Samsung is revolutionizing support for mid-range and affordable smartphones. The company will deliver six OS updates to the new A-series (A16 and up). This generation also boosts performance, speeds up charging, and enhances camera capabilities. We’ve already covered the Galaxy A56 in a separate article; here, we’ll focus on its siblings, the A36 and A26.
Samsung Galaxy A36: Power and Performance Upgrades
The Samsung Galaxy A36 introduces a significant change. It features a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor, moving away from the previous mix of Dimensity and Exynos chips. Samsung offers a base memory configuration of 6/128GB (with some regions receiving 8/128GB) and an upgrade option to 8/256GB.
While the 6 Gen 3 isn’t a performance powerhouse, Samsung maximizes its potential. They’ve equipped it with a larger vapor chamber (+15%), now matching the size found in the Galaxy S24+.
Samsung unifies the screen size across the A56, A36, and A26. All three models boast 6.7” Super AMOLED screens with 1080p+ resolution, a 0.1” increase over the A35. The display also achieves higher brightness, reaching 1,200 nits in high brightness mode and peaking at 1,900 nits.
Gorilla Glass Victus+ protects the front and back of the phone, while a polycarbonate frame provides durability. Like last year, the phone features IP67 dust and water resistance. Samsung presents a range of colors, all but the black one showcasing an iridescent effect.
The rear camera adopts a new design with a single camera island, but retains similar hardware. It includes a 50MP main camera (f/1.8 lens with OIS), an 8MP ultra-wide camera (f/2.2), and a 5MP macro camera (f/2.4).
Samsung introduces two camera system upgrades this year. First, they’ve implemented a new, larger 12MP sensor for the selfie camera. Second, they’ve enabled video HDR (10-bit up to 4K @ 30fps) on both the rear and front cameras. A comparison with the A56 reveals that the pricier model utilizes a larger sensor (now with 1.0µm pixels), a 12MP UW camera, and supports Low Noise mode on the selfie camera.
Samsung maintains the Galaxy A36’s 5,000mAh battery capacity. However, they’ve boosted charging speed from 25W to 45W. This allows users to charge to 66% in 30 minutes and achieve a full charge in 68 minutes. The battery should provide up to 29 hours of video playback.
The A36 launches with Android 15 and the latest One UI 7. Samsung promises six OS updates (up from four on the A35) and six years of security patches (up from five). Samsung integrates AI features like Circle to Search, Object Eraser for image editing, and a simple method to create custom image filters.
Samsung prices the Galaxy A36 at the same level as its predecessor. The 128GB base model costs $400/€380, while the 256GB upgrade costs €450/£400 (storage options vary by market).
Notably, Samsung will make the Galaxy A56 available in the US, unlike its predecessor.
Samsung Galaxy A26: Affordable and Feature-Rich
The Samsung Galaxy A26 essentially revives the A35 from last year, but at a lower price. It shares similarities with the A36, while maintaining a more affordable price point.
The A26 employs the Exynos 1380 processor, previously used in the A35. Samsung highlights that the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 CPU in the A36 is 8% faster than the Exynos 1380. The A26 also lacks the larger vapor chamber.
Memory configurations mirror the A36, with a base model offering 6/8GB of RAM (region dependent) and 128GB of storage, and an 8/256GB upgrade. The A26 includes a microSD slot, absent in higher-tier A-series phones. Customers receive the same software support: six OS updates and six years of security patches (up from four and five, respectively).
All three new A-series phones feature a 6.7” OLED display with 1080p+ resolution (up from 6.5” on the A25). However, the A26 uses a different screen, incorporating a notch for the selfie camera instead of a punch hole, and a side-mounted fingerprint reader.
The A26 utilizes the older 13MP selfie camera, omitting video HDR. This also applies to the rear cameras, which consist of a 50MP main camera (OIS), an 8MP ultra-wide camera, and a 2MP macro camera.
Samsung refines the A26’s design, slimming it down from 8.3mm to 7.7mm, although the weight increases from 197g to 200g. They’ve added an IP67 rating, providing the same dust and water protection as the A36 and A56.
The A26 retains the 5,000mAh battery capacity, but foregoes the charging upgrade, maintaining 25W support.
Samsung prices the Galaxy A26 at €300 for the base 128GB model and €370/£300/$300 for the 256GB upgrade. The higher storage version will have broader market availability.