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For today’s review, we have the Samsung Galaxy A36 5G. This device is part of new additions to Samsung’s A-series, which are consistently great pickups every year.
That being said, it begs the question of how Samsung can improve from its predecessor without just turning it into the Galaxy A55. To start, the Galaxy A36 now boasts a Snapdragon chipset similar to the S-series line launched this year.
There’s also a tweak in design language that users can see through a new camera enclosure. Last but certainly not least, the addition of One UI 7.
Design and Construction
The A36 follows suit in terms of Samsung’s design language evident with the recently launched S25 series. It’s flat sided with curved edges, sporting a polycarbonate frame and glass back panel.
Like last year, it feels sturdy and doesn’t take away from its premium feel. It’s safe to say the build is impressive. Still, it’s not as ergonomic as we would prefer.
For reference, my daily driver’s display measures 6.7-inches and I find it hard to hold. While the A36 has the same measurements for its screen, the body’s dimensions come off a bit wider when in-hand. Compared to last year’s Galaxy A35 though, the A36 is thinner by 0.8 mm.
Last year, we noted that the A35 could be mistaken for an S23 or S24. We feel as though Samsung shared the same sentiments, as they’ve added an enclosure for their camera sensors.
We thought this was a nice touch, separating the A-series devices from their flagship models. Otherwise, everything on the back panel looked about the same, retaining a minimalist aesthetic.
At the front, we have the display panel protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+. Samsung has a preference towards thicker bezels with devices far from the S-series, evident with the A36.
For buttons and ports, users will find the volume rocker and power button on the right side.
Similar to last year’s A35, it has a protruding hump. We aren’t sure if this contributes to button actuation or tactility but we definitely think they need to stop doing this.
The bottom houses a dual nano-SIM card tray, noise canceling microphones, a USB Type-C port, and a speaker grille. At the top, we have two other noise-canceling microphones.
The top bezel of the display also houses a slim slit which acts as the call earpiece and where users can find another stereo speaker driver.
Wrapping up this segment, the A36 has an IP67 rating. This means that it is completely protected against dust and can be submerged in 1m of water for up to 30 minutes.
Generally, the A36 has a better build from its predecessor that now separates itself more from S-series devices.
Display, Multimedia, and Biometrics
The Galaxy A36 5G boasts a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen with FHD+ resolution. It supports a refresh rate up to 120Hz and offers 1,200 nits of peak brightness.
In short, there are barely any changes from last year’s display. Nonetheless, it’s still pretty damn good. It’s sizable with great color reproduction, contrast, and deep blacks.
Like most recent Samsung phones, we can even tinker with this under Screen Mode via the Settings menu. We can set it to either Vivid or Natural, with the Vivid option giving us individual settings to tinker with.
Samsung display setting favorites also make a return through Extra Dim Mode and Eye Comfort Shield (Blue Light Filler). Both are great features for when users are watching videos or browsing late at night before sleeping.
For media consumption, the dual stereo speakers complement the A36’s screen nicely with good audio clarity and loudness. Users still get a Dolby Atmos that adds to the immersion for your viewing and or streaming experience.
Biometric options include an optical in-display fingerprint sensor and facial recognition. Enrolment is smooth with both options, with no issues from my end here.
Notably, the face unlock is still a bit buggy or slow under low light like last year’s model. Given this issue, it’s safe to say that the fingerprint sensor has an advantage here.
Cameras
For optics, the Samsung Galaxy A36 5G sports the same setup from its predecessor for its triple-rear camera system. This is headlined by a 50-megapixel main, followed by an 8-megapixel ultrawide, and a 5-megapixel macro. It’s also fitted with a 12-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies.
In some capacity, I personally expected Samsung to maybe add a telephoto lens to shake it up. Still, this year’s iteration of the A-series devices follows in the vein of what Samsung has built for smartphone image processing over the years.
As you can see from our sample shots, snaps from the main sensor look well-detailed, even at night which was a pleasant surprise. The mainstay quirks are still here, which include a generally cool white balance and vibrant color reproduction.
Photos taken with the ultrawide sensor, on the other hand, have notable improvement especially at night. However, detail can be lacking when cropping into these shots, but is to be expected from an ultrawide.
The macro sensor is alright, but feels like an afterthought. It’s a nice secondary sensor should users need to get a bit closer to their subjects.
Selfies turned out pretty well. It feels like it was tuned relative to how the main camera would perform in comparison to the other sensors.
We also noticed the addition of a new camera mode on top of what’s commonly available. Now, we have Fun Mode in collaboration with Snapchat. Similar to Instagram mode that debuted in the Galaxy S10 series, it’s what you’d expect
It’s a mode integrated within the stock Camera app where users can take photos with a selection of first-party Snapchat filters. Take note though, using this feature does require an internet connection.
For editing photos, users may also leverage the built-in object eraser. It lets you remove unwanted objects, reflections, and shadows with the help of Gemini. Here’s a comparison photo of my friend’s dog Cola edited with the tool.
For video recording, the Galaxy A36 can shoot up to 4K or UHD. The rear cameras support up to 60 fps, while the front camera can shoot up to 30 fps. Recording at UHD is quite nice, offering good dynamic range and colors although a bit saturated.
All things considered, the cameras provide users with a well-rounded experience. I found this quite enticing given that it stays true to its price range.
OS, Apps, and UI
The Samsung A36 5G ships with One UI 7 based on Android 15 out of the box. I’m pleased to tell viewers that this device gets support for six (6) years of OS updates and security patches.
Like usual OneUI fashion, users get flexibility in multitasking through pop-up windows and split-screening.
There’s also Circle to Search, which you could use easily by long pressing the home button. It also works as a built-in Shazam if you press the music icon.
Native apps include Bixby and Smart Switch. Oddly enough, Samsung Internet wasn’t pre-installed with our review unit. Others pre-installed include OneDrive, Facebook, and Google’s suite of apps.
There wasn’t much to nitpick under this segment. Our experience with the software so far has been nothing but smooth, responsive, and intuitive.
Performance and Benchmarks
Powering the Galaxy A36 is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, a 4-nanometer octa-core chipset paired with an Adreno 710 GPU.
For reference, our review unit came with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.
It also offers up to 6GB of additional memory via the RAM Plus setting. One thing of note here is that this A-series iteration no longer offers expandable storage, which we predict will be a letdown for some.
As per our synthetic benchmarks, it doesn’t come with the highest scores we’ve had for mid rangers this year. However, our time spent with the unit resulted with no issues.
I’ve used the Samsung Galaxy A36 for roughly a week, mostly for browsing the web, YouTube binging, gaming, and take photos and videos here and there. Overall, it’s been great at responsiveness and provides a lag-free experience.
The phone rarely heats up when playing resource intensive titles like Genshin Impact and PUBG Mobile. I only felt like I had to give the A36 a break in between conducting benchmarks.
We recommend playing the aforementioned titles on medium at best. Maxing out the graphics in heavy games can lead to some throttling with drops in frame rate during gameplay.
That said, keeping it at low would also help gamers who don’t mind sacrificing visuals for performance. Here are our benchmark scores for interested viewers.
| Antutu v10 | 607,263 |
| Antutu Storage | 37,916 |
| S. Read | 9,311 |
| Speed | 963.3MB/s |
| S.Write | 6,104 |
| Speed | 532.0MB/s |
| R. Access | 18,021 |
| R. Speed | 152.0MB/s |
| W.Speed | 264.0MB/s |
| AI Read | 4,480 |
| Speed | 192.0MB/s |
| Geekbench 6 CPU Single | 1,017 |
| Geekbench 6 CPU Multi | 2,903 |
| Geekbench 6 GPU OpenCL | 2,227 |
| Geekbench 6 GPU Vulkan | 3,513 |
| 3D Mark: Wild Life | 3,454 |
| PC Mark Work 3.0 Performance | 13,449 |
Battery and Connectivity
The Galaxy A36 packs a modest 5,000mAh battery with support for 45W of fast charging. It can power up from 0 to 100% at about an hour via USB Type-C.
The battery life for this device improved a ton compared to last year’s model. It was able to pump out 16 hours and 32 minutes of uptime via PC Mark’s Work 3.0 battery Test.
In our standard video loop test, it was able to provide a whopping 30 hours and 57 minutes of playback.
Connectivity options include 5G, dual nano-SIM slots, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, GPS, and NFC with digital key support. Call and message quality is great, either via Wi-Fi or over mobile data with no signal loss issues.
For those wondering, we aren’t certain if the digital key feature will be rolling out in the Philippines yet. If it does, hybrid and EV-owners should be able to find this feature handy.
Pricing and Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy A36 5G retails for PHP 19,990 with 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage. There is also a unit with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage worth PHP 21,990.
For our general consensus—this phone is still a great find! It stays true to what a mid-ranger should be, checking out all the essential boxes. It also gives you a little bit more at less than PHP 20,000.
Potential buyers can expect an amazing multimedia consumption setup, good cameras, and an even better battery life. If users are looking for a bit more from Samsung under PHP 26,000, there’s a clear alternative.
The Samsung Galaxy A56 offers practically the same experience with a better build and more juice under the hood. Interested readers can feel free to check out our published review on the A56.
What we liked:
Build quality
Display
Speakers
Cameras
Battery Life
What we didn’t like:
Right side protruding hump
Ergonomics
Colorway
Samsung Galaxy A36 5G specs:
6.7-inch FHD+ (2340 x 1080) Super AMOLED display
120Hz refresh rate, 1,200 nits (peak, HBM)
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection
Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 (4nm, up to 2.4GHz)
Adreno 710 GPU
6GB, 8GB RAM
128GB, 256GB internal storage
50MP main camera (f/1.8, OIS)
8MP ultrawide (f/2.2)
5MP macro (f/2.4)
12MP front camera (f/2.2)
Dual stereo speakers
5G. 4G LTE
Dual nano-SIM (eSIM supported)
Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth 5.4
GPS
NFC (digital key supported)
USB Type-C
One UI 7 (Android 15)
Fingerprint sensor (in-display, optical)
Face unlock
5,000mAh battery
45W fast charging support (wired)
IP67 rating for dust and water resistance
162.9 x 78.2 x 7.4 mm (dimensions)
195 grams (weight, vegan leather)
Lavender, Black, White (colors)
