Samsung Galaxy A26 5G, priced at Rs 24,999 for the base model, has a lot of competition at its price point but can it handle the heat and prove itself as a worthy contender? We’ll find that out in our review of the Galaxy A26 5G. Stick till the end of this article and you’ll know whether you should spend your money on this device or spend it on another device, such as the Nothing Phone (3a), Motorola Edge 60 Fusion, iQOO Z10, etc.

What we liked about the Galaxy A56 5G

The Galaxy A26 5G sports a decent design with glass on both the front and back that’s protected with a Gorilla Glass Victus+ covering. The plastic frame may not feel premium but that’s a standard choice for most manufacturers at this price point.

Further, the mint shade we received for review is one of the nicer looking colours from Samsung in recent times, especially with the redesigned camera module on the back that creates a modern and contrasting look. The device does feel big in the hand but the weight distribution has been well handled.

The device is IP67 rated as well so durability shouldn’t be an issue. Overall, the device felt great in the hand and those longing for looks and durability shouldn’t hesitate if opting for the Galaxy A26 5G.

Then comes the display which is another feature we liked in the Galaxy A26 5G. The 6.7-inch full HD+ Super AMOLED Display with 2340 × 1080 pixels Resolution performa quite well in terms of colours, viewing angles, responsiveness, and smoothness due to the 120Hz refresh rate. However, the 800 nits peak brightness value can be an issue for those who work a lot outdoors as poor readability under direct sunlight did bother me during the review.

Then comes the software which is One UI 7.0 based on Android 15. The device is set to receive 6 generations of OS updates and 6 years of security patches which is the best software update policy for a phone in this price range. It also received the April 2025 security patch during our review period, which also confirmed that it doesn’t support seamless updates, unlike the Galaxy A56 5G and the A36 5G. If you are planning to keep your phone for an extended period of time, the Galaxy A26 5G might be a no-brainer.

The greatness of the software further shows in its optimization and the amount of features on offer. While some jitters and stutters could be solved through an update, the device did remain smooth for the most part. We’ll talk about performance in general a bit later but speaking purely of software, this is one of the best Android skins I have used at this price point alongside Nothing OS which is both stable and smooth.

You do get some AI features as well, such as Object Eraser, AI select, custom filters, Google’s Circle to Search, and more, which work okay. Aside from that, the animations remain fluid while there’s also the new quick settings shade which will be preferred by many. The new Now Bar is also offered on the lock screen for showing information at a glance. Aside from that, connectivity performance of the device was optimal.

Speaking of battery life, the device packs a 5000mAh cell which is fine for daily use. While it could have been better, it got me around 6.5 hours of screen-on time on an average with moderate use with slightly less than a day of use.

The side-mounted fingerprint sensor works quite nicely and is quick to unlock the device as soon as you touch it.

Next feature we liked about the device was its 13-megapixel f/2.2 front-facing camera. The sensor shot decent photos under adequate lighting conditions. There was a good amount of detail in the photos while the skin tones also looked great. The bokeh effect in selfie portraits also looked natural with good edge detection.

What we didn’t like about the Galaxy A26 5G

The device packs the Exynos 1380 Chipset which we saw in last year’s Galaxy A35 5G. While it’s definitely more powerful than the Galaxy A25 5G’s Exynos 1280, performance was still sometimes an issue with the Galaxy A26 5G where the device lagged at times after unlocking or while switching through apps. I could also notice the device getting warm at times while doing daily activities which is not exactly a cause of concern due to rising ambient temperatures but could prove to be an issue in the future if Samsung doesn’t do anything about it. Gaming also isn’t the device’s forte and I could feel it getting hot even with casual titles like RL Sideswipe.

Next up, while the display itself is decent, the front notch design feels outdated. The noticeable chin at the bottom doesn’t help either, especially when compared to sleeker designs from the competition.

Then, another disappointment was that the device lacks NFC support which some of its competitors do come with. Furthermore, what the device also lacks is a full-fledged Always-on display support despite it having a Super AMOLED display. This was also an issue with the iQOO Z10 5G but again, Nothing Phone (3a) sets the standard here with proper AOD implementation.

Next, there’s the painfully slow charging time, where it could take close to 1h 15m or slightly more when charging from 0 to 100%. We feel 45W speeds would have been better but Samsung opted for 25W which is nowhere close to the competition.

Then comes the Haptics which are handled through a buzzy regular motor. Nothing Phone (3a)’s haptics are miles better than Samsung’s. Samsung also stripped away the stereo speaker setup in the Galaxy A26 5G which were actually a part of its predecessor, the A25 5G. The single mono speaker on the A26 5G is loud and sounds clear but the vocals can sound shrill at louder volumes and the quality also distorts slightly.

The Galaxy A26 5G offers a triple rear camera setup including a 50-megapixel primary sensor with OIS support, an 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle sensor, and a 2-megapixel f/2.4 macro sensor.

While it may sound appealing on paper, it doesn’t perform up to expectations in the real world. While most devices perform nicely when given enough light, the Galaxy A26 5G fails to capture proper details making the photos look soft and like an oil painting if you zoom in.

While colours are handled in an average manner, exposure control is not the best and so is the dynamic range. Same is the case with the ultra-wide angle lens but with higher intensity. Even edge distortion hasn’t been well contained.

Portrait photos also lack proper colours while the edge detection also goes for a toss. Shooting under artificial lighting showcases a similar set of results where proper details are lacking and the colours start to fade slightly.

Under low lighting, things get slightly worse where some noise begins to appear and the sharpness of the shot drops further. The third macro sensor also doesn’t handle details nicely and is quite pointless when brands like Nothing are offering a telephoto sensor as the tertiary lens on their smartphones.

Samsung’s A-series has rapidly expanded in the past couple of months and one of the devices contributing to that growth is the Galaxy A36 5G. While we have already reviewed the Galaxy A56 5G and we liked how it performed in most areas, here’s a review of its younger sibling, the Galaxy A36 5G, which starts at Rs 32,999.

Design and Display

The design of the Galaxy A36 5G departs from its predecessor’s design and looks similar to the Galaxy A56 55G. In fact, you may not even be able to make out whether it’s the A56 or the A36 from a distance, until you hold them in your hand.

That’s where the major difference lies, where the A56 5G has a superior build quality with a metal frame while the A36 5G gets a plastic one. While it may not feel as premium, it still does a good job at providing grip due to its flat nature and how slim it is.

The keys feel tactile when clicked but keep in mind that by no means the Galaxy A36 5G is a small device. You’ll always have to use both your hands to reach the corners of the device.

The Lavender shade we got looks great in real life, also because of the rainbow deflection of light. The redesigned camera module adds to the aesthetic appeal of the device.

The haptics, however, are quite disappointing and weaker than Galaxy A56 5G’s. The stereo speaker setup sounds good in terms of clarity and vocals. It does have a hint of bass but don’t expect anything extraordinary.

The Galaxy A36 5G is IP67 rated as well so splashes and dirt shouldn’t be an issue for the handset to handle.

Coming to the display, it is a 6.6-inch Full HD+ sAMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection (both on front and back), 1900 nits peak brightness, a punch-hole notch, and 1080 X 2340 pixels resolution.

Being a Samsung panel, it does great at handling colours and brightness as well, even under direct sunlight. The viewing angles are decent while the responsiveness, sharpness, and smoothness of the display also remain high. The bezels around the display aren’t even but don’t look poor in daily use. To sum up, I basically had no issues with the display.

The in-display fingerprint sensor could have done a better job in terms of speed. However, it was accurate enough to not cause any troubles in that particular area.

Software and Performance

The Galaxy A36 5G is powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 Chipset under the hood and gets up to 12GB RAM and 128GB/256GB internal storage.

The device performed decently in most areas. In terms of smoothness, it could have been better in select areas, like when unlocking the device or closing apps where I could notice some jitters occasionally. Aside from that, RAM management was fine and switching through apps was a breeze.

The device received the April 2025 security patch around mid-April and it does support seamless updates as well which means you can continue with your work while the update installs in the background.

Samsung is promising 6 generations of OS upgrades and 6 years of security patches but how timely these updates will be is still a question that time will answer considering how Samsung lost its speed with the One UI 7 rollout even for its flagships.

As for gaming, you can expect to play casual games like RL sideswipe and Bullet Echo without any issues. Titles like BGMI and CODM handle the supported graphics fine. However, the device did get slightly warm even when playing casual games like Bullet Echo.

One UI 7 on the device is quite smooth except for the few jitters I talked about earlier. You get most of the bells and whistles including the new Now Bar, the redesigned quick settings, revamped animations, etc. As for AI features, not all of them are the same as Galaxy A56 5G’s, where features like Best Face and Auto Trim were missing from the A36 5G.

The Now Bar can show you ongoing activities like the Media Player, even on the lock screen and Always-on display. However, same as the A56 5G, its positioning is a little awkward.

Bloatware includes apps like Truecaller, Snapchat, MapmyIndia, Junglee Ludo, Glance lock screen, and more. These can, fortunately, be uninstalled.

Connectivity performance, including that of NFC, 5G, Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth, remained optimal. 

Battery Life

The Samsung Galaxy A36 5G runs on a 5000mAh battery with 45W fast charging.

With moderate use, including chatting on WhatsApp, browsing the web, listening to music, watching YouTube, etc., the device lasted me slightly less than a day with close to 7 hours of screen-on time which is decent backup. However, I feel the total usage time could have been better.

With heavier use, the usage time as well as the screen-on time can drop further, to around 6 hours of screen-on time. The numbers are decent but not the best in my opinion.

As for charging time, the device can take around 1h 15m to charge from 0 to 100% which is again, decent, but not as good as the competitors.

Cameras

There are triple cameras on the back, consisting of a 50MP primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture, LED flash, and OIS, an 8MP ultra-wide angle lens with f/2.2 aperture, and a 5MP Macro lens with f/2.4 aperture. The phone gets a 12MP f/2.2 snapper on the front for selfies.

Coming to shots from the main rear sensor, the 50MP sensor performs nicely in most lighting conditions. When outdoors, you get to see plenty of details in the shot and a decent dynamic range. Detailing and sharpness are on the higher side, too. Overall, the device does a decent job when there’s a good amount of light.

Ultra-wide angle photos look good and there’s not much colour shift over the photos from the primary sensor which is great. The sharpness could have been better for higher detailing but unless you zoom in, the shot looks nice and usable with enough dynamic range.

Portrait photos are impressive as well, with a natural bokeh effect and a good amount of details and sharpness. The EDGE detection is also accurate.

Selfies from the front sensor could have been slightly better in handling skin tones but you do get to see the minutest details if you zoom in which is again quite impressive.

Macro shots from the tertiary sensor are okay in terms of colours and detailing which are the two most important characteristics for macro shots.

The camera doesn’t struggle even in low lighting conditions where you don’t get to see any noise but an overall well-detailed shot with nicely handled colours. Under artificial lighting, shots look even better with an even higher amount of details.

Speaking of night mode, it does a decent job at illuminating the whole shot with higher exposure but with pitch black conditions, you do get to see slight noise. What’s commendable is the device’s ability to lock focus on the subject even in pitch black conditions.

However, if you enable night mode, there’s sometimes a delay in capturing the shot. This delay of a second or two after tapping on the shutter button is quite annoying and results in blurry shots.