Samsung Galaxy A36 5G Review: Missed the Memo

Value When Reviewed

$399.99

Greatest Costs At present: Samsung Galaxy A36 5G

$399.99

The Galaxy A sequence is the place you flip whenever you need a few of that Samsung Galaxy S principal character vitality, however are unwilling or unable to pay prime greenback for the privilege.

The Samsung Galaxy A36 5G sits proper in the midst of this most mid-range of sequence, providing a broadly related expertise to the Galaxy A56, however for £100 much less.

We discovered the Samsung Galaxy A56 to be a reasonably modest addition to the market, and one which didn’t fairly do sufficient to elevate it into the elite mid-range tier. Can this cheaper different obtain a greater mixture of worth and efficiency?

Be aware: Our Galaxy A26 assessment pattern was equipped by Three UK, nevertheless it had no say in how we reviewed the gadget.

Design & Construct

• Plastic body and rear
• Gorilla Glass Victus+
• 195g
• IP67 rated

The Samsung Galaxy A36 broadly follows the design of final 12 months’s Samsung Galaxy A35. Other than the brand new joined-together digicam module, as seen on the Samsung Galaxy A56, it appears and feels a lot the identical as its predecessor.

It’s slimmer than earlier than at simply 7.4mm thick (in comparison with the 8.2mm A35), whereas at 195g it’s a not inconsiderable 14g lighter. The show bezel, too, is a bit of slimmer than earlier than, although it nonetheless includes a telltale thicker chin that tells you you’re coping with a less expensive telephone.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Speaking of which, you’re as soon as once more coping with an all-plastic development. The Galaxy A36 lacks the extra premium really feel of the Galaxy A56, which has a metallic body.

Samsung has saved the IP67 certification, which is nice to see. It implies that the Samsung Galaxy A36 is extra watertight than most telephones at this value. The Honor 400, for instance, solely manages an IP65 ranking.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

It’s very tough to make out from my images, however my check mannequin is available in a color generally known as ‘Superior Lime’. This isn’t a deep inexperienced, however reasonably a form of off-white with a slight greenish tinge from sure angles.

You may also specify it in Superior Lavender, Superior Black, and Superior White, although I might have preferred to have seen some bolder color choices.

Display screen & Audio system

• 6.7-inch AMOLED show
• 1200 nits (HBM) and 120Hz
• First rate stereo audio system

Samsung has improved the show with its newest mid-ranger, which is at all times good to see. It’s a (barely) bigger 6.7-inch AMOLED with an FHD+ decision and a 120Hz refresh price.

One of many points I had with the Galaxy A35 was that its display screen didn’t fairly get vibrant sufficient. Samsung has addressed this by bumping the utmost brightness (auto-brightness mode) of 1200 nits – up from 1000 nits within the Galaxy A35.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Sections of the display screen may also hit 1900 nits throughout HDR content material. Picture high quality is robust, with Samsung’s common vibrant colors (which I toned down by switching from Vivid to Pure) and deep blacks.

All in all, it seems to be a useless match for the dearer Galaxy A56, which is at all times good to see.

That vibrant image is accompanied by a correct set of stereo audio system. They’re glorious for a telephone at this value, providing respectable readability and quantity, and robust separation between the channels.

Specs & Efficiency

• Snapdragon 6 Gen 3
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB storage

Samsung hasn’t equipped fairly as a lot of a efficiency increase as I might have preferred for the Galaxy A36.

There’s a brand new Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor onboard, however our benchmark assessments didn’t reveal a very pronounced increase over the Galaxy A35 and its Exynos 1380.

You do get 8GB of RAM with the only UK mannequin, up from 6GB, which is welcome. Nonetheless, the uncooked numbers counsel that this 12 months’s mannequin is treading water.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Provided that we weren’t significantly impressed with the efficiency of final 12 months’s mannequin, this isn’t a really optimistic factor to be reporting.

Positive sufficient, I discovered the Samsung Galaxy A36 to be a bit of wallowier than I might have preferred, with a noticeable diploma of stutter when waking the telephone or mentioning a timer by Bixby.

We’re not speaking about big quantity of slowdown right here, however I discovered the frequent micro-stutters noticeable and considerably off-putting. After all, I’m coming from the place of somebody who makes use of a variety of flagship telephones, so that is unlikely to hassle potential Galaxy A36 patrons to fairly the identical extent.

Nonetheless, with the likes of the Poco X7 providing a buttery-smooth efficiency for simply over £300, it’s not splendid.

One notable omission this 12 months in comparison with final 12 months’s mannequin is microSD help. You’ll need to make do with the 256GB of inside storage that comes with the only UK mannequin.

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G benchmarks

Cameras

• 50Mp principal sensor
• 8Mp ultrawide
• 5Mp macro
• 13Mp selfie digicam

Samsung has gone with an unchanged triple digicam system for the Galaxy A36. Meaning the identical 50Mp f/1.8 principal digicam, the identical 8Mp ultra-wide, and the identical 5Mp macro because the Galaxy A35 earlier than it.

This isn’t an issue, because the Samsung Galaxy A35 took a few of the finest photos in its weight class. So too does the A36.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Samsung’s picture processing could be a little bit of a hinderance in flagship telephones such because the Galaxy S25 the place, relying in your style, it could actually produce pictures that aren’t as pure or nuanced as their high-end rivals.

Right here within the mid-range class, nevertheless, Samsung’s vibrant colors and glorious dynamic vary assist masks any {hardware} deficiencies, producing crisp and contrasty pictures. It additionally permits efficient portraits, whereby the topic actually pops from the blurred out background.

Night time mode brightens photographs up properly, although there’s nonetheless a be aware of grain to the skies.

Samsung’s picture processing additionally helps with ultra-wide pictures. Whereas they’re not significantly sharp at 8Mp, few producers know learn how to match the tone of the primary digicam fairly so nicely.

It’s a disgrace there’s solely a 5Mp macro digicam, reasonably than a devoted telephoto. Photographs look respectable at 2x by cropping in on the primary sensor, and aren’t horrible at 4x. I wouldn’t even each zooming all the best way into 10x, although.

As for that macro digicam, it predictably lacks the element and pop of the opposite cameras, although it does facilitate some good arty snaps, if that’s your bag.

The entrance digicam is a bit of totally different on this 12 months’s mannequin. You’re getting a 12Mp unit reasonably than the Galaxy A35’s 13Mp entrance digicam. It nonetheless produces stable selfies, nevertheless, with pure pores and skin tones and respectable colors. It’s good and large, too, enabling you to seize group selfies and landscapes extra simply.

Video is as soon as once more restricted to 4K at 30fps or 1080p at 60fps. Footage is good and {smooth} and even, with the OIS doing a great job of steadying issues.

Battery Life & Charging

• 5000mAh battery
• 45W charging
• No charger included

There aren’t any surprises on the battery entrance, which is nice information. Samsung has as soon as once more gone with a 5000mAh cell which, along with that low-power Snapdragon chip and an FHD+ OLED show, produces exemplary stamina.

I used to be routinely capable of undergo a full day of average to heavy utilization, with round 4 hours of display screen on time, and be left with nicely over 50% within the tank. Typically greater than 60%, if the community atmosphere was good.

By means of some mixture of that larger, brighter show and the brand new chip, the Galaxy A36 truly carried out worse than the Galaxy A35 in our common PCMark Work 3.0 battery check, scoring 11 hours and 27 minutes. That falls about 50 minutes in need of its predecessor.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

For me, nevertheless, it’s all about that sensible utilization, and on that entrance I’ve completely no points with the Samsung Galaxy A36’s endurance.

Certainly, Samsung wins additional brownie factors for upping the charging price from 25- to 45W. You’ll want to produce your individual charger, however whenever you do you’ll be capable of get from empty to 63% in round half-hour. A full cost took me an hour and quarter-hour.

You continue to received’t discover wi-fi charging right here, however on condition that the Samsung Galaxy A56 additionally lacks this provision, that’s no shock.

Software program & Assist

• One UI 7
• Android 15
• 6 years of software program help

The Samsung Galaxy A36 runs on Android 15 out of the field, nevertheless it’s Samsung’s customized One UI 7 UI that you just’ll be partaking with.

For many individuals, Samsung’s therapy of Android IS Android, given the South Korean producer’s dominance of the smartphone market over the previous decade and extra. As somebody who has tasted the options, and who leans closely on Google’s apps and companies, it’s not my favorite Android pores and skin.

One UI 7 deviates from inventory Android rather a lot. There’s Samsung’s signature icon design and menu animations, in addition to its regrettable (to me a minimum of) resolution to separate the notification pane in two, like iOS (and a bunch of different Android skins, to be truthful).

Jon Mundy / Foundry

My principal downside is the best way it will get in the best way of a Google person, regardless of Samsung’s shut partnership with the Android maker. It’s the best way it’s important to obtain Google Pockets after which give it choice over Samsung’s personal fee app. Ditto for Google Calendar. I’m unsure why we want Samsung’s personal net browser on prime of Chrome, whereas getting Google’s password supervisor up and operating on a Samsung telephone is at all times a ache.

With that mentioned, One UI 7 is undoubtedly quick and fluid, when you get a deal with on its quirks. Whereas the Settings menu continues to be a little bit of a warren, there’s a robust search perform to get you the place you could be.

What you don’t get is Samsung’s in depth suite of AI instruments, which is current on the Galaxy S sequence. You get a lighter number of ‘Superior Intelligence’ options, with no place for the good new Now Bar with its helpful heads-up info.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

On the optimistic facet, Samsung has up to date the Galaxy A36 in order that Google’s Gemini Assistant, not its personal poor Bixby, now responds to an extended press of the facility button.

The bloatware state of affairs deserves a minor grumble reasonably than a full-on grievance. I may do with out Pinterest, Spotify, Netflix, TikTok, and Amazon Buying being put in out of the field, however these are undoubtedly in style apps.

The place Samsung wins unabashed reward is with its improved software program help, now extending to 6 years of OS and safety updates.

Value & Availability

The only mannequin of the Samsung Galaxy A36 prices £399 right here within the UK, and $399.99 within the US. It’s accessible direct from Samsung, in addition to from the same old assortment of on-line retailers and community operators reminiscent of Amazon.

That seems like a value hike when the Samsung Galaxy A35 launched for £329 final 12 months. Nevertheless, you get double the storage with this 12 months’s mannequin – 256GB reasonably than 128GB – and 2GB of additional RAM at 8GB.

It might have been good to have obtained a 6/128GB possibility on this nation at a cheaper price, as that is clearly a telephone make with the budget-conscious in thoughts.

At this value, the Samsung Galaxy A36 can depend the Honor 400 as a direct rival. For £449 you possibly can seize the Nothing Telephone (3a) Professional with its trendy design and telephoto digicam, whereas the Motorola Edge 60 provides a tough-yet-curvy physique and a good brighter show for £379.

You may additionally take into account the Google Pixel 9a at £499/$499 in case your price range stretches.

You’ll be able to see all our prime suggestions among the many A36’s rivals in our round-up of the most effective mid-range telephones.

Must you purchase the Samsung Galaxy A36 5G?

The Samsung Galaxy A36 5G is one other stable, reasonably priced mid-ranger that received’t allow you to down. Nevertheless, it additionally received’t excite you in any manner.

There’s a brand new breed of mid-range telephones that dare to strive one thing totally different, whether or not it’s the Nothing Telephone (3a) Professional’s telephoto digicam and memory-aid button, or the Motorola Edge 60’s unusually strong design and super-bright display screen.

When taken on this context, the Samsung Galaxy A36 can’t assist however really feel a bit of secure and drab.

What it does provide is a good display screen, a great digicam, stable stamina, and exemplary software program help. Whether or not that’s sufficient to set your pulse racing is one other matter. It’s a must to really feel that Samsung must be doing extra in efficiency and design phrases.

Specs

• Android 15 with One UI 7
• 6.7in, FHD+, OLED, 120Hz, flat show
• In-display fingerprint sensor
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3
• 8GB LPDDR5 RAM
• 256GB storage
• 50Mp, f/1.8 principal digicam
• 8Mp ultra-wide digicam
• 5Mp macro digicam
• As much as 4K @ 30fps rear video
• 12Mp front-facing digicam
• Stereo audio system
• Twin-SIM
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6
• Bluetooth 5.4
• 5000mAh battery
• 45W charging
• 162.9 x 78.2 x 7.4mm
• 195g
• Launch colors: Superior Lavender, Superior Black, Superior White, Superior Lime