Samsung’s new A-series smartphones, including the Galaxy A36 and A26, set a high standard for support with 6 OS updates. The A36 features a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chip, 6.7” Super AMOLED display, and a battery upgrade to 45W charging, enabling 66% charge in 30 minutes. The camera system sees enhancements, including a 12MP front camera and HDR video. Priced similarly to its predecessor at $400 for the 128GB model, the A36 offers robust software support. The A26 retains many features but with older hardware and a lower price, starting at €300. Both models are IP67 rated for water resistance.
Samsung is raising the bar for support on mid-range and budget smartphones, as the new A-series (A16 and above) will receive 6 OS updates. This generation enhances performance, increases charging speeds, improves camera capabilities, and much more. While we’ve detailed the Galaxy A56 in a separate article, this review will center on its counterparts, the A36 and A26.
Samsung Galaxy A36
The Samsung Galaxy A36 introduces a notable change with its Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chip after a history of utilizing various Dimensity and Exynos processors. The base memory configuration comes equipped with 6/128GB (with some regions offering 8/128GB), and there is an upgrade option available to 8/256GB.
Although the 6 Gen 3 may not be the ultimate performance powerhouse, Samsung is optimizing its potential by incorporating a larger vapor chamber (+15%), which is now comparable in size to that of the Galaxy S24+.
Samsung has standardized the screen size across the A56, A36, and A26 – all feature 6.7” Super AMOLED displays with 1080p+ resolution, reflecting a 0.1” increase from the A35. Additionally, the display shines brighter, achieving 1,200 nits in high brightness mode, with a peak brightness of 1,900 nits.
The front and rear of the device are protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+, while the frame is composed of polycarbonate. As with last year’s models, the phone carries an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance. Samsung offers a range of colors, all but one of which (the black variant) exhibit an iridescent effect.
Samsung Galaxy A36 colors: Black • Lime • White • Lavender
The rear camera sports a new design with a single camera island (instead of three separate lenses), yet retains much of the same hardware. This includes a 50MP main sensor (f/1.8 lens with OIS), an 8MP ultra-wide (f/2.2), and a 5MP macro (f/2.4).
Two upgrades enhance the camera system this year. First, the front camera features a larger 12MP sensor. Second, video HDR (10-bit up to 4K @ 30fps) is now enabled for both rear and front cameras. A brief comparison with the A56 reveals that the higher-priced model includes a larger sensor (now with 1.0µm pixels), a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and supports Low Noise mode on the selfie camera.
Samsung has kept the battery capacity of the Galaxy A36 at 5,000mAh. However, charging speed has been enhanced from 25W to 45W. Consequently, 30 minutes of charging yields a 66% charge, and a full recharge takes 68 minutes. When fully charged, the battery can last up to 29 hours of video playback.
The A36 debuts with Android 15 and the latest One UI 7. It will receive 6 OS updates (increased from 4 on the A35) and provide security patches for 6 years (up from 5). Samsung has also integrated various AI features such as the Circle to Search, Object Eraser for image editing, and a user-friendly method for creating custom image filters (by selecting an example image to emulate its style).
Samsung Galaxy A36
The Samsung Galaxy A36 is priced identically to its predecessor – the base 128GB model retails for $400/€380, while the 256GB variant is priced at €450/£400 (with different markets offering varied storage options).
It’s also worth noting that the Galaxy A56 will be available in the US, unlike its predecessor, which may influence your decision about the A36. For more details on specifications and pricing, check our A56 article.
Samsung Galaxy A26
In some respects, the Samsung Galaxy A26 can be seen as a refresher of the A35 from last year, but it comes at a lower price point. It’s closely aligned with the A36 while being budget-friendly.
The A26 runs on the Exynos 1380, which was previously featured in the A35. While discussing the new A36, Samsung noted a key performance improvement – the CPU of the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 is 8% faster than that of the Exynos 1380. There may also be differences in efficiency (which we’ll need to evaluate), and the A26 does not include the larger vapor chamber.
Samsung Galaxy A26
Memory configurations are quite similar, with the base model offering 6/8GB of RAM (depending on the region) and 128GB of storage, with an 8/256GB upgrade available. It is also worth noting that the A26 includes a microSD slot, which is absent in the more premium A-series models. The software support remains the same, featuring 6 OS updates and 6 years of security patches (an increase from 4 and 5, respectively).
As mentioned earlier, all three models from today showcase a 6.7” OLED display with 1080p+ resolution (up from 6.5” on the A25). However, it’s a different screen altogether. The A26 incorporates a notch for its selfie camera (instead of a punch hole), and the fingerprint reader is located on the side rather than beneath the display.
Regarding the selfie camera, this model employs the older 13MP sensor, which does not support video HDR. This limitation is true for the rear cameras as well, which consist of a 50MP main camera (OIS), an 8MP ultra-wide, and a 2MP macro.
Samsung has revamped the body design of this model. It has slimmed down from 8.3mm to 7.7mm, although there has been a slight weight increase from 197g to 200g. Additionally, it now boasts an IP67 rating, matching the dust and water protection offered by the A36 and A56.
Samsung Galaxy A26 colors
The battery capacity mirrors that of the other two models at 5,000mAh. However, this more budget-friendly variant does not benefit from the charging upgrade and continues to support only 25W.
The Samsung Galaxy A26 is priced at €300 for the base 128GB model, while the 256GB upgrade costs €370/£300/$300. The higher storage version will be available in additional markets.