Samsung Galaxy A36 review

Alternative offers

The Galaxy A36 is a solid midranger, as good as those can be in this price range. It starts at €379, cheaper than the Galaxy A56, which makes it the more attractive offer at launch.

And you can indeed get the Galaxy A56 for its HDR10-capable screen, faster performance, better ultrawide camera and speedier UFS 3.1 storage. These, however, will cost you €100 over the A36. So last year's €300 Galaxy A55 is a more viable option in this budget range with faster graphics, an HDR screen and a metal frame.

If you'd like something with more oomph under the hood, you could check out the Poco X7 Pro, which offers unsurpassed performance at the same price as the Galaxy A36. It also offers a higher-res Dolby Vision AMOLED, double the storage, and faster 90W charging.

If you might appreciate a more compact option, the Motorola Edge 50 Neo has a 6.4-inch screen and is great alternative with a higher-res AMOLED with HDR10, more durable design, more versatile camera kit with a 3x telephoto and 13MP ultrawide camera with macro capabilities. It also faster 68W fast charging and even 15W wireless charging.

The just launhed Nothing phone (3a) is also priced similarly to the A36 and it would net you faster performance, a 2x zoom camera and tons of character.

Samsung Galaxy A55 • Poco X7 Pro • Motorola Edge 50 Neo • Nothing Phone (3a)

Our verdict

The Galaxy A36 is the most balanced Samsung midranger from the new series with an improved design, more powerful graphics, and faster charging over the Galaxy A35. It has been promised 6 major Android updates, which is a lot.

The Galaxy A36 delivered excellent screen brightness, and it is indeed slightly faster to charge. We are happy with its speakers' loudness and quality, and its overall performance is adequate. The battery life is adequate too, though not chart-topping for sure.

The disappointment came from the lack of improvement in the camera department and the photo and video quality. The model has been sort of stuck since the Galaxy A34.

And speaking about the Galaxy A34, we can also say the raw performance hasn't improved since, despite featuring new chip models.

If you are shopping for a midranger at about €400 right now, the Galaxy A36 is not the best option as Xiaomi and Motorola have better phones with similar or even cheaper price tags. But once the A36 price (hopefully) settles at about €300, it will deserve a spot on your shortlists for sure.

Pros

• Superb build, dual Gorilla Glass, IP67.
• Bright screen, 120Hz.
• Adequate battery life, fast to charge.
• Loud stereo speakers.
• Good performance, sustained as well.
• Android 15 with plenty of AI, 6 major updates incoming.

Cons

• No charger in the box, and not particulalrly faster to charge than before.
• Screen has no HDR video support.
• The virtual proximity sensor for turning off the screen during calls is not as good as a physical one.
• No more microSD card support.
• Expensive at launch.