Stop Buying Expensive Phones. I Tested This $400 Samsung Galaxy That Nails the Basics

2 days ago 8

CNET's key takeaways

The Galaxy A36 is one of Samsung's three midrange phones and costs $400.
The phone packs a generous 5,000-mAh battery, as well as 45-watt fast charging.
The A36 has a slightly larger display than its predecessor, which is nice and bright, even in direct sunlight.
A 50-megapixel main camera captures punchy photos, especially in portrait mode.
The camera compromises on sharpness and detail.
The A36's bezels are pretty noticeable.
There's also a slight lag when launching apps like the camera or rotating the phone.

As a friend and I stroll along the Chicago River on a sunny, sweltering summer day, I pause and reach for the phone in my pocket.

"Hold on," I say, "We need to take a basic picture of our drinks with the city in the background for my article."

I'm greeted with the all-too-familiar (half-joking) scoff of, "Is that an Android phone?" But when my friend looks at the image, she generously says, "Oh, that's pretty good."

"Pretty good" is a solid summary of the Samsung Galaxy A36, which, at $400, delivers on just about everything, from day-long battery life to a trusty triple-camera system to impressive durability. Of course, you'll have to make some compromises when it comes to factors like image quality and overall performance. But if you're keen to not pay close to $1,000 for a smartphone, the A36 could be your answer.

Two drinks are held up in front of the Chicago River

That picture I shot by the river, which I took in both portrait and standard modes, is bright, clear and satisfyingly in focus. Shadows and highlights are a bit exaggerated, but overall, it's an image I'm pleased with. Other photos I snapped throughout the week I tested the phone offered a similar vibrancy, though, compared to pricer phones like the $800 Samsung Galaxy S25 or $829 iPhone 16, colors tend to be a bit more muted, and some details get lost. But you get what you pay for, and at $400, I'd argue you get good bang for your buck.

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The A36 borrows some elements from the flagship Galaxy S25 series. It comes with One UI 7 and Android 15, and it packs AI features like Object Eraser for photos and Google's Circle to Search. You can also get more thorough answers to your questions by chatting with Gemini. The best thing about the AI features is that they don't feel forced; you won't be bombarded each time you try to do something on your phone. But if you want to clean up a photo or get quick and detailed information about something on your screen, AI is at your fingertips.

My experience with the Galaxy A36

One of the Galaxy A36's biggest flexes is its 5,000-mAh battery, which is paired with 45-watt fast charging. That places it on par with the $1,000 Galaxy S25 Plus, which also includes 45-watt fast charging and a slightly smaller 4,900-mAh battery. There's a charging cable in the A36's box, but no power brick.

Still, the baseline S25 and S25 Plus benefit from their more power-efficient Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, while the A36 has a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor, which is geared toward midrange phones. The battery on the more affordable device still packs plenty of power, though. In CNET's 45-minute endurance test, which involves a combination of streaming, scrolling through social media, joining a video call and playing games, the A36's battery dropped from full to 89%. By comparison, the S25 dropped from full to 93% and the S25 Plus dropped to 94%.

And in a longer, three-hour streaming test over Wi-Fi, in which I watched a YouTube video in full-screen mode at full brightness, the A36 dropped from 100% to 84%. Meanwhile, the S25 dropped to 85%, and the S25 Plus reached 86%, so the A36, impressively, isn't so far behind its pricier counterparts. In a 30-minute charging test, the A36's battery hit 31% and it reached full in over an hour and a half.

There are other moments when I was reminded that this is a midrange phone, like the slight lag when going from portrait to landscape mode while watching a YouTube video or the fact that it takes about a second to launch the camera. Oftentimes, when unlocking the phone after a few hours of inactivity, it takes a moment for the display to light up after pressing the power button. But nothing stands out as a major issue or red flag.

The Galaxy A36 5G costs $400.

Samsung

Galaxy A36 look and feel

Perhaps my favorite thing about the A36 is how it looks. The iridescent lavender backing is so striking that I often find myself staring at it, mesmerized, as it catches the light. (It also makes me wish premium phones came in more playful colors.) If you want something a bit more subtle, the A36 also comes in black.

Turning to the screen, the bezels are quite obvious, but they're thinner than the ones on last year's A35, which bumps that display size to 6.7 inches, versus 6.6 inches. A 120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling through social media apps and streaming videos enjoyable; I often forgot I was using a midrange phone because there weren't any glaring differences. The 1,900 nits of peak brightness made looking at the screen easy, even under the unforgiving Midwest summer sun.

Both the front and back of the phone feature Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus Plus, which makes the A36 feel nice and sturdy -- and also makes me feel better about using it without a case (as does the relatively low price tag). It has an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, meaning it can withstand being submerged under 1 meter (or 3 feet) of water for up to 30 minutes, so I don't have to be too nervous about bringing it to the beach or simply having it in the vicinity of a cup of water I'm likely to spill.

Galaxy A36 camera

A phone's camera tends to be the most important aspect to me (and I'm not alone). The A36 has a 50-megapixel wide, 8-megapixel ultrawide and 5-megapixel macro camera, as well as a 12-megapixel selfie camera.

I snapped both a standard and portrait-mode shot of my friend at the Harry Potter Shop Chicago, and she was again (surprisingly) pleased with the result. It got a resounding "Oh, that's not bad." And I have to agree. The foreground in both photos is in clear focus, and the colors are a bit on the saturated side, but in a way that's still flattering and bold.

A woman in a green top and beige headscarf holds a mug and smiles at the camera

I snapped photos of my niece in the backyard at around 9 p.m. to test nighttime shots, and the result was also greeted with a "That's pretty good." The phone brightened up what was otherwise a nearly pitch-black setting, making it possible to see my niece's facial expression and some details on her dress.

A girl in a yellow floral dress stands in front of trees at night

Lastly, I switched to the front camera to see how the A36 handles selfies, and it served up a flatteringly soft overtone and smoothing effect on my face without compromising much in the way of sharpness and detail.

A woman in a pink headscarf and denim jacket smiles at the camera

The A36 also supports 10-bit HDR video recording, which lends to punchier colors and overall vibrancy. I enjoyed shooting footage of my parents' garden and capturing the colorful blooms and lush greenery.

Galaxy A36 specs

6.7-inch AMOLED display
120Hz adaptive refresh rate
1,900 nits peak brightness
5,000-mAh battery
45-watt charging
Cameras: 50-megapixel wide-angle, 8-megapixel ultrawide, 5-megapixel macro, 12-megapixel selfie camera
USB-C port
195g (6.89 oz.)
Dimensions: 6.41 x 3.08 x 0.29 in. (162.9 x 78.2 x 7.4mm)
IP67 rating for water and dust resistance
128GB storage with 6GB or 8GB of RAM; 256GB storage with 6GB, 8GB or 12GB of RAM
Six years of software and security updates
$400

CNET's buying advice

If your key priority is buying a phone that nails the basics without all the frills, the Galaxy A36 could be the perfect fit. It's a midrange device that falls right in the middle of Samsung's A series line, meaning you'll get all the key features like a good camera, long battery life and solid performance and durability. You'll also get six years of software and security updates to help you squeeze every penny out of this purchase. A $400 phone is going to come with some compromises, like image detail and slight lag with some functions, but none of those things are a deal breaker if you want something that delivers where it really counts.

Don't expect many frills with the A36, but you'll get just enough AI, whether it's for chatting with Gemini or polishing up your photos. And those photos may even earn a conceding compliment from your loved ones to boot.

For more affordable phone options, check out CNET's roundup of the best budget-friendly phones.

How we test phones

Every phone CNET's reviews team tests is used in the real world. We test a phone's features, play games and take photos. We examine the display to see if it's bright, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and build to see how it is to hold and whether it has an IP rating for water resistance. We push the processor's performance to the extremes using standardized benchmark tools like GeekBench and 3DMark, along with our own anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution videos and playing graphically intense games at high refresh rates.

All the cameras are tested in a variety of conditions, from bright sunlight to dark indoor scenes. We try out special features like night mode and portrait mode, and compare our findings against similarly priced competing phones. We also check out the battery life by using it daily, as well as running a series of battery drain tests.

We take into account additional features like support for 5G, satellite connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus support, fast charging speeds and foldable displays, among others that can be useful. We balance all of this against the price to give you the verdict on whether that phone, whatever price it is, actually represents good value. While these tests may not always be reflected in CNET's initial review, we conduct follow-up and long-term testing in most circumstances.

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