Unlock Lasting Value: Samsung Galaxy A36 and A26 Offer 6 Years of Software Updates at an Affordable Price!

All three models feature a vibrant 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a smooth 120-Hz refresh rate and a solid 5,000-mAh battery. They also come with the same camera setup, including a main 50-megapixel lens, an ultrawide, and a macro lens. However, the quality of ultrawide and macro cameras in budget phones often falls short, so it will be intriguing to see if these cameras deliver decent performance.

When it comes to selfies, the A36 and A56 might surprise you. Even though their 12-megapixel selfie camera has a lower count than the A26’s, it can shoot 10-bit HDR video at 4K and 30 frames per second. This translates to richer colors and better quality in your selfie videos.

Samsung also made improvements in heat management for the A36 and A56 with a larger vapor chamber cooling system. This setup is almost the same size as what’s found in the higher-end Galaxy S24+. Plus, with 45-watt fast charging, you can charge up to 70 percent in just half an hour.

AI Performance

The real difference lies in their performance. The A26 5G uses the Exynos 1380 chip and comes with 6 GB of RAM, while the A56 uses the Exynos 1580 chip with 8 GB of RAM. The A26 shares specs with last year’s Galaxy A35 5G, which provided decent performance but sometimes lagged. The A26, however, is priced $100 lower than its predecessor, making it an appealing option.

Samsung Galaxy A36 (left) and A26 (right)

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

On the other hand, only the Galaxy A36 5G is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset. It’s a new chip that offers performance similar to the Snapdragon 7S Gen 2 found in many flagship devices.