Samsung Galaxy A36 Review: Mid-range goodness, but can it hold off its rivals?
We may earn a commission if you make a purchase from the links on this page.
Galaxy A36 5G Intro
Samsung's latest Galaxy A36 just landed in the US on March 26, and as luck would have it, it's the company's highest-tier new mid-range phone right now. Yes, that's right, while the Galaxy A56 exists and will eventually be available in the US as well, there's still a lot of uncertainty regarding its release date.
But what makes the Galaxy A36 5G so intriguing, and how does it fit in Samsung's roster? More importantly, can it survive in a world where the Pixel 9a, iPhone 16e, and Nothing Phone 3a also exist?
The Galaxy A36 performs well in terms of battery life and software support longevity, but features slightly lackluster performance and unimpressive camera performance.
Table of Contents:
Also read:
- Samsung Galaxy A26 5G Review: AI for the masses
- Samsung Galaxy A56 5G Preview: Mid-range royalty in the making?
Galaxy A36 5G Specs
A decent mid-ranger
| Galaxy A36 5G | Galaxy A35 5G |
|---|---|
| Size and Weight 162.9 x 78.2 x 7.4 mm 195 gr | Size and Weight 161.7 x 78 x 8.2 mm 209 gr |
| Display 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Gorilla Glass Victus+ 1200 nits brightness 120Hz | Display 6.6-inch Super AMOLED Gorilla Glass Victus+ 1200 nits of brightness 120Hz |
| Processor Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 (5nm) | Processor Exynos 1380 (5nm) |
| Software Android 15 (One UI 7) | Software Android 14 (One UI 6.1) |
| Cameras 50MP main 8MP ultrawide 5MP macro 12MP front | Cameras 50MP main 8MP ultrawide 5MP macro 13MP front |
| Battery Size 5.000 mAh | Battery Size 5.000 mAh |
| Charging Speeds 45W wired | Charging Speeds 25W wired |
| Prices $399 | Prices $399 |
Galaxy A36 5G Design and Display
A slight change
Familiar looks (Image by PhoneArena)
The Galaxy A36 5G carries on with the pretty familiar and straightforward design language employed by most mid-range Samsung phones. We get a plastic frame with a decidedly flat design all around, with Gorilla Victus+ at the front and rear of the handset. That's an improvement over the Galaxy A35, which features a plastic back.
The single most important design change can be seen at the rear, where the standard three camera lenses on most current Samsung phones are nowhere to be found; in their place, we get an elongated camera island that reminds us of phones from the previous decade.
Size-wise, the new Galaxy is thinner than its predecessor by nearly a full millimeter. Although it's a minor difference in overall dimensions, it's nice to see a mid-range phone lose some weight, provided that the newly acquired thinness hasn't affected the inner hardware.
A fairly standard mid-range design language with the Key Island (Image by PhoneArena)
Oh, and the so-called Key Island design feature is still here. It houses both the power and volume buttons in a raised bezel, which is something only available on the Galaxy A-series.
The Galaxy A36 comes in Lavender, Black, White, and Lime colors. We appreciate the variety, but the colors aren't very vivid.
A rather bleak color selection (Image by PhoneArena)
The display of the phone has grown ever-so-slightly, and we get marginally thinner bezels at the top and the sides with the Galaxy A36. It features a 6.7-inch display, while its predecessor boasted a 6.6-inch screen.
It's an okay display, all things considered, but nothing extraordinary (Image by PhoneArena)
The display is still a Super AMOLED one and boasts FHD+ resolution, as well as capable of refreshing at up to 120 times a second for a smooth experience.
Display Measurements:
Display Measurements:
The major improvement here is in the peak brightness department, where our in-house benchmark tests show the Galaxy A36 can get significantly brighter. That's a significant and most welcome departure from the older Galaxy A35, which could only hit around 500 nits or so. Color accuracy and gamma are also fairly good, making for one very decent display!
In real life, it's an okay display, just like most of Samsung's AMOLEDs have been over the years. It's fairly legible outside, surely not as much as a flagship phone, but we have to readjust our expectations accordingly.
In terms of biometrics, the Galaxy A36 relies on an optical in-display fingerprint scanner. Picture-based Face Unlock is also available, but here goes the usual reminder it's far from secure as other biometric methods.
Galaxy A36 5G Camera
Still a triple camera, and still a macro on board
Has anyone ever used the macro camera on a Galaxy A phone? Tell us in the comments! (Image by PhoneArena)
The Galaxy A36 arrives with the same triple camera setup as its predecessor, with a 50MP main camera, 8MP ultrawide, and a 5MP macro camera, which honestly should have been left out. The only minor hardware difference is in the front-camera department, where the new phone boasts a 12MP camera, while the Galaxy A35 had a13MP snapper.
So, without any major improvements, what's actually new with this camera?
Samsung has reined in what it calls Awesome Intelligence to bolster the audiovisual capabilities of the Galaxy A36. The device features its own version of the object eraser feature that's available on the regular Galaxies. Well, great presents come in small packages, it seems.
Back to the camera itself, how does the image quality compare? Here's how the new Galaxy A36 fares against its predecessor in terms of camera quality.
Main camera
Colors are noticeably warmer here, which is in contrast with the more natural-looking image you get out of the older Galaxy A35. Details are more oversharpened and over-processed, which isn't particularly appealing.
Ultrawide camera
The ultrawide camera provides adequate results, but doesn't really shine with anything. It's also significantly warmer than the same camera on the older Galaxy A35.
Zoom camera
At the 2X digital zoom level, which comes off as a preset in the camera app, the quality is very decent and creates usable results.
More Galaxy 36 vs Galaxy A35 camera samples
Video Quality
Well, the Galaxy A36 isn't that good when it comes to video, either. Unlike still photo mode, videos taken with the Galaxy A36 are slightly colder than the Galaxy A35. Dynamic range is also notably worse, especially in more contrast lighting conditions. That's a problem, as the older Galaxy A36 performs better in the same scenario.
You can't take ultrawide videos in 4K resolution, as only the main camera can take such high-res videos.
Galaxy A36 5G Performance & Benchmarks
Acceptable mid-range performance
Humble performance (Image by PhoneArena)
Equipped with a 5nm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, the new Galaxy A36 is just as fast as its predecessor, which featured the Exynos 1380 chip. Intriguingly, that's three years in a row where Samsung is playing musical chairs with Qualcomm, MediaTek, and its own Exynos lineup as far as chip supplier for the A3x series is considered.
What's even more intriguing is that performance remains steadfast and mostly unchanged––which is good news for Galaxy A35 and Galaxy A34 users, as they might not feel compelled to upgrade. According to our benchmark tests, the Galaxy A36 is just as fast as its predecessor, though it loses by a couple of points in the standardized Geekbench 6 test.
Performance Benchmarks:
Real-life performance is, well, okay provided that you tone down your expectations. This phone isn't a powerhouse, so micro stutters, lengthy app loading times, and occasional lag here and there are still common nuisances that you just have to live with if you get this one. It's okay for occasional and moderately light phone use, though.
Where the new phone has scored the most improvements is in the graphics department. It achieves slightly higher results in the 3DMark Extreme stress test that we ran. However, albeit higher, the results are still very low in the grand scheme of things and definitely wouldn't deliver an outstanding gaming experience, just the bare minimum.
The phone comes with 8GB of RAM, which is in the lower end for Android devices these days, but totally acceptable on a mid-ranger. It's also an upgrade, considering the Galaxy A35 features 6GB of RAM in its entry-level version. Both phones feature 128GB and 256GB of storage.
The Galaxy A36 5G loses the microSD card support its predecessor had, though. That's right, no more storage expansion for Samsung's mid-range star, it seems!
Galaxy A36 5G Software
What's good here though is that Samsung will support the phone for six years with major Android updates and security patches. That's a very decent outcome for this value-offering, but the phone definitely unique in that regard––more and more mid-range phones are scoring ultra-long software support windows. For example, the Pixel 9a will be supported for 7 years, and we don't expect anything lower of the iPhone 16e either.
In terms of software, we get Android 15 and One UI 7, which is great, considering that even Samsung's 2024 crop of flagships still doesn't have One UI 7! The phone boasts its own lighter version of Galaxy AI, called here Awesome Intelligence.
Awesome Intelligence is the value version of Galaxy AI (Image by PhoneArena)
The available AI features are:
- AI Select: Google Circle to Search, but accessible from the utility side panel on the screen;
- Custom Filters: Automatically creates a filter based on a photo you've taken.
- Edit Suggestions: A photo-editing advisor that will suggest edits in the Gallery app.
- Object Eraser: Lets you remove unwanted subjects and people from your photos.
- Read Aloud: Speaks web pages aloud in the Samsung Internet browser
Galaxy A36 5G Battery
Some improvements, especially in charging
5,000mAh is where it's at (Image by PhoneArena)
The Galaxy A36 arrives with a 5,000mAh battery, which is, drumroll please… just as large as the one on the Galaxy A35! That's a relief considering the phone is a millimeter thinner, in another reality we could have been given a smaller battery, so a minor win here.
How does this translate to battery life?
Well, the Galaxy A36 fares okay, ever-so-slightly better than its predecessor, but marginally. In our browsing test, it does particularly well, beating the predecessor by a solid two hours.
Well, the Galaxy A36 fares okay, ever-so-slightly better than its predecessor, but marginally. In our browsing test, it does particularly well, beating the predecessor by a solid two hours.
However, in our video streaming and 3D gaming tests, it doesn't do better than its predecessor and actually loses some positions.
PhoneArena Battery Test Results:
What's surprising here is the much faster wired charging. Samsung has put 45W charging on the Galaxy A36, which is a feature reserved for only the most premium Samsung flagships. Even the standard Galaxy S25 doesn't have 45W wired charging, but uses slower 25W. Nice!
However, wireless charging is still not available here, but hey, we won't complain given the standard charging speed increase.
Audio Quality and Haptics
Audio on the Galaxy A36 is just as good as you might expect from a sub-$400 phone. The sound coming from the stereo speakers is okay, but not very enjoyable, with some distortion at higher volume levels, as well as a tiny sound stage and bass that's a bit lacking.
The haptics are a bit muddy and not very precise.
Should you buy it?
It's a sensible "more of the same", and that's okay (Image by PhoneArena)
See, it's natural for just about anyone to always lust after the most premium and spec'd-out flagships. It's just human nature to be awed by shiny things.
However, the Galaxy A36 5G isn't a bad phone just because it's a value offering. It shapes up to be a decent proposition in the sub-$400 category. Yes, it will start at $399 when it hits the shelves on March 26, and that's a fairly attractive price tag for a Galaxy mid-ranger.
Some issues that are immediately obvious when you take the phone is the slightly lackluster performance (it doesn't take long for the phone to lag a little) and it's camera, which only has the bare minimum, but for $400, you can't fault Samsung for cutting that many corners.
Should you buy the Galaxy A36 5G? If you're on a tight budget, there are certainly worse ways to spend your money.
Popular stories
Latest News
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: