Samsung Galaxy A36 5G vs Galaxy S25: Predestined outcome
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Intro
Now that the Galaxy S25 has been officially unveiled, we have a clear picture of what Samsung’s flagship lineup for 2025 will look like. The baseline Galaxy S25 is compact yet packs top-tier performance and solid cameras, making it an attractive option for those seeking premium power in a more manageable size and at a more stomachable $800 price.
There's a new Galaxy here, however. The Galaxy A36 was just announced at MWC 2025, and it occupies the entry-level mid-range segment, costing just $400.
How does the Galaxy S25 stack up against the Galaxy A36? Let’s break down the differences and similarities between the two devices.
Galaxy A36 vs Galaxy S25 differences:
| Galaxy A36 5G | Galaxy S25 |
|---|---|
| Plastic design, 7.4mm thick | Thinner Armor Aluminum design with 7.25mm thin body |
| Unified camera island | Separate camera lenses |
| Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 on board and 6GB of RAM | Snapdragon 8 Elite with at least 8GB of RAM |
| Awesome Intelligence with limites AI features | More powerful Galaxy AI suite |
| 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display with 60-120Hz | 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with smoother 1-120Hz |
| Lower 1,200-nit 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 |
| Larger 5,000mAh battery | A 4,000mAh battery expected |
| 45W wired charging | 25W wired charging |
| No wireless charging | Wireless charging supported |
| $400 starting price | $800 starting price |
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Design and Size
From a design standpoint, the two are night and day: both employ Samsung's current design language with flat sides and flat displays with a punch-hole for the camera upfront.
The main difference, however, is in the build itself. The Galaxy S25, with its Armor Aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 glass at the front, amps things up in terms of design, whereas the Galaxy A36 is mostly made of plastic like its predecessor and definitely doesn't feel as nice and as premium as the Galaxy S25.
Is that a major dealbreaker? Most likely not for many, as we are talking about a massive $400 price difference here, but many people would possibly prefer the nicer finish of the flagship Samsung phone.
With the Galaxy A36, Samsung is also moving to a 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, still uses the separate camera lens design that has become a signature for its flagships.
The Galaxy A36 also employs 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 available on the Galaxy S25.
Size-wise, the Galaxy S25 is 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 7.25mm thin body.
The flagship Galaxy S25 also boasts IP68 water and dust resistance, while the Galaxy A36 features IP67, which is slightly less water-resistant.
Display Differences
The Galaxy S25 features a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with FHD+ resolution, HDR support, super-smooth 1-120Hz refresh rate, and very high peak brightness of nearly 2,600 nits.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy A36 5G's has grown to 6.7 inches in comparison with the Galaxy A35's 6.60-inch screen, likely due to incrementally thinner bezels. It's a Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1200-nit peak brightness.
Both phones feature in-display fingerprint scanners, but there is a substantial difference: the Galaxy A36 5G likely features a slower and slightly less accurate optical scanner, while the Galaxy S25 employs a much faster ultrasonic fingerprint scanner.
Performance and Software
Flagship power
Well, no surprises here: the Galaxy S25 comes with a drastically faster flagship-grade chipset: the Snapdragon 8 Elite, the first 3nm chipset for Android phones. It's a proper powerhouse with excellent power efficiency that delivers great battery life.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy A36 comes with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3. The Galaxy A36 comes with 6GB of RAM. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 arrives with 12GB, or twice as much, which is needed for the on-device Galaxy AI processing.
Dialing in for the results… And it's a night and day difference, just as expected. The Galaxy S25 is miles ahead of its mid-range counterpart, as it should be.
The Galaxy A36 comes with 128GB or 256GB of storage, while the Galaxy S25 gives us slightly more versatility:128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.
In terms of software support, the flagship phone gets seven years of support. The Galaxy A36 5G isn't too far behind, though, with six years of software support. 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.
The Galaxy A36 boasts Awesome Intelligence, Samsung's AI for the mid-range, which comes with features like Object Eraser and Circle to Search. The Galaxy S25 is a much more powerful AI actor; read more about it in our Galaxy S25 review.
Camera
Like night and day
Well, while the Galaxy S25 hasn't scored a drastically different camera setup than its predecessor, it still has a significantly more powerful and versatile camera system than the Galaxy A36.
The flagship comes with a 50MP main, a 10MP telephoto, and a 12MP ultrawide, as well as with more sophisticated imaging algorithms in comparison with the Galaxy A36 5G, which boasts a 50MP main, 8MP ultrawide, and a 5MP macro.
As one would expect, we are more than certain that the Galaxy S25 will perform better than the Galaxy A36. Stay tuned for our complete review.
Photo Samples
Video Quality
Above, you can see a comparison of the video quality from both phones.
Battery Life and Charging
Which one will come on top?
There's once again a 4,000mAh battery inside the Galaxy S25. Paired with the efficient Snapdragon 8 Elite, it's a match made in heaven for compact flagships like the Galaxy S25.
At the same time, the Galaxy A36 arrives with a 5,000mAh battery, just as large as the one on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Does this mean it will come up on top? There's a chance, but we need to see how well the lower-tier Snapdragon will play with the 5,000mAh battery and the smoother AMOLED display.
And surprisingly, the Galaxy A36 charges faster than the Galaxy S25: 45W vs 25W. The flagship boasts wireless charging however, which is something the Galaxy A36 lacks. We'll take the faster wired charging.
Specs Comparison
Wonder how the Galaxy A36 5G vs Galaxy S25 specs compare? We do, too. Here's a comparison based on our early expectations.
| Samsung Galaxy A36 5G | Samsung Galaxy S25 | |
|---|---|---|
| Size, weight | 162.9 x 78.2 x 7.4 mm, 195 gr | 146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2 mm, 162 gr |
| Screen | 6.6" Super AMOLED 60-120Hz 1,200 nit brightness | 6.2" Dynamic AMOLED 2X 1-120Hz 2,600 nit brightness |
| Processor | Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 (5nm) | Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm) |
| RAM, Storage | 6GB/128GB 6GB/256GB | 12GB/128GB 12GB/256GB 12GB/512GB |
| Cameras | 50MP main 8MP ultrawide 5MP macro 13MP front | 50MP main 12MP ultrawide 10MP 3X telephoto 12MP front |
| Battery | 5,000mAh | 4,000mAh |
| Charging | USB-C 45W wired | USB-C 25W wired 15W wireless |
Summary
Make no mistake: the Galaxy S25 is the proper flagship that Samsung wants to sell to you. It has the better processor, camera, display, and potentially battery life.
The Galaxy A series does bring a lot of value by still having a large AMOLED display, passable chipset, and okay main camera. That's the core of the Samsung experience, with the expensive corners shaved off.
Overall, it will all be determined by the financial aspect of it: the Galaxy S25 starts at $800, which is a great price for a great phone with a 7-year expected lifespan. The Galaxy A36 costs around two times less––it will carry a $400 price tag.
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