Albinus was a Platonist philosopher active in the Roman Empire during the 2nd century CE. He taught in the city of Smyrna in Asia Minor and was a student of the prominent teacher Gaius. A key biographical fact is that he was an instructor of the famous physician Galen around the year 144 CE, which helps date his career to the middle of that century. He is considered a representative figure of Middle Platonism, a phase of Platonic thought between the early Academy and later Neoplatonism.

His surviving work is a short handbook titled Prolégomena to the Philosophy of Plato, which served as an introduction for new students. It explains the nature of Plato's dialogues, suggests an order for reading them, and outlines the qualities needed to study philosophy. This text provides direct insight into the teaching methods of Platonists in his era. A longer, systematic summary of Platonic doctrine called the Epitome of Plato's Doctrines was traditionally attributed to Albinus, but modern scholars, based on manuscript evidence, now attribute this work to another 2nd-century philosopher named Alcinous.

Albinus is significant for understanding how Platonic philosophy was organized and taught. His genuine Prolégomena reveals a structured curriculum designed to guide students. His influence extended into medicine and science through his pupil Galen. The Epitome, long thought to be his, was used for centuries as a standard handbook of Platonic ideas, impacting later philosophers and early Christian thinkers. His career exemplifies the active philosophical culture in the Greek-speaking world under Roman rule.