samsung-galaxy-a36-5g Best or not ?

Just months after launching its premium Galaxy S-series line-up, the new Samsung Galaxy A36 comes with a series of major upgrades and AI-powered features, including a revamp of the AI-ready One UI 7.

There was a time when the Galaxy A number meant a difference in screen size – the higher the number, the bigger the slab. Samsung has finally settled on a universal display size, and the A16, A26, A36 and A56 all feature a 6.7-inch AMOLED screen.

My focus today is the Samsung Galaxy A36, which starts at  389.96 dollar for the 8GB+128GB variant, which could go up or down depending on the time. I have had this smartphone in my hands for the last few days and I will tell you about it and whether it is the best phone in the price or not.

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G Full Specifications:-

General

• Brand :- Samsung

• Model :- Galaxy A36 5G

• AI Enabled:- Yes

• Dimensions (mm):- 162.90 x 78.20 x 7.40

• Body type:- Glass

• Form factor:- touchscreen

• Weight (g):- 195.00

• IP rating:- IP67

• Fast charging:- 45W Fast Charging

• Wireless charging :- No

• Battery capacity :- (mAh) 5000

• Removable battery :- No

• Colours Awesome Light gray, Awesome Graphite, Awesome Olive.

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G:- ‘Design and Build’

Comparing the Samsung Galaxy A36, there is no major change in the design from its previous model, the Galaxy A35. The biggest change is in the camera module, which has changed to a vertically stacked pill-shaped layout in addition to the separate camera rings. And although this new design gives the phone a new form, it does move a bit when placed on a flat surface. It helps in a case (not included in the box), which also gives a very good grip on its glossy surface.

Overall, the Galaxy A series has finally created its own identity with the new camera design and no longer looks like the A series, which could be a step in the right direction to help users differentiate between their budget, mid-budget and premium smartphones.

The in-hand ergonomics of the Galaxy A36 is very comfortable, and the compression is much lighter than your last model. As for the display, Samsung has gone for a slightly larger 6.7-inch Super AMOLED panel with an FHD+ resolution (2340 x 1080p), 120Hz refresh rate, 1200 nits brightness, and HDR10+ support. The phone comes in a number of different colours, and I got the gorgeous lavender variant as per the review.
The back panel has a micro gradient that catches the light perfectly, adding a bit of charm to the overall look. The device maintains the IP67 dust and water resistance like its predecessor, which is great, and newer competitors are now going further by offering IP68 and even IP69 ratings.

Samsung has long been known for offering some really great displays in its price segment, and that is true here as well. The visuals are sharp and vibrant, and the stereo speakers are great at enhancing the multimedia experience. The display is readable even in direct sunlight, thanks to great brightness levels.There is also an in-display fingerprint sensor, which works well but feels a bit slow in compression compared to some other phones in this segment.

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G: ‘Camera’

The Galaxy A35 arrived in 2024 with a triple rear lens array consisting of a 50MP f/1.8 wide sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 5MP macro sensor, with a 13MP front-facing selfie camera housed in a hole-punch style notch.The Galaxy A36 arrived in 2025 with a triple rear lens array consisting of a 50MP f/1.8 wide sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 5MP macro sensor, with a 12MP front-facing selfie camera housed in a hole-punch style notch.

This means that on a pure technical level there is a slight downgrade in selfie camera performance between the two models, although that is offset to some extent by the fact that they are capturing 10-bit HDR data for both video and still photography. According to Samsung, this makes them great cameras for the everyday user.

I didn’t have the Galaxy E35, so I updated my notes from my previous review of the phone while testing the Galaxy E36 during my review period. Ultimately, the E36’s cameras are good for the price, but they’re still not great, or even that fast.The Galaxy E36 doesn’t have a telephoto, only a digital crop zoom that goes up to 10x. A smart decision.

Samsung has made a clear distinction between what it offers in the camera space in its premium phones (and even high-mid to low-premium phones like the Galaxy S25 FE), and the Galaxy A36 doesn’t have much to boast about, but to be fair, there’s relatively little issue with a phone in this value space.

The Galaxy A35 is probably slightly better in terms of performance, and the latest inputs from everyday consumers are that the difference has become very subtle.

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G: ‘Charging & Battery’

The Samsung Galaxy A36 packs a 5,000mAh sealed battery under its frame, which is about as good as you’d expect from almost every non-folding Android phone.As usual, battery life is pretty much a given; someone who plays games on their phone constantly is likely to see their battery diemuch faster than someone who only uses their phone to make phone calls, keep it in their pocket, and while most smartphones are perfect for that. No judgement here.

On normal use, I think a phone that can maintain 90% or more power for the first hour or so can last a day on a normal trip with little issue, but I still can’t argue that the value of any phone is a little more than that – the first hour is worth it, frustratingly I’ve never had a handset last the second or third hour.

The Samsung Galaxy A36 is the test model – I had this phone for testing but if you buy it in retail, you won’t get much in terms of power, there is only a USB cable in the box. If you don’t have a charger, you will have to spend money or make a budget for it.

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G: ‘Performance

’Samsung built the Galaxy A35 around one of its own Exynos 1380 chipsets, and it’s gone the Exynos route for both the Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A26 respectively… but that’s not the case for the Galaxy A36.Open up the Galaxy A36 and you’ll be tempted to buy your warranty, but instead you’ll find a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor, backed by 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. As already mentioned, there’s no micro SD expansion capability on the Galaxy A36.

The usual story I’ve seen about Qualcomm processors in the same price range as the Exynos is that Qualcomm outperforms Exynos systems in performance, but often battery life is under par, simply because they’re more demanding and the result is much higher power consumption.

I was excited to see how the Galaxy A36’s compression would stand out from the Galaxy A35, but of course that’s only part of the picture. For a price of roughly $549, you’ve got a lot of great phone options.Actually, depending on what you’re using, the conclusion I draw is that this is a mid-range phone, as most would expect.

The Galaxy A36 will get up to 6 years of Android OS upgrades and up to 6 years of security updates, which, honestly, is the full service life of most people’s phones. Yes, this is a model I wish everyone in the mid-range would adopt, and yes, Samsung has achieved one.

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G: ‘Conclusion’

The best feature of the Galaxy A36 is not the hardware in reality. It’s the software, and specifically the promise that it’s going to get support for security and new OS upgrades starting in the next decade. Nobody else is doing this right now at the price, plain and simple. I have yet to test the Galaxy A55’s successor, but it looks like it could be a great buy this year, given its improvements to the camera, RAM and storage.

The problem is that apart from that, it’s only the reliability that made the Galaxy A35 so appealing, and it was a phone. Samsung could do a little more with the Galaxy A36 – and getting rid of the micro SD expansion capability was certainly not an upgrade that’s welcomed as the main reason!

Samsung Galaxy A36:- Pros and Cons.

Pros

• Nice Bright Screen

• Reliable camera setup

• 6 years of software support

• Smooth & capable one UI 7

• Excellent multimedia output

Cons

• Performance could be better

• No micro SD card slot anymore

• No expandable storage

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