Samsung Galaxy A36 – Faster Charging, Brighter Screen- But Is It Worth the Price?

Introduction

Samsung’s latest wave of Galaxy A-series phones is here, and the Galaxy A36 stands out as the most balanced mid-ranger in the lineup. If you’ve been following Samsung’s “A” models, you might remember when those numbers simply meant different screen sizes. Those days are gone — the new Galaxy A16, A26, A36, and A56 all share the same large 6.7-inch AMOLED display.

So, what’s actually new this time? Besides the bigger screen and refreshed software, the Galaxy A36 brings faster 45W charging, a minor graphics upgrade, and a slightly improved selfie camera. That’s about it — but let’s see how it performs in real life.

Design

The Galaxy A36 keeps Samsung’s familiar sleek design — a flat dual-glass body with a plastic frame and IP67 dust and water resistance. It’s a little taller and wider than the A35 thanks to its bigger display, and now both the front and back use Gorilla Glass Victus+, giving it more protection against drops.

One noticeable design change is the camera layout. Samsung has replaced the clean triple-ring setup with a thick black camera strip — not really necessary, since the sensors are the same as before. Still, it gives the phone a slightly new look.

Display

The Galaxy A36 features a gorgeous 6.7-inch Full HD+ AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. Samsung promises up to 1,900 nits of peak brightness, and in our tests, it hit 1,233 nits in auto mode — plenty bright for outdoor use. The display is crisp, smooth, and well-calibrated, as you’d expect from Samsung.

There’s no official HDR streaming support for Netflix, though YouTube HDR playback works fine. You get two refresh rate options — Adaptive (which keeps it at 120Hz most of the time) and Standard (locked at 60Hz).

Battery Life

With a 5,000mAh battery, the Galaxy A36 keeps the same capacity as its predecessor. In testing, it delivered an active use score of 11 hours and 38 minutes — solid but not spectacular. It handles calls, web browsing, and gaming well, but video streaming drains the battery a bit faster than expected.

Overall, battery life is good enough for a full day’s use, even for heavy users.

Charging Speed

This is where Samsung finally steps up. The Galaxy A36 supports 45W fast charging — a big jump from the A35’s 25W limit. However, you’ll need a 5A-rated cable to reach those speeds; the included 3A cable won’t cut it.

With Samsung’s official 45W charger, we got:

• 36% charge in 15 minutes
• 60% in 30 minutes
• Full charge in about 1 hour and 14 minutes

That’s a big improvement. You can also enable settings to limit charging to preserve battery health if you prefer slower, safer charging.

Software

The Galaxy A36 runs One UI 7.0 based on Android 15, and Samsung has promised a massive 6 years of software updates — 6 major Android upgrades and 6 years of security patches. That’s flagship-level support in a mid-range phone.

One UI 7 brings AI-powered features like AI Select, which lets you pull text from images, create GIFs from videos, or generate wallpapers from photos. It’s not as advanced as the AI tools on the Galaxy S25, but it’s impressive for this price range.

Performance

Samsung swaps out its Exynos chip for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 (4nm). It has an octa-core CPU and an Adreno 710 GPU, giving it similar performance to the A35, with a small bump in graphics.

The phone is available in:

• 6GB RAM + 128GB storage
• 8GB RAM + 256GB storage
• Limited 12GB RAM version

Performance is smooth for daily tasks, multitasking, and casual gaming, but it’s not a powerhouse. Competing phones from Xiaomi and Motorola offer faster chips at similar prices.

Camera

The Galaxy A36 uses a familiar triple-lens setup:

• 50MP main (OIS)
• 8MP ultrawide
• 5MP macro
• 12MP front camera (upgraded from 13MP on the A35)

The selfie camera is surprisingly better despite the lower megapixel count, offering sharper, more natural-looking shots. However, the rear cameras are mostly unchanged, and photo and video quality haven’t improved much over the A34 or A35.

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy A36 is a solid all-rounder with a premium design, bright AMOLED display, faster charging, and reliable performance. Add 6 years of updates, and it’s one of the most future-proof mid-rangers out there.

However, it’s not without flaws — camera performance hasn’t improved, battery life is just decent, and the chipset isn’t class-leading. At its current €400 price tag, rivals like Xiaomi and Motorola offer better value. But if the Galaxy A36 drops closer to €300, it’ll be an easy recommendation for those who want a stylish, dependable Samsung mid-ranger.