Samsung Galaxy M36 Review: scores high on design and software

The Samsung Galaxy M36, has arrived with an affordable Rs 17,499 price tag, making it cheaper than its predecessor, which launched at Rs 18,999. The new generation brings an improved design with a thinner profile, reduced weight, and outstanding software support. On the other hand, Samsung cut a few corners to hit that lower price. The battery has been reduced to 5,000mAh, the display has a dated waterdrop notch with a substantial chin, and the processor remains unchanged from last year.

From the spec sheet alone, the Galaxy M36 is a mixed bag. To see if it delivers on the essentials and is worth your money, I’ve been using it as my daily driver. Here’s the verdict.

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy M36 feels like an incremental update. The design has improved, the camera now gets OIS, and software support is longer, but there are niggles. The battery is smaller than before, and there is no real gain in performance or charging speed. If your priorities are good cameras, long-term software, and a great media experience, the device is worth considering.

Design and display

The Galaxy M36’s design is a more refined version of its predecessor. The cameras are now housed in a clean, pill-shaped module instead of the individual rings seen on the previous model. The new rear panel features a glossy metal finish that keeps fingerprints at bay. However, it is quite prone to smudges, at least the Haze Orange colour I have for review.

You’ll find a single bottom-firing speaker, a USB-C port, and a microphone along the bottom edge. The power and volume buttons are on the right, with the power button doubling up as a fast, reliable fingerprint scanner.

The display is a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED with FHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. However, its dated waterdrop notch and thick bottom chin are disappointing at this price, especially when the previous Galaxy M35 had a more modern punch-hole design.

Samsung hasn’t specified a peak brightness for the display, but in my experience, it performs well indoors while struggling in direct sunlight. Our lab tests measured a peak brightness of just 504 nits, falling short of the 750-nit segment average. While the screen itself looks great, with vibrant colours and solid contrast, the single speaker impacts the multimedia experience with tinny, shallow audio.

The phone also supports 4K HDR playback on YouTube, but a bug makes it a little iffy to use. The resolution often drops to 480p mid-playback, and the HDR option disappears entirely.

Cameras

The camera setup is largely familiar, featuring a 50MP primary camera, an 8MP wide-angle lens, and a 2MP macro lens. The key upgrade is the addition of Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) to the main sensor, resulting in better-stabilised photos and videos.

Images generally have vibrant colours, though details can sometimes be soft. The dynamic range is a bit muted, and shadows can appear washed out, giving photos a flat look. However, the colours are natural enough that you can easily fine-tune them later. In low light, the phone produces decently exposed shots, but detail levels are mediocre, with noise in darker areas. Photos of people, however, turn out quite nicely with good skin tones and detail, provided the lighting is sufficient.

I compared the phone’s cameras against the Moto G96 to see how they perform. Check it out below

Daylight

In daylight, the Galaxy M36 lags slightly behind the Moto G96. This is primarily due to the M36’s limited dynamic range, though it does produce more natural colours. The Moto G96 consistently delivers sharper images with better detail.

Ultrawide

Both phones use an 8MP wide-angle lens, but the Moto G96 again captures more detail. The Galaxy M36 also struggles with colour consistency between its main and ultrawide lenses, an area where the Moto G96 performs better.

Portrait

The Galaxy M36 has trouble balancing cooler tones, which can make portraits appear darker than intended. The Moto G96 captures more realistic skin tones and colours. However, the M36 excels at edge detection and applies a more natural-looking background bokeh.

Selfie

The Moto G96 preserves more natural skin tones in selfies, but the Galaxy M36 captures superior detail and sharpness. Dynamic range is better on the Moto, with less distortion at the edges of the frame.

Performance and software

The Galaxy M36 is powered by the Samsung Exynos 1380 SoC, paired with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage, which is expandable via a microSD card. For day-to-day use, the phone performs well.

I encountered occasional lag during heavy multitasking and navigating the settings menu, but it wasn’t jarring. Benchmark scores place it towards the middle of its price segment, which is a given due to its older processor.

This means hardcore gamers may want more power for sustained, high-frame-rate gaming. While titles like COD: Mobile and BGMI run smoothly at medium graphics, you’ll notice frame drops if you push the settings higher.

The software is where the M36 truly shines. It ships with One UI 7 (based on Android 15) and comes with a promise of six years of OS and security updates, the best in its segment. One UI remains a highlight of Samsung phones, offering a seamless, feature-rich, and highly customisable experience.

It includes AI features like Circle to Search, Object Eraser, and Read Aloud, along with support for Gemini Live, making the M36 a software powerhouse in its category.

Battery and Charging

The Galaxy M36’s battery has been downgraded to 5,000mAh from its predecessor’s 6,000mAh cell. In our lab tests, the phone lost 23 percent of its charge after two hours of gaming and streaming, which is slightly better than the segment average of 24 percent.

In my daily use, I managed about 6-7 hours of screen-on time with mixed 5G usage. Its PCMark battery score of around 9 hours was also on the lower end.

Charging speed isn’t a strong suit, either. A 20-100 percent charge takes a little over an hour, which feels slow for a phone with a smaller-than-average battery.

Final Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy M36 starts at Rs 17,499 for the 8GB+128GB variant. At its price, it competes against the likes of the new Moto G96 (review) and the CMF Phone 2 Pro (review). The former is priced just slightly higher and offers better performance, battery life, comparable cameras, and IP68-rated design. The CMF Phone 2 Pro is also superior when it comes to performance, cameras with a dedicated telephoto review, and has a unique design.

The Moto G96 has some strong competiton on its hands, which makes it hard to stand out in this segment. The Samsung Galaxy M36 is a story of give and take. The design is sleeker, the main camera is steadier thanks to OIS, and the promise of six years of software updates is top-notch. But these gains are tempered by a smaller battery and no real boost in performance or charging. If you value a clean software experience and the peace of mind that comes with years of security updates above all else, then the Galaxy M36 is definitely an option worth considering.

Editor’s rating: 7.6 / 10

Reasons to buy:

• The Galaxy M36 features a refined design with a lighter and thinner build, making it more modern and comfortable to hold.
• Samsung offers excellent long-term value with a promise of six years of OS and security updates, which is the best in its class.
• The primary camera now has OIS support and device takes good-looking images in daylight conditions.
• For everyday use, the phone provides reliable performance that handles most day-to-day tasks without any significant issues.

Reasons not to buy:

• The battery is a significant downgrade from its predecessor, and its charging speeds are average for the price point.
• The display feels less competitive in its segment, featuring a dated waterdrop notch and a thick bottom chin.
• The audio experience is underwhelming, as the single bottom-firing speaker produces a tinny sound that lacks depth.