In March 2025, Samsung launched three new smartphones in its Galaxy A series: Galaxy A56, Galaxy A36, and Galaxy A26. Each phone is targeted at different audiences, but overall, the Galaxy A series remains an average lineup. These smartphones don’t offer high performance or excellent value for money. However, the Galaxy A36 does have a few key selling points: a premium feel, a great display, and One UI. The price you pay is mainly for these three aspects.
Let’s dive deep into what the Galaxy A36 offers and whether it’s worth buying.
Design and Build Quality
The Galaxy A36 features a polycarbonate (hard plastic) frame with a glass back, giving it a premium in-hand feel. One of the major design changes is in the camera module. Unlike the Galaxy A35, where the lenses were separate, the Galaxy A36 has all three cameras combined into a single vertical stripe, similar to the Galaxy A56. This gives the phone a modern and fresh look.
Additionally, the Galaxy A36 comes with Gorilla Glass Victus Plus protection on the back and IP69 water and dust resistance, ensuring durability. The phone may not feel like a ₹30,000 ($400) device, but the design does feel premium, making it one of the few positives about this phone.
Display
The Galaxy A36 boasts a 6.7-inch Full HD+ 120Hz Super AMOLED HDR10+ display with a punch-hole cutout. It offers 1200 nits HBM brightness and a peak brightness of 1900 nits, making it ideal for outdoor visibility. This is the same display used in the Galaxy A56, but with different protection—the Galaxy A36 features Gorilla Glass Victus Plus.
Why is this display the best part of the Galaxy A36? If you consume a lot of media, you’ll love it because it supports HDR on YouTube and Netflix. Additionally, you can even interact with the display with water splashes, making it usable in wet conditions. And since it’s a Samsung AMOLED display, the quality is top-notch.
Performance
Performance is where the Galaxy A36 fails to impress. It is powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, which is not a good chipset for this price. Samsung could have used a better processor, but instead, the Galaxy A36 struggles with even day-to-day tasks.
The phone heats up when using the camera or multitasking. Performance feels slow at times, and it comes with UFS 2.0 storage and DDR3X RAM, an outdated combination. If you play high-intensity games or use demanding apps, the Galaxy A36 will disappoint you. Even casual users might experience lags and slowdowns.
One UI 7 & Software Updates
One of the few reasons to consider the Galaxy A36 is One UI 7. Samsung’s software is excellent, with smooth animations and useful features. However, due to the weak Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, One UI 7 doesn’t feel as fluid as it should.
On the bright side, the Galaxy A36 comes with 6 years of major Android updates and security patches, ensuring long-term software support.
Camera
The camera setup on the Galaxy A36 is disappointing. Samsung has made no major upgrades compared to the Galaxy A35.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Rear Camera | 50MP ƒ/1.8 (Wide Angle) 1/1.96″, PDAF, OIS 8MP ƒ/2.2 (Ultra Wide) 123˚, 1/4.0″, 1.12µm 5MP ƒ/2.4 (Macro) |
| Auto Focus | Yes |
| Camera Features | AR Zone, Bixby Vision, Food, Fun, Hyperlapse, Macro, Night, Panorama, Photo, Portrait, Pro, Pro Video, Single Take, Slow Motion, Super slow-Mo, Video |
| Video Recording | 4K @ 30fps UHD, 1080p @ 60fps FHD |
| Flash | Yes, LED |
| Front Camera | 12MP ƒ/2.2 (Wide Angle) (Punch Hole) |
| Front Video Recording | 4K @ 30fps UHD, 1080p @ 60fps FHD |
The main camera captures good pictures with natural colors and decent dynamic range. However, night photography is poor colors are inaccurate, and there is too much noise. There is no 2x optical zoom, only 1x digital zoom, which affects portrait and telephoto shots. Ultrawide and selfie cameras are average.
At ₹30,000 ($400), this is one of the worst camera setups, especially when compared to competitors.
Battery & Charging
The Galaxy A36 comes with a 5000mAh battery, which is standard. However, the good part is that it supports 45W fast charging but there’s a catch. The charger is not included in the box, so you’ll have to buy it separately.
Pricing and Variants
The Galaxy A36 comes in multiple configurations to cater to different storage needs:
| RAM + ROM | Price | Color | Buy Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8GB + 128GB | ₹30,999 / $400 | Black, Lavender, White | Buy Now |
| 8GB + 256GB | ₹33,999 / $490 | Black, Lavender, White | Buy Now |
| 12GB + 256GB | ₹36,999 / $500 | Black, Lavender, White | Buy Now |
Final Verdict: Should You Buy the Galaxy A36?
The A36 has some good aspects a premium design, a stunning display, and long software support. However, it falls short in performance, camera quality, and overall value for money.
If you’re a casual user who prioritizes brand value and display quality, the A36 might be a decent option. However, if you care about performance and camera quality, there are better alternatives in the ₹30,000 ($400) price range, such as Motorola, Nothing Phone (3a Pro), and other Chinese brands.
Thank you for reading this Galaxy A36 review! Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Would you buy the A36, or do you prefer other options?
