Samsung Galaxy A36 5G vs Galaxy S25: Predestined outcome
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Intro
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 announced earlier this year at MWC 2025, and it occupies the entry-level mid-range segment, costing just $400.
There's a new Galaxy here, however. The Galaxy A36 was announced earlier this year at MWC 2025, and it occupies the entry-level mid-range segment, costing just $400.
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 |
Read more:
Design and Size
Shinier does not mean better (Image by PhoneArena)
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.
That's where most similarities end, however. 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 boasts a plastic frame and Gorilla Glass Victus+ at the front and back, and it 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 means it is slightly less water-resistant.
The Galaxy S25 has the better screen, no doubt about that (Image by PhoneArena)
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 2,500 nits as per our measurements.
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 decently high 1,500-nit measured peak brightness.
Overall, it's the Galaxy S25 that has the better and more color-accurate screen, and that's perfectly natural to see.
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. Yet another area in which the flagship amps things up to eleven.
Performance and Software
Flagship power
The unprecedented power of the 8-core Snapdragon 8 Elite simply trumps the mid-range Galaxy A36 (Image by PhoneArena)
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, which is a humble mid-range chipset, and the benchmark results can't depict that more accurately.
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.
With the Galaxy A36, Samsung gives 8GB of RAM in the base version, which is just as much as you get on the iPhone 16. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 arrives with 12GB, which is needed for the on-device Galaxy AI processing.
The Galaxy A36 comes with 128GB or 256GB of storage, while the Galaxy S25 gives us slightly more versatility:128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. Interestingly and unfortunately, unlike the Galaxy A35, the Galaxy A36 comes without a microSD card slot.
In terms of software support, the Galaxy S25 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.
In our camera benchmark, it's the Galaxy S25 that beats the mid-ranger, and effortlessly at that. The flagship scores 147 points in our test, while the A36 is far behind with 120 points. A very unfair match!
In our camera benchmark, it's the Galaxy S25 that beats the mid-ranger, and effortlessly at that. The flagship scores 147 points in our test, while the A36 is far behind with 120 points. A very unfair match!
PhoneArena Camera Score:
And from the camera samples you'll see below, the difference is easy to spot. The Galaxy S25 delivers significantly better dynamic range, colors, and sharpness, making it the obvious choice if you need a capable camera,
Photo Samples
Video Quality
Above, you can see a comparison of the video quality from both phones. The Galaxy S25 delivers a significantly better dynamic range, colors, and sharpness in all lighting conditions and shooting scenarios, a pretty expected sight!
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 comes up on top?
Well, no.
It's actually the Galaxy S25 that delivers a higher average battery life, and that's almost certainly applicable to the faster and efficient chip it boasts. The flagship dominates in both our web browsing and gaming battery tests. The Galaxy A36 only comes close to the Galaxy S25 in our video streaming test, where the difference is a single minute.
PhoneArena Battery and Charging Test Results:
And surprisingly, the Galaxy A36 charges faster than the Galaxy S25: 45W vs 25W. However, the flagship boasts wireless charging, which is something the Galaxy A36 lacks. We'll take the faster wired charging, though.
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
You get what you pay for (Image by PhoneArena)
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 and a decent chipset at the price point. That's basically the core 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 carries a $400 price tag.
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