Home Phone comparison Samsung Galaxy A36 5G and Samsung Galaxy A12 - Which is better?

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G vs Samsung Galaxy A12

68 out 100
Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
VS
41 out 100
Samsung Galaxy A12
Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
Samsung Galaxy A12

Compared 2 smartphones : Samsung Galaxy A36 5G Manufactured in March, 2025, with display 6.7 with chipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, vs Samsung Galaxy A12, Manufactured in December, 2020with chipsetMediaTek Helio P35. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
  • Larger display: 6.7in
  • Higher pixel density: 385ppi
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Lighter design: 195g vs 205g
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.4 vs 5
  • Built-in eSIM
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy A12

    Versions

    Available versions and configurations
    Memory Options - 6/128 GB
    - 6/256 GB
    - 8/128 GB
    - 8/256 GB
    - 12/256 GB    		 - 2/32 GB
    - 3/32 GB
    - 3/128 GB
    - 4/64 GB
    - 4/128 GB
    - 6/128 GB

    Review

    Key Specs Samsung Galaxy A36 5G and Samsung Galaxy A12
    Display
    Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
    Camera
    Main & front camera tests
    Performance
    App & system performance
    Games
    3D gaming performance
    Battery
    Battery life, charging speed & type
    Connectivity
    Connectivity features
    NanoReview Score
    Overall score by NanoReview
    Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
    Customize your score
    Function
    Importance (Weight)
    Display:
    Camera:
    Performance:
    Gaming:
    Battery:
    Connectivity:
    Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

    Tests & specs

    Specs & test comparison
    Smartphones:
    Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
    vs
    Samsung Galaxy A12

    Display

    Display quality comparison
    Type Super AMOLED PLS TFT
    Size 6.7 in 6.5 in
    Resolution 1080x2340 pixels 720x1600 pixels
    Aspect ratio 19.5:9 20:9
    Pixel density 385 ppi 270 ppi
    Refresh rate 120 Hz 60 Hz
    Adaptive refresh rate Yes (60-120 Hz) No
    Max brightness 1200 nits 450 nits
    HDR support Yes HDR10+ No
    Screen-to-body ratio 86.5 % 82.1 %
    Features - DCI-P3
    - Always-On Display    		 n/a
    Display test
    Peak brightness (auto)
    Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
    1245 nits
    Samsung Galaxy A12
    470 nits
    sRGB gamut99.9 %96.3 %
    PWM (Flicker)120 Hz337 Hz
    Response time1 ms52 ms
    Contrast∞ Infinite864:1
    Sources: NotebookCheck [Samsung Galaxy A36 5G], [Samsung Galaxy A12]

    Design & Build

    Design and ergonomics comparison
    Height 162.9 mm (6.41 in) 164 mm (6.46 in)
    Width 78.2 mm (3.08 in) 75.8 mm (2.98 in)
    Thickness 7.4 mm (0.29 in) 8.9 mm (0.35 in)
    Weight 195 g (6.88 oz) 205 g (7.23 oz)
    Water resistance IP67 No
    Cooling system Vapor chamber n/a
    Back panel Glass Plastic
    Frame Plastic Plastic
    Colors - White
    - Black
    - Green
    - Purple    		 - White
    - Black
    - Blue
    - Red
    Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display Yes In-Button
    Screen-to-body ratio
    Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
    86.5 %
    Samsung Galaxy A12
    82.1 %

    Performance

    Testing Samsung Galaxy A36 5G and Samsung Galaxy A12 In benchmarks
    Processor
    Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 MediaTek Helio P35
    Max Frequency 2400 MHz 2300 MHz
    CPU Cores 8 (4 + 4) 8 (4 + 4)
    Architecture - 4/1.8 (Cortex-A55)
    - 4/2.4 (Cortex-A78)    		 - 4/1.8 (Cortex-A53)
    - 4/2.3 (Cortex-A53)
    Process Samsung TSMC
    Transistor Size 4 nm 12 nm
    Neural Processor Hexagon No
    Graphics Adreno 710 PowerVR GE8320
    GPU Cores 256 32
    GPU Frequency 940 MHz 680 MHz
    FLOPS 481.3 GFLOPS 43.5 GFLOPS
    GeekBench v6
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
    Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
    1020
    Samsung Galaxy A12
    480
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
    Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
    2975
    Samsung Galaxy A12
    1522
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)1020480
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)29751522
    Geekbench Compute (GPU)3504n/a
    Sources: Geekbench v6 [Samsung Galaxy A36 5G]
    AnTuTu 10
    AnTuTu 10
    Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
    634886
    Samsung Galaxy A12
    147439
    CPU20265452120
    GPU14057518126
    Memory14535839276
    UX14629937917
    NanoReview Score634886147439

    Memory

    RAM
    RAM Size 6 GB - 3 GB
    - 4 GB
    - 6 GB
    Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR4
    Memory Frequency 2133 MHz 1866 MHz
    Channels 2 2
    Storage
    Storage Capacity128 GB- 32 GB
    - 64 GB
    - 128 GB
    Storage TypeUFS 2.2eMMC 5.1
    Memory CardNoMicroSD

    Software

    OS Android 15 Android 10.0 (Upgradeable to Android 13)
    OS Size 22.6 GB 13 GB
    UI Skin One UI 7.0 One UI Core 5.1

    Battery

    Volume 5000 mAh 5000 mAh
    Max Charging Power 45 W 15 W
    Battery Type Li-ion Li-Po
    Removable No No
    Wireless Charging No No
    Reverse Charging No No
    Fast Charging Yes (60% in 30 min) Yes (20% in 30 min)
    Full Charge Time 1:14 h 3:03 h
    Battery Life Test
    Battery Life
    Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
    24:52
    Samsung Galaxy A12
    26:02
    Web Browsing10:13 h11:00 h
    Video Playback16:02 h13:25 h
    Games04:55 h06:03 h
    Standby Mode115 h133 h

    Main camera

    Matrix 50 MP 48 MP
    Photo resolution 8192x6144 pixels 8000x6000 pixels
    Zoom Digital Digital
    Flash LED LED
    Stabilization Optical Digital
    8K Recording No No
    4K Recording Yes (Up to 30 fps) No
    1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
    Slow Motion 240 fps (720p) No
    Wide-angle lens 123 ° 123 °
    Lenses count Standard: 50 MP
    Ultra-wide: 8 MP
    Macro: 5 MP    		 Standard: 48 MP
    Ultra-wide: 5 MP
    Macro: 2 MP
    Depth: 2 MP
    Features - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode    		 - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    Main lens
    Matrix50 MP48 MP
    Aperturef/1.8f/2.0
    Focal lengthn/a26 mm
    SensorSony IMX882Samsung S5KGM2
    Sensor size1/1.961/2
    Pixel size0.8 μm0.8 μm
    AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus
    StabilizationOpticalDigital
    Ultra-wide lens
    Matrix8 MP5 MP
    Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
    SensorGalaxyCore GC08A3n/a
    Sensor size1/4.0n/a
    Pixel size1.12 μmn/a
    StabilizationDigitalDigital
    Main camera DxOMark results
    Photo quality
    Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
    n/a
    Samsung Galaxy A12
    96
    Video quality
    Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
    n/a
    Samsung Galaxy A12
    80
    Overall camera score
    Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
    n/a
    Samsung Galaxy A12
    90
    Sources: DxOMark [Samsung Galaxy A12]

    Front camera

    Matrix 12 MP 8 MP
    Photo resolution 3184x2388 pixels 3264x2448 pixels
    Aperture f/2.2 f/2.0
    Sensor GalaxyCore GC12A2 CMOS
    Autofocus No No
    Stabilization Digital Digital
    Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 30 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps
    TOF 3D sensor No No

    Connectivity

    Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 4 (802.11 a/b/g/n)
    Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
    - Wi-Fi MiMO
    - Wi-Fi Direct
    - Wi-Fi Hotspot
    - Wi-Fi Display    		 - Dual Band
    - Wi-Fi Direct
    - Wi-Fi Hotspot
    Bluetooth version 5.4 5
    Bluetooth features LE PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP
    USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
    USB version 2 2
    USB features - Charging
    - USB Storage Mode
    - OTG    		 - Charging
    - USB Storage Mode
    - OTG
    DisplayPort No n/a
    GPS - GPS
    - GLONASS
    - Beidou
    - Galileo
    - QZSS    		 - GPS
    - GLONASS
    - Beidou
    - Galileo
    NFC* Yes Yes
    Infrared Port No No
    Connectivity
    SIM Count*22
    SIM TypeNanoNano
    SIM ModeDual SIM StandbyDual SIM Standby
    eSIM Support *YesNo
    Hybrid SlotNoNo
    2G BandsGSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
    3G BandsUMTS B1 (2100), B2 (1900), B4 (AWS), B5 (850), B8 (900)UMTS B1 (2100), B5(850), B8 (900)
    LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B17/B20/B25/B26/B28/B38/B40/B41/B66)LTE (B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B28/B38/B40/B41)
    LTE categoryn/a7
    5G SupportYesNo

    Sound

    Speakers n/a Mono
    3.5 mm Jack No Yes
    FM Radio No Yes
    Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
    Speaker Test
    Max Volume
    Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
    90.5 dB
    Samsung Galaxy A12
    80.9 dB

    Other

    Class Mid-range Budget
    Announced March, 2025 yr November, 2020 yr
    Release Date March, 2025 yr December, 2020 yr
    Launch Price ($) n/a 180
    MSRP ($) 399 n/a
    Sensors - Proximity Sensor
    - Gyroscope
    - Accelerometer
    - Ambient Light Sensor
    - Compass
    - Fingerprint sensor    		 - Proximity Sensor
    - Accelerometer
    - Ambient Light Sensor
    - Fingerprint sensor
    Charger Included No n/a
    * Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

    Results

    After analyzing the data, we consider Samsung Galaxy A36 5G the clear winner in this comparison.

    Survey

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