Head to head
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7vsSamsung Galaxy A36
The short answer
Choose the Galaxy Z Fold7 for the larger screen, peak brightness and Geekbench 6 CPU score. The Galaxy A36 wins no row by a gap you’d notice. The Galaxy A36 is £1,400 cheaper at UK RRP (£399 against £1,799). The Galaxy Z Fold7 gets security updates for longer: until July 2032, against March 2031 for the Galaxy A36.
- Released
- 2025-07-25Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy Z Fold7, Flip7 and Watch8 launch, retrieved 2026-09-10
- Price
- £1,799Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy Z Fold7, retrieved 2026-09-10
- Security updates until
- 2032-07-31Samsung UK spec API — Galaxy Z Fold7, retrieved 2026-09-22
- 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
3 wins for Galaxy Z Fold70 wins for Galaxy A365 gaps borderline1 difference you won’t notice£1,400 apart at RRP
Verdict: Galaxy Z Fold7 ahead on 3 rows, Galaxy A36 on none
On the makers’ figures and the named third-party sources, the Galaxy Z Fold7 wins on display size (8 in against 6.7 in), peak brightness (2,600 nits against 1,200 nits) and Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core) (8,463 against 2,781, both from Geekbench Browser). 5 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: weight (195 g against 215 g) for the Galaxy A36, RAM (12 GB against 8 GB) for the Galaxy Z Fold7, battery capacity (5,000 mAh against 4,400 mAh) for the Galaxy A36, claimed video playback (29 h against 24 h) for the Galaxy A36 and fast charging (45 W against 25 W) for the Galaxy A36. The difference in battery per charge is below the threshold you would notice. Both state the same refresh rate, storage (base) 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 Z Fold7 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 · Wireless charging. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.
Questions
Is the Galaxy Z Fold7 better than the Galaxy A36?
On the figures, the Galaxy Z Fold7 is ahead wherever there is a gap you’d notice: display size, 8 in (Samsung UK) against 6.7 in (Samsung Newsroom UK), peak brightness, 2,600 nits against 1,200 nits (both Samsung Newsroom UK) and Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core), 8,463 against 2,781 (both Geekbench Browser). The Galaxy A36 wins no row by such a gap. That is a count of rows, not an overall score.
Which has the better battery?
The Galaxy A36 is ahead on paper, but not by a gap you’d notice: battery per charge, 41.47 h against 40.47 h (both EU energy label). The Galaxy A36 is ahead, narrowly: claimed video playback, 29 h against 24 h (both Samsung UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice. The Galaxy A36 is ahead, narrowly: battery capacity, 5,000 mAh against 4,400 mAh (both Samsung Newsroom UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice.
Which is lighter?
The Galaxy A36 is lighter, narrowly: weight, 195 g (Samsung Newsroom UK) against 215 g (Samsung UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice.
Which has the brighter screen?
The Galaxy Z Fold7, by a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 2,600 nits against 1,200 nits (both Samsung Newsroom UK).
Which gets updates for longer?
The Galaxy Z Fold7 gets security updates for longer: until July 2032, against March 2031 for the Galaxy A36. Sources: dates from Samsung UK spec API and endoflife.date.
Which is cheaper?
The Galaxy A36 is £1,400 cheaper at UK RRP (£399 against £1,799). Prices from Galaxy Z Fold7: Samsung Newsroom UK; Galaxy A36: 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.