Samsung Galaxy A35 5G vs Samsung Galaxy A36 5G

The Samsung Galaxy A35 5G vs A36 5G comparison confuses a lot of buyers right now — and it’s easy to see why. These two phones look almost the same. Both have a 50MP camera. Both have a 5000mAh battery. Both have an AMOLED screen with 120Hz. Both are 5G phones from Samsung.

But look closer and you’ll find real differences. The A36 came out in March 2025 as the newer model, and Samsung changed a few things — some for the better, one not so great. Knowing these differences will help you spend your money wisely.

In this article, we’ll compare both phones across design, display, performance, camera, battery, and price. By the end, you’ll know exactly which one is right for you — no confusion.

Both phones look similar from the outside. Same Samsung style, same punch-hole camera at the front. But pick them up and you’ll feel the difference right away.

The A36 is slimmer — just 7.4mm thick compared to the A35’s 8.2mm. It’s also lighter — 195 grams vs 209 grams. That 14-gram difference might seem small, but after carrying your phone all day, a lighter phone feels noticeably more comfortable in your hand or pocket.

Both phones use Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the front for scratch protection, and both have a glass back with a plastic frame. Neither has a metal frame, which is normal at this price range. Both carry an IP67 rating — so if your phone falls in water up to 1 metre deep, it’ll survive for 30 minutes. Great for rainy days or accidental splashes.

The A35 comes in Iceblue, Lilac, Navy, and Lemon. The A36 comes in Lavender, Black, White, and Lime. Both have stereo speakers — good for watching videos without earphones. Overall, the A36 feels more modern and premium because it’s thinner and lighter.

Both phones have a Super AMOLED screen with FHD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. This means colours look rich, scrolling feels smooth, and videos look sharp on both phones. So far, so equal.

But here’s where the A36 pulls ahead by a lot: brightness. The A35 goes up to 1000 nits of peak brightness. The A36 goes up to 1900 nits — that’s nearly double. If you use your phone outdoors a lot — walking in sunlight, reading maps, using apps outside — the A36’s screen stays bright and easy to read where the A35 starts looking dull and hard to see.

The A36 also has a slightly bigger screen — 6.7 inches vs 6.6 inches on the A35. Not a huge jump, but a little more space for watching YouTube, playing games, or reading.

Both screens have Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection against drops and scratches. Both have a small punch-hole cutout for the front camera.

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G — the brighter screen makes a real difference for everyday outdoor use.

The A35 runs on the Exynos 1380 chip (made by Samsung, built on 5nm). The A36 uses the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chip (made by Qualcomm, built on 4nm). Both are octa-core chips running at up to 2.4GHz, and both come with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage in the main variant.

For daily use — WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Chrome, maps — both phones feel fast and smooth. You won’t notice much difference when opening apps or switching between them. Where the A36 does better is gaming. The Adreno 710 GPU inside the Snapdragon chip handles games like BGMI or Call of Duty Mobile a bit more smoothly than the Mali-G68 GPU in the A35.

The A36 also uses faster LPDDR5X RAM (the A35 has LPDDR4X) and faster UFS 2.2 storage (the A35 has UFS 2.1). In simple terms: apps open a little quicker on the A36 and files transfer faster.

Big difference: software updates. The A35 was promised 4 years of Android updates. The A36 comes with a promise of 6 years — six major Android upgrades and six years of security patches. If you plan to keep your phone for 3–4 years, this matters a lot. The A36 will stay updated and secure much longer.

The A36 also starts on Android 15 with One UI 7, while the A35 launched on Android 14 with One UI 6.1.

Both phones have three rear cameras: a 50MP main camera, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 5MP macro. Both main cameras have the same f/1.8 aperture and the same 1/1.96-inch sensor size. So are they the same? Not exactly.

The A36 uses a Sony IMX882 sensor for the main camera. Sony sensors are well known for producing natural, realistic colours — especially in photos taken indoors or in mixed lighting. The A35 doesn’t have a Sony sensor. In real use, the A36 tends to capture more true-to-life photos, while the A35 can sometimes make colours look slightly too bright or oversaturated.

Both cameras have OIS (optical image stabilisation), which reduces blur in low-light photos and keeps your videos steady. Night photos are decent on both phones, but the A36 edges ahead because of the Sony sensor.

Neither phone has optical zoom. Both use digital zoom up to 10x, which gets blurry fast. Don’t buy either phone if you need good zoom.

The 8MP ultrawide and 5MP macro cameras are practically the same on both phones. The macro doesn’t have autofocus on either, making it feel like a feature that looks good on paper but isn’t very useful in real life.

For selfies: the A35 has a 13MP front camera and the A36 has 12MP — almost no difference. Both shoot 4K video from the front camera, which is great for content creators. The A36 adds 10-bit HDR video from the front, making your reels and vlogs look richer and more cinematic.

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G — the Sony IMX882 sensor and 10-bit front HDR video give it a clear edge.

Both phones have the same 5000mAh battery. In daily use, both will comfortably last a full day — that’s around 13 or more hours of mixed use (calls, browsing, social media, some videos). If you play heavy games or watch a lot of video, charge before bed. Light to moderate users will still have battery left by evening.

The difference is how fast they charge. The A35 supports 25W charging. The A36 supports 45W charging. Samsung says the A36 can charge up to 66% in just 30 minutes, and reach 100% in about 68 minutes. The A35 takes noticeably longer. If you’re always rushing in the morning and need a quick top-up, the A36 will save you time every single day.

One frustrating thing both phones share: no charger in the box. Samsung only puts a cable inside. You’ll have to buy the charger separately. Make sure to get a 45W Samsung charger for the A36 to actually get that fast charging speed. Neither phone supports wireless charging, which is disappointing at this price in 2026.

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G — same battery life, but much faster charging.

Both phones support 5G on the Sub-6GHz bands used by Jio and Airtel in India — including N40, N78, N28, and N41. So you’ll get proper 5G in cities where it’s available. Both also support Wi-Fi 6, which gives you faster home internet if your router supports it.

The A36 has Bluetooth 5.4 vs the A35’s Bluetooth 5.3. This is a small upgrade that makes wireless earbuds connect more reliably. Both phones have NFC — useful for Google Pay tap-to-pay at shops, supermarkets, or metro stations. If you use UPI tap payments, NFC on both phones has you covered.

Neither phone has a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you’ll need wireless earphones or a USB-C adapter. Both support OTG (connecting a USB drive or keyboard). Neither has FM radio. One small plus for the A36: it supports VoNR (voice calls over 5G), which means sharper, clearer calls on 5G networks — the A35 doesn’t have this.

The Samsung Galaxy A35 5G has dropped in price since its 2024 launch. You can find it as low as ₹19,999 now. On Flipkart it’s around ₹21,999, and prices vary on Amazon. If you can get it under ₹22,000, that’s genuinely good value for what you get.

The Samsung Galaxy A36 5G is the newer phone and costs more — between ₹28,329 and around ₹34,999 depending on where you buy. Amazon currently shows it around ₹31,499, which is the best deal.

For the extra ₹8,000–₹10,000 over the A35, the A36 gives you: a nearly double-brightness screen, faster 45W charging, a Sony camera sensor, faster RAM and storage, and 6 years of software updates instead of 4.

The one thing the A35 has that the A36 doesn’t: a microSD card slot. The A36 dropped memory card support entirely. So if you take lots of photos and videos and want cheap extra storage without paying for cloud, the A35 is the better choice in that regard.

If you’re searching for the best 5G phone under ₹25,000 in India, the A35 at a discount is a solid answer. If your budget goes up to ₹30,000–₹32,000 and you want a phone that’ll last longer and perform better, the A36 is clearly worth it.

Here’s a quick summary of who is better each category:

Design → A36 (slimmer, lighter)  |  Display → A36 (much brighter)  |  Performance → A36 (faster chip, longer updates)  |  Camera → A36 (Sony sensor, HDR video)  |  Charging → A36 (45W vs 25W)  |  Battery life → Tie  |  Storage flexibility → A35 (microSD support)  |  Price → A35 (much cheaper)

The Samsung Galaxy A35 5G vs A36 5G comparison has a clear answer for most people: consider the A36 if you can stretch the budget. It’s a better phone in almost every way that matters for daily use in 2026.

But the A35 isn’t a bad phone. If you find it under ₹22,000 and need a memory card slot, it’s still one of the best-value AMOLED 5G phones you can buy today.

Who should buy the A36? Anyone who uses their phone outdoors a lot, wants fast charging, loves photography, or plans to keep their phone for 4–5 years. Who should buy the A35? Budget-conscious buyers who need expandable storage and don’t mind older software.

Want more details? Explore our full individual reviews of each smartphone,
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G Review: Is This Mid-Range 5G Smartphone Still Worth Buying in 2026?
Samsung Galaxy A36 5G Review 2026: 7 Key Reasons This Midrange Powerhouse Delivers