Samsung is setting the benchmark for help on mid-range and inexpensive smartphones – the brand new A-series (A16 and up) will obtain 6 OS updates. This era additionally boosts efficiency, hurries up charging, brings digicam enhancements and extra. We’ve lined the Galaxy A56 in a separate article, right here we are going to concentrate on its siblings, the A36 and A26.
Samsung Galaxy A36
The Samsung Galaxy A36 switches issues up and contains a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 after utilizing a mixture of Dimensity and Exynos chips for the previous couple of generations. The bottom reminiscence configuration is 6/128GB (although some areas will get 8/128GB) and there may be an improve choice to eight/256GB.
Whereas the 6 Gen 3 isn’t a efficiency beast, Samsung is giving it the very best instruments to shine by giving it a bigger vapor chamber (+15%) that’s now the identical dimension because the one contained in the Galaxy S24+.
Samsung unified the display screen dimension of the A56, A36 and A26 – all three characteristic 6.7” Tremendous AMOLED screens with 1080p+ decision. That could be a 0.1” improve over the A35, by the way in which. The show can be brighter, reaching 1,200 nits in excessive brightness mode and peaking at 1,900 nits.
The back and front of the cellphone are protected with Gorilla Glass Victus+, whereas the body is manufactured from polycarbonate. Like final 12 months, the cellphone is rated IP67 for mud and water resistance. Samsung has a collection of colours all however considered one of which (the black one) have an iridescent impact.
Samsung Galaxy A36 colours: Black • Lime • White • Lavender
The rear digicam has a brand new look with a single digicam island (as an alternative of three particular person lenses), nevertheless it’s principally the identical {hardware}. This features a 50MP foremost (f/1.8 lens with OIS), 8MP ultra-wide (f/2.2) and a 5MP macro (f/2.4).
There are two upgrades to the digicam system this 12 months. First, the selfie digicam has a brand new, bigger 12MP sensor. Second, video HDR (10-bit as much as 4K @ 30fps) is obtainable on each the rear and entrance cameras. A fast comparability with the A56 exhibits that the pricier mannequin has a bigger sensor (now with 1.0µm pixels), a 12MP UW cam and helps Low Noise mode on the selfie digicam.
Samsung stored the battery capability of the Galaxy A36 at 5,000mAh. Nonetheless, it improved the charging pace from 25W to 45W. Because of this half-hour of charging will get you to 66% and a full cost takes 68 minutes. As soon as full, the battery ought to last as long as 29 hours of video playback.
The A36 launches with Android 15 with the newest One UI 7. It’ll see 6 OS updates (up from 4 on the A35) and safety patches for six years (up from 5). Samsung loaded in some AI options just like the helpful Circle to Search, the Object Eraser for picture enhancing and a easy approach to make your personal picture filters (by selecting an instance picture to repeat its type).
Samsung Galaxy A36
The Samsung Galaxy A36 prices the identical as its predecessor – the 128GB base mannequin is $400/€380, whereas the 256GB improve is €450/£400 (completely different markets are getting completely different storage choices).
One vital factor to notice is that the Galaxy A56 will likely be obtainable within the US, in contrast to its predecessor. So that’s one thing to think about when trying on the A36. Take a look at our A56 article for particulars on specs and costs.
Samsung Galaxy A26
In some methods, the Samsung Galaxy A26 is a redo of the A35 from final 12 months, however at a lower cost. And it’s not far off the A36, although with a lower cost tag in thoughts.
The A26 is powered by the Exynos 1380, which was used for the A35 final 12 months. When speaking concerning the new A36, Samsung highlighted one efficiency enchancment – the CPU of the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 is 8% sooner than that of the Exynos 1380. There may be a distinction in effectivity (we should check that) and the A26 didn’t get the bigger vapor chamber.
Samsung Galaxy A26
The reminiscence state of affairs is comparable, the bottom mannequin has 6/8GB of RAM (area dependent) and 128GB storage and there may be an 8/256GB improve. Be aware that the A26 additionally has a microSD slot, which isn’t obtainable on increased tiers of A-series telephones. And also you’ll be getting the identical software program help – 6 OS updates and 6 years of safety patches (up from 4 and 5, respectively).
As talked about above, all three A-phones from at present characteristic a 6.7” OLED show with 1080p+ decision (up from 6.5” on the A25). It’s not the identical display screen, although. The A26 has a notch for its selfie digicam (as an alternative of a punch gap) and the fingerprint reader is mounted on the facet as an alternative of below the show.
Talking of the selfie digicam, this mannequin makes use of the previous 13MP unit, so no video HDR for it. This is applicable to the rear cameras as effectively, which embody a 50MP foremost (OIS), 8MP ultra-wide and 2MP macro.
Samsung upgraded the physique on this mannequin. It slimmed it down from 8.3mm to 7.7mm, although weight went up from 197g to 200g. And new this 12 months is an IP67 score – the identical stage of mud and water safety that the A36 and A56 have.
Samsung Galaxy A26 colours
The battery has the identical capability as the opposite two, 5,000mAh, however this cheaper mannequin misses out on the charging improve and nonetheless solely helps 25W.
The Samsung Galaxy A26 prices €300 for the bottom 128GB mannequin and €370/£300/$300 for the 256GB improve. The model with extra storage will likely be obtainable in additional markets.
