The Galaxy A-series has some of Samsung’s most reliable midrange offerings. With the Galaxy A35 or A55, which launched about a full year ago, you’re getting solid specs around the board without a build that makes it feel like you cheaped out. It’s a good spot to be if you’re not a fan of the pricing for the S-series (or simply don’t need those specs).
The Samsung Galaxy A36 is coming soon—either this month or the next—and you know what proximity to a smartphone launch means in this modern era. It means leaks. We’ve just gotten a very good look at the design of the A36, and it looks like it could be cementing a shift in Samsung’s designs for the A-series or maybe as a whole.
The Samsung Galaxy A35 is a solid phone. You get a moderately-sized FHD+ 120Hz display, good water resistance, expandable storage with okay storage configurations, a big battery, and a camera that will get the job done when you need it to. It’s not the most powerful device in the world, opting for an Exynos 1380 to run the show, but it is the kind of phone that you’ll be happy with if you’re not into more demanding tasks.
That device is fast reaching the end of its tenure, though, with the Samsung Galaxy A36 expected to arrive within the quarter. That means it is close, which means the leaks become more frequent. Thanks to Evan Blass, we’ve just gotten leaked images of the Galaxy A36, showing it from multiple angles. It isn’t drastically redesigned, but it brings the same look as the Galaxy A56 that was leaked earlier.
First, the phone will come in four colorways. There’s the usual white and black for those who prefer more basic colors, and there’ll be a light lavender and a light mint if you prefer something that pops a little more—just a little.
The major change is with the camera module. Instead of three individual lenses, they’ll now all be housed within a shared window. It’s not that drastic a change, but it does breathe a little bit of new life into the OEM’s devices. Besides that, everything else remains the same. You get a flat back panel, a flat frame, and a flat display. The Key Island remains, keeping the power button and volume rocker elevated above the rest.
Samsung Could Be Gearing Up for a Soft Shift in its Portfolio-Wide Design Language
The Samsung Galaxy A36 is coming essentially identical to the A56 in terms of design. Besides the modest redesigns that the Z Fold 6 and S25 Ultra underwent, this might classify as one of the biggest design changes that the company has seen in a while—a little sad since it isn’t much of a big change in the first place.
I think that this could mark a shift in Samsung’s future designs for the A-series. The Galaxy A06 and Galaxy A16 have already launched with the same old look, but if we see the A26 and it adopts the design of the upcoming phones, it might cement my theory.
In fact, there’s a possibility that it could be a shift for Samsung’s entire portfolio. Essentially all its bar phones have that same triple-camera look. This could be the South Korean OEM’s attempt at testing the waters for something that is only a little different.
