Samsung Galaxy A26 vs. Galaxy A36

The new Galaxy A series is here and if you are trying to update your older budget device, especially if it is Samsung, Samsung Galaxy A26 and Samsung Galaxy A36 are both very sensitive options. If, for any reason, you would like to stick to Samsung’s ecosystem, then these two phones should surely be on your list.

The difference in the MSRP between the two is around € 80 in the EU, but in reality the third-party shops have already cut the price and is more similar to € 40-50. In the United Kingdom, it is a different situation since Samsung apparently has a much better check on retail prices and the current price difference between the two is a huge £ 100. It is about the same situation in the United States where the difference is $ 100.

In any case, choosing between the two brothers is a valid dilemma, so let’s try to solve it.

Summary:

To begin with, you can compare the sheets of complete specifications or continue directly with the evaluation of our publisher In the following text.

Dimensions comparison

Although both devices offer the same diagonal screen, the Galaxy A36 is considerably more compact. Of course, it is slightly wider, but it is shorter and thinner than the A26 than a reasonable quantity. They also weigh around the same. The main reason is probably the frames. The Galaxy A26 has considerably more thick frames.

When it comes to quality construction, design and protection of the entrance, the two phones are identical. Get in both helmets protection from IP67 water and dust and Gorilla Glass Victus+ sheets protect the front and rear part, while the frame is plastic on both phones.

View a comparison

At first glance, the Galaxy A26 and A36 have identical displays. This is, at least, what the specifications suggest. Same diagonal, same resolution, same refresher frequency, same HDR support (only on YouTube). Apart from the visual traits, of course. The A36 has a hole selfie camera for punching and much thinner frames, while the A26 adopts a tear -style notch with thick frames all around.

According to our tests, the Galaxy A36 display is significantly brighter. Has reached the peak 1,200 Nitwhile the A26 has not even arrived 800 Nit. The Galaxy A36 is the clear winner of this category, offering a much more comfortable outdoor visualization experience.

Battery life

Observing only the score of active use, the Galaxy A36 comes out at the top, but the difference is not so clear. Depending on the models of use, you may even obtain a total battery life similar from the two devices. If your main use case is web navigation and social media, the A36 will provide much longer operating times. If the game is your favorite pastime, the Galaxy A26 will offer better battery life.

Charging speed

Neither phones is particularly fast when it comes to loading, but the Galaxy A36 is certainly the fastest of the two. Now support a quick 45 W recharge, compared to the 25 W hood on the Galaxy A26. This allows the device to load significantly faster in the first 30 minutes of the charging cycle, but it is only about 12 minutes faster at the finish.

In any case, if quick recharging is a priority feature, you certainly choose the Galaxy A36 (plus a charger and a quickly compatible cable).

Speaker tests

The Galaxy A36 leads both in the volume and in the general quality of the speakers. And it’s not a surprise. The A36 has a set of hybrid stereo speakers, while Samsung has decided to make the downgrade of the configuration of the spectacle of the26 on a single speaker addressed to the bottom.

Despite the voice and the maximums slightly distorted at higher volumes, the sound quality of the36 is quite good for its class. It provides deeper traces and the hottest sound with the most important bass than the26.

Performance

The memory configurations are very similar, both start from 128 GB and go up to 256 GB of storage, but the A26 starts only 4 GB of RAM, while the A36 obtains 6 GB by default. This may not seem like a big problem, but the extra RAM on the A36 could be useful in the long term. Having more RAM can be seen as a proof of the future.

This year, the Galaxy A26 is getting the Exynos 1380 SoC which has fueled the Galaxy A35 the previous year, while the A36 now shows off a Snapdragon 6 Jan 3 Chip updated. But the overall performances are not so different. The results of the benchmark reveal the entire picture.

Reference performance

As you can see, the difference in raw performance is not great. The Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 of the36 offers a 5% increase in performance compared to the Ayssed 1380 in combined and pure CPU scenarios. The GPU test shows a more evident performance of performance with a 15%jump, according to the reference scenario Extreme Wild Life of 3DMark.

Comparison of the camera

The two phones share hardware of the similar camera, but the Galaxy A36 has a small advantage. The main 50 MP sensor is larger, the dedicated macro shooter is 5 MP instead of 2 MP and the 12 MP selfie camera can record 4K videos. The 13 MP front camera of the26 is limited to 1080p@30fps.

As for ultrawide, it is identical on both devices.

Image quality

The comparison between the two main cameras side by side reveals minor differences. You should look very closely to see that the A36 has an advantage over the Indle in terms of sharpness, fine details and perhaps dynamic range. The A36 produces alembicchi with a slightly wider dynamic range and more natural shadows.

Main room: Galaxy A26 • Galaxy A36 • Galaxy A26 • Galaxy A36

Main room: Galaxy A26 • Galaxy A36 • Galaxy A26 • Galaxy A36

There is even less remarkable difference at night, but the A36 reaches a more beautiful contrast and more brighter colors.

The largest main sensor on the Galaxy A36 has a clear superiority compared to the 50 mp shoot of the26 in 2x zoom mode. The A36 produces more sharp and more detailed photos.

2X CROP ZOOM: Galaxy A26 • Galaxy A36 • Galaxy A26 • Galaxy A36

2X CROP ZOOM: Galaxy A26 • Galaxy A36 • Galaxy A26 • Galaxy A36

When it comes to Ultrawide, the two devices offer very different interpretations and we like the A26 more. Not only are the ultrawide shots of the indi26 more sharp, but are also with more accurate colors. The Ultrawide of the36 tends to have a warmer color temperature, transform the grass and foliage into yellowish muddy spots.

Ultrawide Chamber: Galaxy A26 • Galaxy A36 • Galaxy A26 • Galaxy A36

Ultrawide Chamber: Galaxy A26 • Galaxy A36 • Galaxy A26 • Galaxy A36

A36 Ultrawide at night offers better colors but too bright shadows.

Video quality

Below we have some framegrab from the videos taken by the two phones at each focal length, so it is easier to deal with each other.

With our surprise, the main camera of the Galaxy A26 offers a better dynamic range. The Filmed of the36 has a slightly better definition but darker shadows.

The Ultrawide camera of the Galaxy A26 also has a better dynamic range and this time the video is also slightly more clear and more detailed.

Video Screengrabs: A26 FHD 0.6x • A36 FHD 0.6x • A26 4K 1x • A36 4K 1x • A26 4K 1x • A36 4K 1x

We were unable to find a remarkable difference in films in low light conditions, except for the fact that the A26 captures better colors and its exposure measurement is better to avoid cutting the highlights. Keep in mind that the Galaxy A36 offers 4K resolution stabilization, while the EIS skills of the Galaxy A26 are limited to 1080p.

Verdict

As you can see, the Galaxy A36 beats the A26 in almost all departments. It has a brighter display, better speakers, a longer battery life, a slightly faster charging, a faster chipset, a Under-Splay fingerprint reader and even the esim support.

The two phones exchange in the camera department and the Galaxy A26 offers a microSD slot.

The A36 is objectively the best phone of the two and we happily recommend that you do it above the A26. And with a difference starting from € 40-50 in the EU, it has all the meaning. However, in the United States and the United Kingdom, there is a much larger price gap, so if your purchase decision is strongly sensitive to prices or if you absolutely need to have a microSD slot, you may be better with the Galaxy A25 as it will provide you with the same user experience while saving you some money.