Samsung Galaxy A26 and Galaxy A36 Review: Fine but Dull Budget Phones

Samsung has a cushy throne. Or astatine slightest nan institution acts that way. Its latest budget phones—the Galaxy A26 and Galaxy A36—check each nan boxes. But adjacent to beautifully designed handsets from Nothing and Motorola pinch comparable prices, it feels for illustration Samsung is coasting connected marque sanction and nan truth that you tin astir apt prime up 1 of these devices from a bearer successful minutes.

And a batch of group will do precisely that, acknowledgment to various bearer promotions that'll tease a “free” A36 aliases A26 if you motion up for a circumstantial compartment scheme (hint: they're ne'er free). So, if you scheme connected buying 1 of these, which 1 should you get? The $400 Galaxy A36 aliases nan $300 Galaxy A26? I spent much than a week pinch some arsenic my main phone, and nan first point I'll opportunity is that they're easy nan champion Galaxy A-series phones Samsung has made successful years. That's not a precocious bar, though.

Easy A

The piano-black colour of these phones feels dated, not to mention that it easy attracts smudges and dust. Samsung calls it Awesome Black for nan A36, but if thing it's much of a mid gray. Pick nan lavender if you can, though nan A26 comes successful only a darker shadiness of black. Look astatine nan competition—the stunning agleam bluish of Motorola's Moto G Stylus and its vegan leather texture, aliases nan unsocial stylings of nan Nothing Phone (3a) series, each nether $400—and you'll consciousness robbed. Phones are individual and should person character; these galaxies are devoid of it.

They're reasonably ample phones pinch 6.7-inch AMOLED screens, pinch a 120-Hz refresh rate. I had nary problem utilizing them connected sunny days arsenic nan surface gets bully and bright, though colors look washed retired erstwhile it cranks things up. The A36 gets somewhat brighter, and colors don't look arsenic faded successful sunny conditions. The surface is interrupted pinch a teardrop-style selfie camera connected nan A26, whereas you get a much modern floating camera connected nan A36.

On nan hardware, nan A26 still retains nan microSD slot, truthful you tin grow retention past nan soul 128 GB. You person nary specified luxury connected nan A36, which seems overseas considering its higher price. The A36 does person an in-display fingerprint sensor versus a capacitive sensor connected nan powerfulness fastener of nan A26, though I recovered it slower and not arsenic reliable.

Here's nan conundrum: I had a amended wide acquisition connected nan Galaxy A26 than nan Galaxy A36. It's baffling considering nan $100 value quality betwixt nan two—more should beryllium better, right? This was astir pronounced pinch performance.