Samsung Galaxy M36 5G Review: Best Mid-Range Phone Under ₹20,000?

Samsung Galaxy M36 5G price is 17,499 rupees in India. This price is for 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. Moreover, it has 8GB RAM with 128GB storage and 8GB RAM with 256GB storage variants priced at 18,999 rupees, 21,999 rupees, respectively.

This phone is available in a palette including Velvet Black, Serene Green, and Orange Haze. You can buy it from Amazon and Flipkart.

Also Read: Apple iPhone 15 Long-Term Review: Still Worth Every Rupee

The Samsung Galaxy M36 5G packs the following items inside the box:

• Phone
• Type C cable
• SIM ejector tool
• Documentation

Before we talk in detail about the Samsung Galaxy M36 5G, let’s see what the on-paper specs look like:

• Display: 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen
• Chipset: Exynos 1380 (5 nm)
• RAM & ROM: 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM
• Software: Android 15, One UI 7
• Rear camera: 50MP, 8MP, 2MP
• Selfie camera: 13MP
• Battery: 5200mAh
• Weight: 197 grams
• Dimensions: 164.4 x 77.9 x 7.7 mm

The Samsung Galaxy M36 5G features a modern and stylish design, giving it a premium feel. The metallic finish on the polycarbonate side frame and back of the device adds a fascinating touch.

I’ve been using this phone for the past five days, and some of my colleagues at work were confused about its name because its design is similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy A36 and Samsung Galaxy A56.The finish is quite smooth, with no sharp edges, and the hand feel is impressive. The unique triple rear camera setup looks fresh for a phone in this category; there is no bulky camera bump, unlike many of its Chinese competitors.

The camera lenses are positioned slightly recessed within the camera bump, which means you can place the phone on a table without worrying about lens scratches. I feel that Samsung has focused on even the smallest details to provide users with a perfect experience.

One thing to mention is that the metallic finish back stains fingerprints, but I don’t think this is a big deal for most people.

Samsung also claimed that this phone is drop-resistant up to two meters, but I did not test it. Who knows if the phone breaks in the drop test? Samsung might cut ties with us.

The camera is a key point for buyers when purchasing a phone. The Samsung Galaxy M36 5G offers clear and beautiful pictures that attract buyers.

Let me share my experience: I used it in the park and took many photos, including close-ups, wide-angle, standard, and portrait shots. Its 50MP camera provides decent details and good colour accuracy. It also has an 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macro lens.

You can see sample images that the device tries to capture with precise details. Notice my skin tone, which is close to reality.

Moreover, its close-up photos are more accurate. You can also see how its portrait mode captures smooth images with proper edge detection.

However, regarding the ultrawide lens, the images are not sharp, showing overexposure and colour mismatches.

For instance, in the ultrawide shots, the colours of the green trees and sky are not as accurate as they should be. This phone has a 2x zoom in standard mode, but not in portrait mode.

Let’s move to the front camera, which offers decent selfies in both normal and portrait mode. I clicked a few and placed the image sample here; you can see them.

At the same time, there is a cool feature is AI Image Editing. This includes tools like Photo Remaster, which enhances your photos, Object Eraser, which helps you remove unwanted objects from your photos, and Edit Suggestions to make your pictures look better.

Samsung Galaxy M36 5G supports 4K video recording at 30fps with both rear and front cameras. I recorded a few videos to check its audio pickup in noisy conditions, and it was quite accurate. So, you can use it for normal video recording.

The Samsung Galaxy M36 5G battery review is excellent, as I have been using it moderately since yesterday, and it still has 12 per cent left while writing. If I give you a round figure, it will be around one and a half days on a single charge.

To give you a clear picture, during this period I did not play any games; I was just using WhatsApp and most of the time Spotify. While gaming, I usually spend almost seven to eight hours, which I also consider good given its price point.

This phone has a 5,000mAh battery with 25W fast charging support. However, it is important to note that you need to purchase a charger separately, as there is no charger included in the box. I believe Samsung should include a charger in the box.

The Samsung Galaxy M36 5G is an ideal device for binge-watching because of its AMOLED panel, which offers deep blacks and smooth visuals. For instance, I recently watched two episodes of Peaky Blinders, a series with a dark theme, and I found the experience to be very engaging.

The screen has great contrast and bright colours, but the old teardrop-shaped selfie camera and the thick bottom border make it less appealing. The previous Samsung Galaxy M35 had a more up-to-date screen design, so it’s puzzling why Samsung chose to use an older design this time.

This phone features a large 6.7-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, allowing for smooth usage. You can adjust the default high refresh rate in the settings according to your preference. The phone also offers various screen modes, including vibrant and natural colour settings, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs.

Additionally, there is an Eye Comfort mode that changes the screen from white light to a yellow tint, helping to reduce eye strain from bright white rays.

This phone screen has Gorilla Glass Victus+ to protect against damage. Moreover, Samsung does not include any screen protector in the box; I suggest you apply a screen guard immediately, as the phone can be damaged if it falls accidentally.

This phone has a peak brightness of 1300 nits, and I was using it in bright light, where it was perfectly visible. So, overall, the Samsung Galaxy M36 5G display review is outstanding and is a go-to for daily use.

Also Read: Vivo V50e Review: Camera Star, Balanced Performer

The Samsung Galaxy M36 5G worked hard to reduce heating for hassle-free use, but issues remain with its lower capacity compared to previous models. The brand uses Exynos 1380 (5 nm), offering fast and smooth performance, making it suitable for daily users.

I also played BGMI on high graphics and Asphalt 9, but one thing I found fascinating was that I did not encounter any lag, glitches, or ping issues during gaming. I mention this because a few days ago, I was reviewing the Vivo V50, which experienced many performance issues. So, you can compare the prices of both phones to see what Samsung delivers for under 20,000. However, after continuous gameplay for three hours, the phone did become warm, but not as much as the Poco F7 or Realme GT 7.

I did several Benchmark tests on the Samsung Galaxy M36 5G to check its accurate performance in different aspects. Its Geekbench CPU scores are 1004 in single-core and 2903 in multi-core. The maximum in the CPU throttling test is 84 per cent. Moreover, its Antutu score is 589984. The 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme Stress Test for stability has an overall score of 99.5 per cent.

UI is a key aspect of the Samsung Galaxy M36 5G review, as I didn’t find a significantly better UI in this price range. This phone has One UI 7 based on Android 15, and its animations are amazing, giving a premium feel.

It comes with clean widgets, smooth slides, and eye-catching animations during opening and closing apps. This phone also comes with preset search settings.

However, two things are worth noting: this phone comes with a lot of bloatware, including DailyHunts, Candy Crush, Dream 11, Firefox, and News. So, you can uninstall them quickly; otherwise, over time, it can slow down your phone.

Samsung always excels at providing UI updates, with no one close to its level. You get six years of major Android upgrades, making it durable for a long time.

In this review of the Samsung Galaxy M36 5G, we will talk about some smart features that use AI (artificial intelligence).

The “Circle to Search” feature lets you find information about anything on your screen. You just need to draw a circle around it, tap, or highlight it. There is also a feature called Gemini Live, which helps you ask questions and get quick answers from Google’s AI assistant while you are using your phone.

The Auto Night Mode helps to make your videos look better in low light. It uses AI to adjust the camera settings for you. There’s also AI Select, which gives smart suggestions based on what you are doing.

Finally, the phone has One UI 7, which is an updated design that makes it easier to use. It includes customizable widgets and a feature called the Now Bar, which shows real-time updates on your lock screen.