Samsung Galaxy M36 5G First Impressions: Stylish Look, Solid Features and a Bit of Competition Pressure

Samsung Galaxy M36 5G First Impressions: Stylish Look, Solid Features and a Bit of Competition Pressure

Samsung’s M-series phones have always been made for people who want good performance without spending too much. The company has already launched many phones in this lineup that give good value at different prices. Now, with the Samsung Galaxy M36 5G, Samsung is trying to make its position stronger in the mid-range category.

Samsung Galaxy M36 5G India Price (with USD)

This phone is available in 3 storage and RAM options:

• 6GB RAM + 128GB storage: ₹17,499 (about $210)

• 8GB RAM + 128GB storage: ₹18,999 (about $229)

• 8GB RAM + 256GB storage: ₹21,999 (about $265)

You can choose from three colours: Velvet Black, Serene Green, and Orange Haze.

Design and Build Quality

The Galaxy M36 5G has a new look compared to older M-series phones. It comes with a flat frame and is only 7.7mm thick, which makes it one of the slimmest in the M-series lineup. The back has a metallic finish and the camera layout is similar to Samsung’s flagship phones.

It feels easy to hold in hand, but the power and volume buttons are placed a little high, so they’re not easy to reach. On the front, there is a water-drop notch, which looks a bit old. A punch-hole style would have made it look more modern.

Display

The phone has a 6.7-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-U screen. Its resolution is 1080 x 2340 pixels. The screen supports 120Hz refresh rate and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+.

The display looked bright and colourful during early use. More about the display will be shared in the full review. Samsung seems to have paid good attention to the display quality, which is useful for watching videos and daily use.

Camera Setup

The phone comes with three cameras on the back:

• 50MP main camera (with OIS)

• 8MP ultra-wide lens

• 2MP macro camera

For selfies and video calls, there is a 13MP front camera.

The photos taken during early testing looked fine. We will test the full camera performance in the detailed review. Samsung has tried to provide a well-rounded setup for different photography needs.

Software and AI Features

The Galaxy M36 5G runs on One UI 7.0, which is based on Android 15. Samsung has added several AI features in this phone, which is rare in this price range.

These include:

• Circle to Search

• Gemini Live

• AI Editing Tools

• AI Screen

• AI Stereo Depth Map

One strong point is that Samsung is giving 6 major Android updates and 6 years of security updates, which is very good for long-term use.

Performance

This phone uses Samsung’s Exynos 1380 processor. It has four A78 cores running at 2.4GHz and four A55 cores at 2.0GHz. The GPU is Mali-G68 MP5.

This chipset is suitable for daily use, multitasking, and light gaming. The phone comes with up to 8GB RAM and up to 256GB storage, so it should work well for most users.

Battery and Connectivity

The Galaxy M36 5G has a 5,000mAh battery, which is good for all-day use. It supports 25W fast charging. However, some other phones in this range offer faster charging.

Other features include:

• In-display fingerprint sensor

• 5G support

• Wi-Fi

• Bluetooth 5.3

• GPS + GLONASS

• USB Type-C port

All basic and modern connectivity options are available.

Verdict (First Look)

The Samsung Galaxy M36 5G looks promising. It has a stylish design, a bright display, and helpful AI features. Samsung is also giving strong software support, which adds more value.

Still, it will face strong competition from other phones in this price range like CMF Phone 2 Pro, Realme P3 Pro, and iQOO Z10x. But if you are looking for a balanced phone from a trusted brand, the Galaxy M36 5G is a good option to think about.

Key Specs Recap (with USD Price Estimate):