Choosing a budget Android phone typically means wading through a ton of product pages and doing spec comparisons. Of course, a simpler way through the noise is to use The Verge’s handy guide to the best cheap phones. But we’re going to make it even easier for you today with a great discounted option. The 128GB version of Samsung’s Galaxy A36 5G is currently on sale for $349.99 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. This $50 discount is enough to bring the smartphone, which launched in early 2025, down to its lowest price ever. Importantly, this phone comes unlocked, so you can activate it on your carrier of choice.
The A36 5G is the follow-up to the A35 5G. It’s largely the same, but with some minor tweaks. For instance, its OLED screen is slightly larger at 6.7 inches (versus 6.6 inches), although it has the same FHD plus resolution (1080 x 2340) and smooth 120Hz refresh rate. The A36 5G has the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor, which should deliver improved performance compared to the last-gen model. The smartphone maintains the A35 5G’s IP67 durability rating, which means it’s resistant to dust and water, and should be able to withstand being submerged in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. One divisive change is that the A36 5G dropped the microSD slot of its predecessor for a second SIM card slot, so you won’t be able to expand its storage. Samsung offers the smartphone with either 128GB or 256GB of internal storage, but only the entry-level model is currently on sale.
One of the biggest perks of this affordable phone is its software; Samsung has committed to delivering new operating system and security updates for six years, which should hopefully go a long way in helping the A36 5G feel like a modern phone long after you buy it.
The A36 5G features a three-lens rear camera system, which consists of a 50-megapixel main sensor that can record 4K video at up to 30 frames per second. The phone’s 12-megapixel front-facing camera can also record 4K video at the same frame rate. In terms of biometrics, the A36 5G supports face unlock and has an under-display fingerprint reader. The A36 5G doesn’t support wireless charging, but its maximum wired charging speed is an impressive 45W.
Samsung has packed a lot of features into this smartphone, some of which you won’t find in Apple’s budget smartphone, the iPhone 16E.
