Samsung Galaxy A36 vs. Samsung Galaxy A35
So, you've decided to get one of Samsung's popular A3X midrangers and are now wondering whether to spring for the new Galaxy A36 model or stick with last year's Galaxy A35? It's a fair question since the two phones offer a similar experience.
In the States, the Galaxy A36 costs as much as the A35 so getting the newer model is really a no-brainer. In the EU, the situation is almost the same if you shop around, even though if you go by the MSRP, the A36 should be around â¬50 more expensive than the A35.
In the UK, the A36 is only available in a 256GB tier, while the A35 is only available as a 128GB model. Additionally, Samsung seemingly has much better control over the A36 retail pricing there so the current price difference between the old and the new model is a whopping £150. Ouch!
In any case, let's check how much better the A36 really is.
Table of Contents:
For starters, you can compare the complete specs sheets or directly continue with our editor's assessment in the following text.
Size comparison
The two phones have a similar overall footprint. However, the A35 is slightly thicker and slightly heavier than its successor.
All the while, the display on the new Galaxy A36 has grown a tiny bit from 6.6 inches on the A35 to 6.7 inches. It's a small difference, hardly noticeable in practice, but it does translate to thinner display bezels on the new model.
Overall, it's fair to say that the A36 offers a more refined design.
Construction-wise, both phones feel solid and very well made, with practically no flex to the chassis. They both employ a plastic middle frame sandwiched between two glass sheets with Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the front.
The new addition to the A36 this year is Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the back side as well.
Both phones offer the same excellent IP67 ingress protection rating, which should allow them to survive for up to 30 minutes in up to one meter of fresh water.
This is as good a place as any to discuss controls and connectivity. Both phones have a very standard button layout. Both use an under-display optical fingerprint reader, have a similar hybrid stereo speaker setup and, unfortunately, use virtual proximity sensors. Wireless connectivity is practically identical across the two, though the newer A36 does have an additional eSIM card support for a total of two, compared to one on the A35 and Bluetooth 5.4 compared to Bluetooth 5.3.
However, one potentially massive difference in favor of the Galaxy A35 is the presence of a microSD storage expansion slot, which is missing from the Galaxy A36.
Display comparison
The display on the Galaxy A36 is slightly bigger, though not really noticeably so in practice. Both phones offer the same FullHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate without LTPO or any other fancy adaptive switching.
What has changed rather noticeably for the better is the max display brightness. The Galaxy A36 puts out notably higher brightness numbers. Both phones are usable in sunlight, but the A36 is definitely more comfortable.
Even with the newfound increase in brightness, the Galaxy A36 still lacks any HDR video support like the A35 before it.