Samsung Galaxy M36 5G: First impressions

Time of India

01-07-2025

Samsung recently expanded its
5G smartphone
range with the launch of
Samsung Galaxy M36 5G
in India. This new smartphone from Samsung comes with a starting price Rs 16,499 and sports a premium design.
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The affordable
Samsung smartphone
comes with 5G support and will get 6 years of OS update and Samsung's Defense Grade Knox Security. We used the pretty looking Samsung smartphone for sometime and here are our first impressions of the device.
Design
Samsung Galaxy M36 5G is one of the most pretty looking M-series smartphone from Samsung. The sleek and elegant design of the smartphone gives it a premium look. The smartphone comes in three colour options -- Orange Haze, Velvet Black and Serene Green.
The
Samsung Galaxy M32 5G
comes with a smooth finish rear panel which houses the triple rear camera setup and the Samsung branding.
The handset is comfortable to hold and use with one hand, but the smooth rear panel does attract a lot of fingerprints. The volume rockers and power buttons are placed on the right side, while the SIM card tray sits on the left. The bottom part is home to a 3.5mm audio jack and the USB Type C charging port.
There is no doubt that Samsung Galaxy M32 5G is one of the pretty looking mid-range smartphones offered by Samsung.
Display
Samsung Galaxy M36 comes with a 6.7-inch FHD+ display which comes with 1080x2340 pixel resolution. The display is protected with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ on top. The smartphone features a vibrant FHD+ display with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, delivering ultra-smooth scrolling and fluid on-screen interactions.
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The Infinity-U display of the smartphone is surrounded by thin bezels on all sides. The large display on the
Samsung Galaxy M36
5G is also bright enough to be used under direct sunlight. The smartphone also offers a sliding small productivity bar which houses apps which can be quickly accessed by the users. You can also replace the apps as per your need.
Hardware and software
Samsung Galaxy M36 is powered by company's own octa-core
Exynos 1380 chipset
.
The smartphone comes in three variants — 6GB+128GB, 8GB+128GB and 8GB+256GB. The 5G-enabled smartphone is backed by a 5000mAh battery with 25W fast charging support. During our initial testing, the smartphone worked fine and we didn't notice any major issues.
Coming to the software, Samsung Galaxy M36 runs Android 15 operating system topped with company's own layer of One UI 7. Samsung has also announced that Galaxy M36 will also receive 6 years of Android and security updates.
One UI 7 on the Samsung Galaxy M36 comes with a simple and user-friendly design. A simplified home screen, redesigned One UI widgets and lock screen allow users to intuitively and seamlessly customise their devices. For added convenience, Now Bar provides real-time updates that matter most right on the lock screen. Along with this, the smartphone also offers Knox Security support. The multi-layer security claims to protect your sensitive data from malware and malicious threats.
Camera
Samsung Galaxy M36 sports a 50MP main camera with f/1.8 aperture, 8MP ultra-wide angle camera with f/2.2 aperture and 2MP macro sensor with f/2.4 aperture, LED flash. There's also a 13MP front camera with f/2.2 aperture. The smartphone delivered some really good images during daylight. The images captured offered ample amounts of detailing with accurate colour reproduction. However, you will have to wait for our complete review to completely understand the camera of Galaxy M36 5G.
What we think
At this price point, the Samsung Galaxy M36 5G offers some really good specifications such as the 5000 mAh battery with fast charging support, the latest Android and a 50MP triple rear camera setup and 5G support. But to decide whether it's a good buy or not you will have to read our complete review.