Samsung Galaxy A36 Camera: Review, Settings and A36 vs A56

Samsung's March 2025 Galaxy A series refresh introduced the Galaxy A36 5G, the mid-range Galaxy sandwiched between the Galaxy A26 and Galaxy A56. The A36's camera set-up consists of a 50MP main camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS), an 8MP ultrawide camera, a 5MP macro camera and a 12MP selfie camera.

Although the A36's triple rear camera set-up is essentially carried over from the Galaxy A35 (according to GSMArena), there are other noteworthy changes, namely a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chip, faster 45W charging speeds and a 12MP front camera (instead of the A35's 13MP front camera) that can reportedly shoot 10-bit HDR videos, according to Samsung.

Unfortunately for us, we haven't yet had our hands on a Galaxy A36 5G to try out its cameras. Instead, this guide compiles information from Samsung and reviews from GSMArena, Tom's Guide and Notebookcheck, and translates it into recommendations for which Galaxy A36 5G camera settings you should be using.

We also answer some commonly searched-for questions, including how the Galaxy A36 stacks up against other Galaxy phones (the Galaxy A56, Galaxy A16, Galaxy A26 and Galaxy A17) and what's new on its 2026 successor, the Galaxy A37.

Galaxy A36 camera specs

Photo, Video and Portrait appear in the camera’s mode bar, with Pro, Food, Panorama, Macro, Night, Slow motion, Super slow motion, Hyperlapse and Single take modes available to select from under More (according to Samsung’s US support page). Pro mode, meanwhile, gives you manual control over camera settings such as colour tone, ISO, exposure and white balance.

Galaxy A36 camera quality: what reviewers found

In good light, detail and dynamic range are good according to GSMArena, with colours that are a touch oversaturated. Comparing shots with the Pixel 9a, Tom's Guide noted similar exposures, but a touch less detail in textures like brick and concrete. Notebookcheck agreed on dynamic range, but noticed some fine detail getting smoothed away even in daylight.

Shots at the default resolution use pixel binning to create 12.5MP images from the 50MP sensor. GSMArena's 50MP samples had noticeably more detail, but took longer to process and created much larger files. The 2x zoom is a crop from the main camera and GSMArena thought it was decent, but Notebookcheck found images taken using digital zoom beyond 2x to be really poor.

GSMArena wasn't impressed by the 8MP ultrawide camera, and Tom's Guide noted detail at a distance looked painted compared to shots taken with the Pixel 9a. Expectations for the 5MP macro camera were exceeded according to Tom's Guide, although GSMArena thought it was okay. Panoramas impressed Tom's Guide thanks to consistently even exposures and excellent detail.

Opinions on low-light images were mixed. GSMArena thought Night mode offered a clear improvement over Photo mode with better noise control and highlights, although it noted inconsistencies in exposure and colour reproduction between otherwise similar shots. Tom's Guide, on the other hand, labelled sub-par low-light photography as one of its reasons to avoid the smartphone after a 3-second exposure of a garden at night resulted in a murky, blurry mess. Images taken at night were bright according to Notebookcheck, but suffered from softness and noise.

Opinions on the 12MP selfie camera were similarly divided. GSMArena was impressed with facial detail and skin tones, with Notebookcheck concurring it reproduced skin tones well. Tom's Guide found selfies lacking in sharpness with skin tones that can lack saturation in high-contrast scenes. Video can be recorded at up to 4K30. Notebookcheck was happy with the effectiveness of video stabilisation, although Tom's Guide noted noise and softness when filming a bright, sunny sky, albeit with effective stabilisation when using the main camera.

Overall, GSMArena thought the camera system hadn't evolved much since the Galaxy A34 and A35, with images similar in quality to those taken with the Galaxy A35. The tips in our Galaxy A35 camera guide still apply if you already have an A35, and the A36's camera isn’t going to sway you into upgrading.

Best Galaxy A36 camera settings

Please note that mode and setting names are listed as they appear on Samsung’s US support page for the A36 on One UI 7. Some of these settings may have moved slightly since then, as most phones should be using One UI 9 now.

Night mode works best if the phone is as steady as possible, so open it up (via More), prop the phone up against a wall/rail/table, tap to focus on the subject, and hold still until the shot has been taken. We suggest taking a few photos, as GSMArena noticed the exposure levels varied from shot to shot. Our Samsung Night mode guide covers bracing and timing in more detail.

Navigate to Camera settings and make these changes:

Galaxy A36 AI camera features by software version

Samsung’s Awesome Intelligence, the company’s AI offering for its Galaxy A phones, comes standard on the Galaxy A36. The feature set is pared down compared to Galaxy AI, Samsung’s full complement of AI features that come standard on Galaxy S phones. The Galaxy A56 even comes with a couple more Awesome Intelligence features than the Galaxy A36.

To access Object Eraser, first select the photo in Gallery, then hit Edit, then the four-circles icon at right, then Object eraser. We also have an Object Eraser guide that shows which jobs are easy for it and which ones are likely to lead to some messy, smudged results. For best facial expressions without Best Face, take multiple shots for each group and select the best one (i.e., no blinking eyes).

The A36 was launched with Android 15 and One UI 7. According to SamMobile, One UI 8.5 began rolling out in South Korea on May 18, 2026, and Android Central reports that One UI 9 (based on Android 17) started rolling out on October 15, 2026, with Europe following from October 19. The company pledges up to six generations of Android upgrades and six years of security updates. However, according to Android Central, Samsung still largely keeps its more sophisticated Galaxy AI features for more expensive phones.

Galaxy A36 vs A56 camera

While the differences are admittedly small, the A56 does take better pictures, according to GSMArena. For £/$100 more at launch, you get a larger main camera sensor, a 12MP 4K-capable ultrawide camera, better night shots (better highlight and shadow detail, according to GSMArena), Best Face and an Exynos 1580 processor. If you take a lot of pictures indoors or at night, though, you’re likely to be happier with the A56 because its shots exhibited better control over highlights and shadows and more consistent exposure. Overall, GSMArena described the camera advantage as “small but noticeable.”

If you mostly take pictures during the day, you’re unlikely to notice much of a difference (GSMArena found the daylight difference hard to spot), so the A36 will serve you just fine. Our Galaxy A56 camera guide covers that phone's settings and limits.

Galaxy A36 vs A16, A26 and A17

The A16 5G cost half as much at launch, but its camera lacks 4K video recording (its cam app tops out at 1080p30, per GSMArena), and its ultrawide cam is lower-res (5MP). The A36's OIS-enabled main cam sits atop a bigger image sensor, too, and it also comes with a 5MP macro cam (compared to the A16 5G's 2MP version). In low light or indoors, you're likely to get blurrier photos on the A16 5G as compared to the A36, as the latter's main camera has optical image stabilisation (OIS). Our Galaxy A16 camera guide has the settings for that phone.

The A17 5G, Samsung's successor to the A16 5G, also gets OIS for its main camera, which Samsung claims will allow you to take brighter photos with less blur, especially in low light. However, its main camera sensor is much tinier (1/2.76-inch), and video recording is still capped at 1080p30. Our Galaxy A17 camera settings guide gets the most from it.

The closest alternative would be the A26, which has a stabilised 50MP main camera just like the A36. It also has an 8MP ultrawide camera and supports 4K video recording. However, it comes with a 2MP macro camera and a 13MP selfie camera. GSMArena found that while the A26's ultrawide camera was the better of the two, the A36 took better 2x photos and can record 4K videos with its selfie camera (the A26 can't). It noted that videos from the A26's main camera had a wider dynamic range, though. Outside of the camera department, the A26 retains a microSD card slot and supports slower (25W) charging as compared to the A36 (45W). Overall, GSMArena liked the A36 more but noted that the A26 could be the better value pick if it is significantly cheaper, like it currently is in the US and UK.

What the Galaxy A36 camera can't do

• Don’t count on taking great pictures with digital zoom. There's no telephoto, the A36’s zoom tops out at a paltry 10x, and according to Notebookcheck, anything past 2x is very poor.
• Keep that in mind when shooting with the ultrawide camera, too. Because it’s fixed-focus, close-up shots are best taken in Macro mode or with 2x zoom using the main camera.
• Don’t expect to shoot 4K video with the ultrawide camera or 4K60 fps with any of the cameras. The best the main camera can do is 4K30 fps, and the ultrawide is capped at 1080p30 fps. (The main camera can shoot 1080p video at up to 60 fps.)
• Don’t expect to get sharp pictures of people moving around at night. The phone needs a few seconds to process shots taken in poor lighting, and people don’t tend to hold still for that long.
• Don’t expect to use Expert RAW to shoot photos in RAW format or Best Face to fix group shots. Samsung doesn't list either feature for the Galaxy A36.
• Don’t count on getting perfectly exposed pictures every time you shoot in low light. If the shot is important, take a couple of pictures just to be safe.

Is the Galaxy A36 worth buying in 2026?

As for the A36, Notebookcheck gave it an overall good verdict (78%), praising its IP67 rating, overall build and long-term software support. Tom’s Guide, however, pointed out its dim screen in bright outdoor lighting, mediocre performance and below-par low-light shots, and recommended stepping up to the Pixel 9a for an extra $100.

If you take most of your shots during the day, want a stabilised main camera and a phone that’ll receive updates for years to come, get an A36 (preferably on a discount). If you own an A35, skip it, as the A36’s cameras are the same on the back. If you mostly take pictures at night, consider getting an A56 or Galaxy A37 (the 2026 replacement of the A36).

Samsung announced the Galaxy A37 on March 25, 2026, and according to SamMobile it was due to land in the US on April 9 for $449. According to GSMArena its main camera bumps up to a 1/1.56-inch sensor (same as the A56’s) while the 8MP ultrawide and 5MP macro remain. If you’re an A36 owner that takes a bunch of pictures at night, you might consider an upgrade. For everyone else, stick with the A36 and spend your hard-earned cash on figuring out how to properly utilise your camera instead.

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