Head to head
Samsung Galaxy A36vsSamsung Galaxy S25
The short answer
Choose the Galaxy A36 for the larger screen, more base storage and battery capacity. Choose the Galaxy S25 for lower weight, peak brightness and Geekbench 6 CPU score. The Galaxy A36 is £400 cheaper at UK RRP (£399 against £799). The Galaxy S25 gets security updates for longer: until January 2032, against March 2031 for the Galaxy A36.
- Released
- 2025-03-28endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Price
- £399Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy A56 5G, A36 5G and A26 5G, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Security updates until
- 2031-03-28endoflife.date — Samsung mobile, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Released
- 2025-02-03endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Price
- £799Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy S25 series, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Security updates until
- 2032-01-31Samsung UK spec API — Galaxy S25, retrieved 2026-09-22
3 wins for Galaxy A363 wins for Galaxy S253 gaps borderline0 differences you won’t notice£400 apart at RRP
Verdict: Galaxy A36 ahead on 3 rows, Galaxy S25 on 3 rows
On the makers’ figures and the named third-party sources, the Galaxy A36 wins on display size (6.7 in against 6.2 in), storage (base) (256 GB against 128 GB) and battery capacity (5,000 mAh against 4,000 mAh); the Galaxy S25 wins on weight (162 g against 195 g), peak brightness (2,600 nits from GSMArena against 1,200 nits from the maker) and Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core) (8,599 against 2,781, both from Geekbench Browser). 3 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: RAM (12 GB against 8 GB) for the Galaxy S25, battery per charge (41.47 h against 37.27 h) for the Galaxy A36 and fast charging (45 W from the maker against 25 W from GSMArena) for the Galaxy A36. Both state the same refresh rate, claimed video playback and battery lifespan. The other 34 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.
True to scale
Outlines from each maker’s published dimensions, drawn to scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.
Specifications
A win is marked only where the figures can be ranked and the gap is one you could notice. A row the site has no threshold for says whether the two differ, and that it is not ranking them. = marks the same figure on both, ≠ not ranked a difference with no ranking. Every figure carries its source.
Body
Display
Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy A56 5G, A36 5G and A26 5G claims 1200 nits · GSMArena — Samsung Galaxy A36 specifications reports 1900 nits
Galaxy S25 is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.
Platform
Memory
Camera
Battery
Connectivity
Benchmarks
5 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for
Typical brightness · HDR peak brightness · OS versions supported · Google Mobile Services · DXOMARK camera score. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.
Questions
Is the Galaxy A36 better than the Galaxy S25?
On the figures, neither is better overall: the Galaxy A36 wins on display size, 6.7 in against 6.2 in (both Samsung Newsroom UK), storage (base), 256 GB against 128 GB (both Samsung Newsroom UK) and battery capacity, 5,000 mAh against 4,000 mAh (both Samsung Newsroom UK); the Galaxy S25 wins on weight, 162 g against 195 g (both Samsung Newsroom UK), peak brightness, 2,600 nits (GSMArena) against 1,200 nits (Samsung Newsroom UK) and Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core), 8,599 against 2,781 (both Geekbench Browser). Every other row is borderline, too close to notice, or not ranked.
Which has the better battery?
The Galaxy A36 is ahead, narrowly: battery per charge, 41.47 h against 37.27 h (both EU energy label), a borderline gap most people would not notice. Both state 29 h for claimed video playback (Samsung UK). The Galaxy A36, by a gap you’d notice: battery capacity, 5,000 mAh against 4,000 mAh (both Samsung Newsroom UK).
Which is lighter?
The Galaxy S25, by a gap you’d notice: weight, 162 g against 195 g (both Samsung Newsroom UK).
Which has the brighter screen?
The Galaxy S25, by a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 2,600 nits (GSMArena) against 1,200 nits (Samsung Newsroom UK).
Which gets updates for longer?
The Galaxy S25 gets security updates for longer: until January 2032, against March 2031 for the Galaxy A36. Sources: dates from endoflife.date and Samsung UK spec API.
Which is cheaper?
The Galaxy A36 is £400 cheaper at UK RRP (£399 against £799). Prices from Galaxy A36: Samsung Newsroom UK; Galaxy S25: Samsung Newsroom UK.
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either phone would also weigh. Any two phones in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.