Samsung Galaxy A36 5G vs Galaxy S25: Can the mid-ranger potentially stand a chance?
Intro
With less than two months to go, the highly anticipated Galaxy S25 series is almost here. Set to headline Samsung’s lineup for all of 2025, these flagship devices are expected to be unveiled on January 22, promising to push the boundaries of smartphone technology once again.
And they will most likely do so.
While the spotlight is firmly on the S25 series, Samsung isn’t stopping there. Come March, the company is expected to refresh its mid-range lineup, with the Galaxy A36 shaping up to be one of the most interesting additions. Though its release is still a ways off, early details about the Galaxy A36 have already surfaced, providing a clear picture of what to expect from this versatile mid-tier contender.
How will Samsung's upcoming mid-ranger fare against the proper flagship phone?
Galaxy A36 vs Galaxy S25 differences:
| Galaxy A36 5G | Galaxy S25 |
|---|---|
| Thinner than its predecessor at 7.4mm | Armor Aluminum design with 7.25mm thin body |
| Unified camera island | Separate camera lenses |
| Possibly Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 on board and 6GB/8GB of RAM | Snapdragon 8 Elite with at least 8GB of RAM |
| Limited AI performance | Way better AI performance expected |
| 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display with 60-120Hz | 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with smoother 1-120Hz |
| Lower peak brightness | Much higher peak brightness |
| No anti-reflective screen coating | Possibly anti-reflective screen coating |
| Optical in-display fingerprint scanner | Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner |
| Triple camera system with macro | Triple camera system with 3X telephoto |
| Likely larger battery | A 4,000mAh battery expected |
| No wireless charging | Wireless charging supported |
| ~$400 starting price | $800 starting price |
Table of Contents:
Read more:
- Galaxy A36 and A56 expected features, prices, specs, and upgrades
- Samsung Galaxy S25 release date expectations, price estimates, and upgrades
- Samsung Galaxy A56 vs Galaxy A36 preview: Almost the same phone
- Samsung Galaxy A36 5G vs Galaxy S24 FE: Main differences to expect
- Samsung Galaxy A36 5G vs Galaxy A16 5G: Twice the price, double the phone?
- Samsung Galaxy A36 5G vs Galaxy A35 5G: Main differences to expect
Design and Size
From a design standpoint, the two won't differ that much: both will employ Samsung's current design language with flat sides and flat displays with a punch-hole for the camera upfront.
The main difference, however, will be found in the quality of the materials used and the attention to detail. The Galaxy S25, with its Armor Aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 glass will amp things up thanks to its premium flagship status, whereas the Galaxy A36 could be made of plastic like its predecessor and probably won't feel as nice in the hand.
Is that a major dealbreaker? Most likely not for many, but many people would possibly prefer the nicer finish of the flagship Samsung phone.
With the Galaxy A36, Samsung is also moving to a sort of unified camera island at the back, with all three cameras tucked into a vertical black bar at the rear. The Galaxy S25, on the other hand, will still use the same separate camera lens design that has become a signature for its flagships.
The Galaxy A36 will also employ the Key Island design feature, which houses the power and volume buttons in a raised bezel on the right-hand side of the phone. No such feature is expected for the Galaxy S25.
Size-wise, the Galaxy S25 will be a more compact, lighter, and thinner phone. While Samsung is shaving off nearly a millimeter from the Galaxy A35's, the Galaxy A36 will likely end up around 7.4mm thick, which will be slightly more than the Galaxy S25's purported 7.25mm thin body.
We also expect the flagship to have much better water and dust resistance, possibly IP68 as is the current standard.
Display Differences
The Galaxy S25 will once again come with a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with FHD+ resolution, HDR support, super-smooth 1-120Hz refresh rate, and likely very high peak brightness.
There's a chance that the Galaxy S24 Ultra's anti-reflective display coating will trickle down to the Galaxy S25 as well. This will make for an excellent legibility under bright environmental conditions.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy A36 5G's will slightly grow to 6.64 inches in comparison with the Galaxy A35's 6.60-inch screen, likely due to incrementally thinner bezels. The screen will be a Super AMOLED one with 120Hz refresh rate, but we don't know if it will once again go down to only 60Hz or Samsung will bless us with lower minimum refresh rate.
Both phones will feature in-display fingerprint scanners, but there will be a substantial difference: the Galaxy A36 5G will likely feature a slower and slightly less accurate optical scanner, while the Galaxy S25 will employ a much faster ultrasonic fingerprint scanner.
Performance and Software
Flagship power
Well, no surprises here: the Galaxy S25 will come with a drastically faster flagship-grade chipset: the Snapdragon 8 Elite, the first 3nm chipset for Android phones. We expect great improvements to performance and energy efficiency, as is customary.
Meanwhile, Samsung is still keeping things on the mysterious side with the Galaxy A36 5G. We have two potential chipsets that could make it inside: the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 or the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2. Of these two, the latter is more powerful, but the former is the one that will likely make it inside Samsung's next mid-range phone.
The Galaxy A36 will come with either 6 or 8GB of RAM (or probably both in different variants of the phone). Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 will likely arrive with at least 8GB of RAM.
The mid-ranger will likely come with 128GB and 256GB of storage, as well as a microSD card slot on board. With the Galaxy S25, we expect slightly more versatility:128GB, 256GB, and 512GB, but no microSD card slot.
In terms of software support, the flagship phone will get seven years of support. The Galaxy A36 5G will most likely have to put up with four years of support, just like the Galaxy A35. Both phones will get One UI 7 in due time, with the Galaxy S25 being first in line for getting it. We've already previewed the latest One UI 7 beta with all the new features and enhancements.
Camera
Like night and day
Well, while the Galaxy S25 won't score a drastically different camera than its predecessor, it will have a significantly better and more versatile camera system than the Galaxy A36.
The flagship will come with a 50MP main and a 12MP ultrawide, but with larger sensors and wider aperture, as well as with more sophisticated imaging algorithms in comparison with the Galaxy A36 5G, which will also have a 50MP camera and 8MP or an 13MP ultrawide.
The most significant difference between the two camera system will be the third camera: on the Galaxy S25, we are getting a telephoto with 3X optical zoom, while the Galaxy A36 will likely have a 5MP macro with much more limited use.
Battery Life and Charging
Which one will come on top?
As per the rumors, we are likely getting a 4,000mAh battery inside the Galaxy S25, which could potentially bring excellent battery life in concert with the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy A36 will likely come with a battery slightly smaller than 5,000mAh. Although larger, it might fail to outlast the Galaxy S25. Of course, all of that is based on conjecture as nothing is certain yet.
We expect that both phones will feature similar 25W wired charging, though it would be great if Samsung actually makes its flagships all charge at 45W. For now, we'd make a conservative 25W assumption.
In terms of wireless charging, we might not get one on the Galaxy A36 5G. The Galaxy S25, however, will have fast wireless and reverse wireless charging.
Specs Comparison
Wonder how the Galaxy A36 5G vs Galaxy S25 specs will pan out? We do, too. Here's a preliminary comparison based on our early expectations.
| Samsung Galaxy A36 5G | Samsung Galaxy S25 | |
|---|---|---|
| Size, weight | 162.6 х 77.9 х 7.4mm | 146.94 x 70.46 x 7.25 mm |
| Screen | 6.6" Super AMOLED 60-120Hz | 6.2" Dynamic AMOLED 2X 1-120Hz Anti-reflective coating |
| Processor | Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 (5nm) | Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm) |
| RAM, Storage | 6GB/8GB RAM 128GB/256GB | 8GB/128GB 8GB/256GB 12GB/256GB 8GB/512GB |
| Cameras | 50MP main 8MP ultrawide 5MP macro 13MP front | 50MP main 12MP ultrawide 10MP 3X telephoto 12MP front |
| Battery | 4,000mAh | |
| Charging | USB-C 25W wired | USB-C 25W wired |
Summary
Make no mistake: the Galaxy S25 will be the proper flagship that Samsung wants to sell you. No matter how the final specs, design, and features pan out, it will undoubtedly be a significantly nicer device.
The Galaxy A36 5G will certainly come with a lot of cut corners, but in the essence, it will still deliver the similar Galaxy experience that we know, just… not as pleasant and polished.
Overall, it will all be determined by the financial aspect of it: the Galaxy S25 will possibly start at $800, which could be a great price for a great phone, while the Galaxy A36 will possibly cost around two times less––we expect a price tag between $400 and $450.
This potential difference in pricing is pretty telling, and ultimately, you will be getting what you pay for.
This potential difference in pricing is pretty telling, and ultimately, you will be getting what you pay for.
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