both phones share a similar footprint, but the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G has a slight edge in compactness: it is 9 g lighter (198 g vs. 207 g) and 0.4 mm thinner (7.4 mm vs. 7.8 mm). In everyday use, those differences are subtle but real — a lighter, slimmer phone feels less fatiguing during long sessions and sits more comfortably in a pocket. The Nova 14 Pro is marginally narrower at 75 mm versus 77.5 mm, which may suit users with smaller hands, but its greater overall volume means it still feels bulkier as a package.

The more meaningful differentiator is water protection. The Huawei Nova 14 Pro carries an IP65 rating, which guards against low-pressure water jets from any direction — think splashes, rain, or accidental sink contact. The Galaxy A56 steps up to IP67, adding the ability to withstand full submersion up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. In practice, IP67 covers a significantly broader range of real-world accidents, from a drop in a puddle to a brief plunge in a pool, where IP65 would not.

Neither device has a rugged build or a foldable form factor, so those are non-factors here. Overall, the Galaxy A56 5G holds a clear design advantage: it is lighter, thinner, and meaningfully better protected against water ingress, making it the more practical and durable everyday companion based strictly on these specs.

At the panel level, both phones use OLED/AMOLED technology with a 120Hz refresh rate, meaning they share the same fundamental advantages: deep blacks, vibrant colors, and fluid scrolling. The screen sizes are nearly identical, so the more revealing differentiator is sharpness. The Huawei Nova 14 Pro renders at 1224 x 2776 px — a significantly higher resolution than the Galaxy A56's 1080 x 2340 px — translating to a pixel density of 447 ppi versus 385 ppi. That 62 ppi gap is perceptible: fine text, intricate UI elements, and high-resolution photos will appear noticeably crisper on the Nova 14 Pro, especially for users who hold their phone close.

On HDR support, the advantage flips. The Galaxy A56 5G supports HDR10+ in addition to the base HDR10 standard that both phones share. HDR10+ uses dynamic metadata to optimize brightness and contrast scene by scene rather than applying a single static profile, which produces more tonally accurate results when streaming compatible content. The Nova 14 Pro tops out at HDR10, so on platforms like Amazon Prime Video that deliver HDR10+ streams, the A56 will render compatible content with greater depth and nuance.

The remaining display features — Always-On Display, touch screen, and damage-resistant glass — are matched across both devices and carry no differentiating weight here. Ultimately, this group is a genuine split: the Nova 14 Pro wins on raw visual clarity thanks to its superior pixel density, while the Galaxy A56 5G has the edge for HDR video quality. The deciding factor comes down to the user's priority — sharpness for everyday use, or richer tone mapping for media consumption.

The Huawei Nova 14 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G both feature 12GB of RAM, but their internal storage capacities differ significantly. The Nova 14 Pro offers a larger 512GB of internal storage, while the Galaxy A56 5G provides 256GB. This gives the Nova 14 Pro more space for storing apps, media, and data.

In terms of processing power, the Nova 14 Pro is equipped with a HiSilicon Kirin 8000 chipset, while the Galaxy A56 5G uses the Samsung Exynos 1580 chipset. The Nova 14 Pro's CPU runs at a speed of 1 x 2.2 GHz, 3 x 1.5 GHz, and 4 x 2 GHz, while the Galaxy A56 5G's CPU speed is 1 x 2.9 GHz, 3 x 2.6 GHz, and 4 x 1.95 GHz, meaning the Galaxy A56 5G has slightly faster CPU speeds overall. The GPU in the Nova 14 Pro is the Maleoon 910 with a clock speed of 750 MHz, whereas the Galaxy A56 5G features the Xclipse 530 GPU with a clock speed of 1300 MHz, providing a higher GPU performance on the A56 5G.

Both phones support multithreading, have integrated LTE, and use big.LITTLE technology. The Nova 14 Pro has a semiconductor size of 5 nm and supports a maximum memory of 16GB, but it uses DDR4 memory with a RAM speed of 2200 MHz. On the other hand, the Galaxy A56 5G uses a more advanced 4 nm semiconductor size, with DDR5 memory running at a faster speed of 3200 MHz. The maximum memory supported by the A56 5G is 12GB, which is lower than the Nova 14 Pro’s 16GB capacity, though both phones support 64-bit architecture and have integrated graphics.

The Huawei Nova 14 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G both feature a multi-lens main camera setup. The Nova 14 Pro has a 50 MP, 12 MP, and 8 MP combination, while the Galaxy A56 5G's main camera includes a 50 MP, 12 MP, and 5 MP combination. The Nova 14 Pro's camera setup offers a slightly higher resolution in the third lens, 8 MP versus the Galaxy A56 5G's 5 MP. Both phones support a wide aperture on their main cameras, but the apertures differ: the Nova 14 Pro has a 1.4f, 2.4f, and 2.2f aperture setup, whereas the Galaxy A56 5G's aperture is 1.8f, 2.2f, and 2.4f.

On the front, the Nova 14 Pro features a 50 MP and 8 MP dual-lens camera, while the Galaxy A56 5G offers a 12 MP single-lens front camera. The Nova 14 Pro has a wider aperture for the front camera, with 2.2f and 2f, while the Galaxy A56 5G only has a 2.2f aperture. The Nova 14 Pro also supports a dual-lens front camera setup, which the Galaxy A56 5G lacks.

Both phones include built-in optical image stabilization, phase-detection autofocus for photos, and continuous autofocus for video recording. They also share features like slow-motion video recording, HDR mode, manual exposure, and flash capabilities. The Nova 14 Pro supports optical zoom at 3x, while the Galaxy A56 5G has no optical zoom. The Nova 14 Pro can shoot raw images and has laser autofocus, but the Galaxy A56 5G lacks laser autofocus and raw image support. Neither phone supports HDR10 or Dolby Vision recording, and neither has a front-facing camera under the display or 3D photo/video capabilities.

The Huawei Nova 14 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G share a nearly identical set of operating system features. Both devices offer camera and microphone privacy options, dark mode, battery health checks, customizable notifications, split screen support, sharing intents, child locks, widget support, voice commands, mobile device location tracking, and multi-user system functionality.

Neither phone supports direct OS updates or can be used as a PC. These two models also match in terms of having similar core OS functionalities, such as the ability to track the current position of the device and provide voice command features. They both support split screen multitasking and customizable notifications, making them versatile for multitasking and personal adjustments.

Overall, the operating system features on both the Huawei Nova 14 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G are almost identical, with no notable differences between the two devices in this category.

The Huawei Nova 14 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G differ slightly in their battery specifications. The Nova 14 Pro is equipped with a larger 5500 mAh battery, compared to the Galaxy A56 5G's 5000 mAh battery. Both phones support fast charging, but the Nova 14 Pro has a significantly faster charging speed at 100W, while the Galaxy A56 5G supports 45W fast charging. Neither phone supports wireless charging, and both feature a rechargeable, non-removable battery.

Another distinction is that the Nova 14 Pro comes with a charger, whereas the Galaxy A56 5G does not include a charger in the box. Both devices have a battery level indicator, allowing users to easily check their remaining charge.

In summary, the Nova 14 Pro offers a slightly larger battery with faster charging capabilities, while the Galaxy A56 5G has a smaller battery and slower charging speed. However, both phones share the same core battery features, such as no wireless charging and a rechargeable, non-removable battery.

Both the Huawei Nova 14 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G lack a 3.5 mm audio jack, which may be a consideration for users who prefer wired headphones. However, both devices feature stereo speakers for a richer audio experience. The Nova 14 Pro supports LDAC for high-quality wireless audio, while the Galaxy A56 5G does not. Neither phone supports aptX Lossless or has a built-in radio.

In summary, the audio features of both phones are quite similar, with the primary difference being that the Nova 14 Pro supports LDAC, while the Galaxy A56 5G does not.

The Huawei Nova 14 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G both support 5G connectivity, and they share similar features in terms of Wi-Fi support, with both devices supporting Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), and Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax). However, the Nova 14 Pro also supports the newer Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), while the Galaxy A56 5G does not. In terms of Bluetooth, the Nova 14 Pro uses Bluetooth version 5.2, while the Galaxy A56 5G uses the slightly newer Bluetooth version 5.3.

Both devices have dual SIM support, but the Galaxy A56 5G offers an additional eSIM capability, giving it more flexibility for cellular connections. Neither phone has an external memory slot, but both have USB Type-C ports with USB version 2 support. Both phones also feature NFC, a fingerprint scanner, and GPS functionality, including a compass and accelerometer. Additionally, both support Galileo for positioning.

The Huawei Nova 14 Pro has some unique sensors, including an infrared sensor and a gyroscope, both of which are also found on the Galaxy A56 5G. Both phones lack several advanced features, such as a barometer, HDMI output, 3D facial recognition, an iris scanner, motion tracking, optical tracking, and a built-in projector. In conclusion, both devices offer similar connectivity and sensor options, with the Nova 14 Pro having an edge in Wi-Fi support and the Galaxy A56 5G having more flexibility with eSIM support.

Both the Huawei Nova 14 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G feature a video light, which can be useful for low-light photography and video recording. Neither device includes sapphire glass for the display, nor do they feature curved or e-paper displays. Both phones share identical specifications in this category, with no differences between them in terms of additional display technologies or unique display features.

In summary, the Huawei Nova 14 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G offer similar miscellaneous features, including a video light, but lack advanced display options like sapphire glass or curved displays.