Samsung Galaxy A36 256GB Awesome Black
£20.00 a monthuntil April 2026then price rises every April in contract by £1.80No upfront cost
£505.20 total cost
230 GBof 5G data
24 month contract
via Fonehouse
Samsung Galaxy A36: everything you need to know
The Galaxy A36 hit shelves on March 19th after being announced at the Mobile World Congress 2025 event in Barcelona, giving value-conscious customers a taste of AI-powered features without the high price tag of flagship models.
Until now, Samsung has primarily reserved its Galaxy AI features for flagship devices like the recently released Galaxy S25 series while limiting midrange Galaxy A models to select AI tools like Circle to Search. That’s changing with this year’s Galaxy A lineup, with the Galaxy A36 bringing more AI-powered features to a wider audience. Beyond AI enhancements, the Galaxy A36 offers notable improvements over previous Galaxy A models, including upgraded cameras, a brighter display, and extended software support.
Key takeaways
Price
- 256GB - £399
Design
- 6.7-inch AMOLED display
Camera
- Main camera 50 MP
- Macro camera 5 MP
- Ultra-wide camera 8 MP
- Selfie camera 12 MP
Galaxy AI
Supports Samsung's "Awesome Intelligence" which doesn't feature the full slate of AI features in the flagship Samsung phones.
Samsung A36 specs
Specifications
- OS: Android 15, One UI 7Display: 6.7-inch Super AMOLED
- Refresh rate: 120Hz
- Camera: 8MP Ultra-Wide Camera, 50MP Main Camera, 5MP Macro Camera, 12MP Front Camera
- Storage: 256GB
- RAM: 8GB
- Battery: 5,000mAh
- OS: Android 15, One UI 7
Samsung A36 pros and cons
Pros
High refresh rate
eSIM support
Huge battery
AI included
High-quality display
Cons
Fixed storage capacity
No headphone port
Pricing and availability
The Galaxy A36 is one of the pricier of Samsung’s new midrange phones, but only relatively so—it will launch at £399, the same price as the Galaxy A35 it replaces. UK shoppers will be able to buy the phone starting March 26.
Available colour options include black, lavender, and lime.
How to choose the best Samsung Galaxy A36 deal
The Samsung Galaxy A36 has been positioned as the middle child in the A series, so it is one of the cheaper handsets on the market. However, it is still important to compare deals to find the best option for you.
Using the table above, you can filter by monthly cost, data, total cost, bestselling, and Uswitch promoted to easily find a deal that best suits your needs. As a rule of thumb, if you can afford to pay more of the contract upfront, you can save on the overall and monthly costs of the contract.
Always check how much data you actually need. Our mobile calculator tool can help you work out how much you need to pay each month.
AI features
One of the biggest draws of the Galaxy A36 is the additional AI features Samsung is bringing to its midrange phones. While AI tools have become standard on other devices like the Pixel 9 series and the iPhone 16e, last year’s Samsung midrange models—such as the Galaxy A35—only supported Circle to Search.
Circle to Search returns on the Galaxy A36 but with expanded capabilities, similar to the enhancements introduced with the Galaxy S25 series earlier this year. As before, you can search for anything by long-pressing the navigation bar and tapping or circling what you want more information about. However, now the tool can recognise phone numbers, URLs, and email addresses, as well as identify songs and provide details about the title and artist.
Other AI features are all about making your photos look better with less effort. The My Filter tool lets you create your own custom filters by taking the colours and styles from a photo you like and applying them to other pictures. The Object Eraser tool is great for tidying up your shots—you can easily remove unwanted people or objects, kind of like Google’s Magic Eraser.
The Galaxy A36 also gets an exclusive AI trick called Edit Suggest, which looks at your photos and suggests ways to improve them. But unlike the pricier Galaxy A56, it doesn’t have the Best Face feature, which lets you swap in different facial expressions for up to five people in a shot—so no fixing closed eyes or awkward smiles in the photos that you snap.
Design and display
This year, Samsung is giving the Galaxy A series a fresh new look, moving away from the uniform design it shared with the Galaxy S flagships. The Galaxy A36 still has a vertical camera setup, but now the lenses sit on their own little island, making it stand out more.
The A36 is also slimmer than last year’s model—it’s now just 7.4mm thick, down from 8.2mm on the A35. Even with the sleeker design, Samsung has still taken steps to consider the durability of the device. The A36 comes with IP67 water resistance, so it can survive a dip in up to a meter of water.
As for the display, the Galaxy A36 comes with a large 6.7-inch AMOLED screen, with Samsung promising up to 1,900 nits of peak brightness—a big step up from the A35’s 1,317 nits. That means it should be even easier to see in bright sunlight.
Camera
The Galaxy A36 has a triple camera setup on the back: a 50MP main lens, an 8MP ultrawide shooter, and a 5MP macro lens for close-up shots.
There’s a 12MP selfie camera, which Samsung says is a big improvement over the A35’s. Both the front and ultrawide cameras now support video HDR capture, so your photos and videos should look even better.
Samsung also promises that night shots on the A36 will be clearer and brighter, making it a great option for low-light photography.
Battery life and performance
The Galaxy A36 is powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset, which should be a nice upgrade over the Exynos 1380 that ran the A35. It comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, giving you plenty of space for apps and photos. Battery life should be solid, too. The A36 packs a 5,000mAh battery—the same as the A35 which should be enough for all day use.
One big upgrade is charging speed. The A36 now supports 45W wired charging, up from 25W on the A35—though you’ll need to buy a 45W charger separately to make the most of it.
Software updates
The Galaxy A36 comes with Samsung’s One UI 7 software, based on Android 15. While you won’t get features like Now Brief and Now Bar—those are exclusive to the Galaxy S25—you’ll still see the refreshed interface and other improvements from the update.
The biggest news, though, is software support. Samsung used to offer four years of Android updates and an extra year of security patches for its A-series phones. But with the A36, that’s been extended to six years of updates, meaning your phone will stay up to date for much longer.
Written by Archie Burkinshaw, Content Editor
FAQs
When is the Samsung Galaxy A36 available in the UK?
The Galaxy A36 will be available to buy in the UK from March 26, 2025.
How much does the Samsung Galaxy A36 cost?
The Galaxy A36 is priced at £399 in the UK.
What colours does the Galaxy A36 come in?
You can get the Galaxy A36 in Black, Lavender, and Lime.
Does the Galaxy A36 have a headphone jack?
No, the A36 does not have a headphone jack—you’ll need Bluetooth headphones or a USB-C adapter.
Does the Galaxy A36 have 5G?
Yes, the Galaxy A36 supports 5G connectivity for faster data speeds.
Can I expand the storage on the Galaxy A36?
Yes, the A36 supports microSD cards for expandable storage.
Does the Galaxy A36 have a fingerprint scanner?
Yes, it features an under-display fingerprint sensor for secure unlocking.
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