Samsung’s Galaxy A36 might get the same main sensor as the A56

Samsung’s Galaxy A-series phones have been consistent favourites, providing users with an affordable yet feature-rich alternative to flagship models.

The Galaxy A36, the highly-anticipated successor to the Galaxy A35, has recently appeared on Geekbench and in leaked 3D renders, giving us a glimpse into what Samsung’s next mid-range phone might have in store.

Here’s everything we know so far about its release date, price, and key specs.

When will the Samsung Galaxy A36 be released?

The Galaxy A36 is expected to launch sometime in early 2025.

Since the A35 debuted in March 2024, it’s likely the A36 will follow a similar schedule, arriving shortly after the launch of Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S25 series. However, there have been no concrete release date leaks or rumours yet.

For context, here’s when the previous generations launched:

• Samsung Galaxy A32 – February 2021
• Samsung Galaxy A33 – March 2022
• Samsung Galaxy A34 – March 2023
• Samsung Galaxy A35 – March 2024

How much will the Samsung Galaxy A36 cost?

While the exact pricing of the Galaxy A36 is still under wraps, it’s likely to fall within a similar price range to its predecessor.

The Galaxy A35 was priced at £339/$399.99 for the base 8GB/128GB model, with the 8GB/256GB version costing £389 in the UK but not being sold in the US. We can expect the A36 to be priced similarly, but a slightly lower or higher price is entirely possible.

What specs and features will the Samsung Galaxy A36 have?

Leaked 3D renders, courtesy of Giznext and OnLeaks, reveal some potential key features of the Galaxy A36.

Design

According to those renders, Samsung is reverting to a camera island design, with the three rear cameras now grouped in a vertical arrangement, similar to older models such as the the Galaxy A30s.

Despite this change, certain design features, such as the ‘Key Island’ for the power and volume buttons, remain.

The A36 is also set to be slightly narrower and taller than its predecessor, the A35, with a width of 77.9mm and a height of 162.6mm.

It might also be slimmer, with the leak suggesting a thickness of 7.4mm (9.6mm including the camera bump).

Display

The same renders also reveal that the A36 will likely come with a 6.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display, retaining a 120Hz refresh rate similar to the A35.

The resolution and brightness levels might see slight improvements, and Samsung is expected to trim down the bezels for a more modern look.

The display will likely include a punch-hole camera and an in-display fingerprint reader, in keeping with the design aesthetics of recent A-series models.

Performance

Samsung’s choice of chipset for the Galaxy A36 is still uncertain. A recent Geekbench listing thought to be the phone reveals specs which suggest it could use either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 or the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, both manufactured on Samsung Foundry’s 4nm process.

This would mark a shift from the Exynos 1380 used in the Galaxy A35, indicating Samsung’s decision to rely on Qualcomm for this model. However, this is yet to be confirmed, and we could yet see Exynos power the Galaxy A36.

Early benchmark scores hint at slightly lower performance than the A35, but real-world usage will determine the actual impact.

The Geekbench listing above mentions a 5.2GB memory, suggesting the base model may come with 6GB of RAM. This would be a downgrade from the Galaxy A35, which offers 8GB on both models.

Cameras

SamMobile reports that Samsung might increase the front camera resolution to 32Mp, similar to the Galaxy A55, and include a 12Mp ultrawide rear camera. Both would be upgrades from the A35, which had a 13Mp selfie lens and 8Mp ultrawide.

The main camera is expected to retain optical image stabilisation (OIS), providing good image quality in various lighting conditions. However, it’s not clear whether there’ll be any changes to the 50Mp lens or the 5Mp macro.

According to recent report from Dutch site GalaxyClub, the rear camera will retain the 50Mp sensor of its predecessor and the selfie camera will be upgraded to a 12Mp sensor, replacing the 13Mp sensor used in previous A3x models.

This change is expected to deliver better photo quality. Interestingly, while the Galaxy A56 will also feature a 12Mp selfie camera, the A56’s implementation is reported to produce results superior to the A36.

It remains uncertain whether Samsung will make any changes to the ultrawide or macro cameras on the A36, but given the company’s tendency to introduce only minor updates to its A-series devices, significant alterations are unlikely.

Battery & Charging

While battery capacity details aren’t confirmed, it’s likely the A36 will keep the 5,000mAh battery seen in the A35.

This large battery, combined with the efficient 4nm chipset, could deliver improvements to the already-solid battery life.

With no rumours or leaks regarding charging speeds, it’s safe to assume that the Galaxy A36 will stick at 25W wired. On such an affordable phone, it’d be a surprise to see wireless charging introduced.

Software

The Galaxy A36 will likely ship with Android 15 and Samsung’s One UI 7.0 out of the box.

Samsung recently committed to six major Android updates for the cheaper Galaxy A16, meaning the A36 could receive updates all the way to Android 21. That would make it one of the best-supported mid-range phones out there.

This is all we currently know about the Galaxy A36. We’ll be updating this article when we find out more. In the meantime, you can check out what the more powerful Galaxy A56 might offer, and the best mid-range phones that both will be up against.