– particularly these made by Samsung.
In truth, I lately had some intensive hands-on time with a Galaxy A35, and I used to be fairly impressed by how well-balanced this cellphone is given the reasonably priced worth (by way of numerous retailers).
And if the latest leaks are something to go by, the Galaxy A36 would possibly appear to be a correct (Samsung) flagship – extra particularly, the
, and that’s one thing you wouldn’t anticipate from a cellphone that’s $250 cheaper.
The cherry on prime? A bounce from 4 to six years of Android updates in comparison with the Galaxy A35 – a world’s first.
That being stated, it’s not all roses – Samsung would possibly nonetheless play it low-cost with regards to the remainder of the cellphone, which makes me surprise… Is a design refresh sufficient to make up for the shortage of any significant {hardware} upgrades on the within?
Anyway, judging by the leaked images, it appears to me the Galaxy A36’s show borders might need the identical dimensions as these on the considerably dearer Galaxy S24 FE flagship, which might be superior given the A35’s thick bezels.
Nevertheless, much more surprisingly (a minimum of to me), the design refresh appears to incorporate a thinner physique, which is completely in step with 2025 smartphone traits (7.4mm on Galaxy A36 vs 8.2mm on Galaxy A35), however not in step with Samsung’s gradual design improve “coverage”. It’s a optimistic plot twist!
World’s first: Galaxy A36 to change into the primary $400 cellphone ever to supply 6 years of OS and safety updates (Android 15 to Android 21)
One other main improve on the Galaxy A36 is the truth that it would launch with Android 15 / One UI 7 out-of-the-box. One UI 7 is but to debut on the Galaxy S24 sequence, nevertheless it has been rumored to be Samsung’s most fluid UI ever (after all, we’ll have to attend and see how that goes).
Nevertheless, what’s fairly protected to imagine is that the Galaxy A36 will deliver a whopping 6 years of OS updates, which is a primary for a $400 cellphone (at launch).
After all, the query whether or not the Galaxy A36 will be capable to (correctly) deal with being up to date to Android 21 is greater than legitimate, however Samsung’s dedication remains to be a giant deal for these planning to maintain/hand down their Galaxy A36 for years to come back.
The bounce from 4 to six years of Android updates on the mid-range “A” sequence will make the Galaxy A36 (and A56) superior offers in 1-2 years after launch too.
Galaxy A36: Samsung’s standard $400 Galaxy “A” sequence cellphone lastly seems to be the half, however is that this sufficient to make up for the shortage of any significant {hardware} upgrades?
The Redmi Observe 14 Professional+ is powered by the identical chip anticipated to characteristic within the Galaxy A36, however apart from that, it boasts far superior {hardware}.
An identical chipset (however from Qualcomm), and certain the identical digital camera, show, and battery because the Galaxy A35 and A34?
In the long run, whereas all the design-related and software program assist upgrades sound nice, the leak additionally says Samsung will most certainly use the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 as a substitute of an Exynos chip for the A36, which might be a primary for the A3x sequence.
Nevertheless, the unhealthy information is that the rationale for the swap to this explicit Qualcomm chip is most certainly cost-cutting.
The Exynos 1380 and Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 are virtually equally as highly effective, and the previous is powering the present Galaxy A35. So, I do not suppose that is the optimistic SoC improve we had been hoping for – even when we’re a Qualcomm chip.
Then again, the dearer Galaxy A56 is predicted to get a newly introduced Exynos 1580, which makes you surprise… Why wouldn’t Samsung give the A36 the Exynos 1480 (from the A55? It is what occurred final yr within the transition from the A34/54 to the A35/55 sequence.
Galaxy A36: Is the design refresh attempting to distract from the ageing inner {hardware}?
What concerning the remaining 90% of the cellphone, Samsung?
SoC apart, the leak does not point out digital camera, battery or show specs, however I definitely hope we’ll lastly see some upgrades there because the A35 used the identical cameras, show and battery because the A34.
That being stated, figuring out how conservative Samsung has change into with regards to {hardware} upgrades (probably influenced by Apple?!), I will not be shocked to see the identical comparatively mediocre digital camera, show, and battery {hardware} within the A36.
I say “comparatively” mediocre, as a result of I am certain the A36 will stack up properly towards the $1,000 Galaxy S25+ – particularly given the massive worth hole. Nevertheless, if Samsung was to maintain these {hardware} components unchanged, the Galaxy A36 may appear slightly outdated subsequent to one thing like a Xiaomi Redmi Observe 14 Professional+, which has a correct 2.5x zoom digital camera, a really shiny display screen, and a loopy 6,200 mAh battery with 90W charging.
So… The place do YOU stand on this one? Is Samsung doing sufficient to make the Galaxy A36 interesting given the competitors? Or is the design refresh meant to distract from the ageing inner {hardware}?