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Samsung - Galaxy A36 vs Nothing - Phone (3a)

Last updated · How Mars Score works
Galaxy A36SAMSUNGRENDER
Probe A
Samsung
Galaxy A36
61.5/ 100C
Performance47· 25%
Battery63· 20%
Display70· 18%
Cameras70· 18%
Design· 8%
Connectivity· 7%
Operating System· 4%
Phone (3a)NOTHINGRENDER
Probe B
Nothing
Phone (3a)
62.5/ 100C
Performance51· 25%
Battery63· 20%
Display70· 18%
Cameras70· 18%
Design· 8%
Connectivity· 7%
Operating System· 4%
Quick verdict

Between the Galaxy A36 and Phone (3a), the Galaxy A36 comes out ahead in weight and water resistance, while the Phone (3a) wins on front camera and antutu. Overall, the Galaxy A36 scores 61.5 and the Phone (3a) scores 62.5 on our Mars Score.

Buying advice

Which should you buy?

These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (61.5 vs 62.5). The decision isn't about overall quality — both clear the bar — it's about which specific trade-offs fit your use.

Pick the Galaxy A36 if you carry the device everywhere and weight or thickness has been the deciding factor before. The biggest gaps in its favor are weight, water resistance, promised os updates.

Pick the Phone (3a) if you photograph or shoot video regularly and want the better imaging pipeline of the two. Its strongest claims are front camera, antutu, wired charging, among others.

Both ship with comparable battery capacity, ram, main camera, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.

Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.

Why Samsung - Galaxy A36 wins

  • Weight — 6.00 g less. 195 vs 201.
  • Water resistance: IP67 (vs IP64).
  • Promised OS updates: 6 (vs 3).

Why Nothing - Phone (3a) wins

  • Front camera — 166.67% more. 32 MP vs 12 MP.
  • AnTuTu — 28.13% more. 820000 vs 640000.
  • Wired charging — 11.11% more. 50 W vs 45 W.
  • Screen size — 1.04% more. 6.77 " vs 6.7 ".
  • Pixel density — 0.52% more. 387 ppi vs 385 ppi.
Full readout

Spec comparison

Design

SpecSamsung - Galaxy A36Nothing - Phone (3a)
Weight195 glead201 g
Thickness7.4 mmlead8.4 mm
Water resistanceIP67leadIP64
Form factorbarbar

Display

SpecSamsung - Galaxy A36Nothing - Phone (3a)
Screen size6.7 "6.77 "lead
Pixel density385 ppi387 ppilead
Refresh rate120 Hz120 Hz
Peak brightness1900 nits3000 nitslead

Performance

SpecSamsung - Galaxy A36Nothing - Phone (3a)
RAM8 GB8 GB
Storage128 GB128 GB
AnTuTu640000820000lead
CPU total clock8.4 GHz10.8 GHzlead

Cameras

SpecSamsung - Galaxy A36Nothing - Phone (3a)
Main camera50 MP50 MP
Front camera12 MP32 MPlead
Optical image stabilizationtruetrue

Battery

SpecSamsung - Galaxy A36Nothing - Phone (3a)
Battery capacity5000 mAh5000 mAh
Wired charging45 W50 Wlead
Wireless charging0 W0 W

Connectivity

SpecSamsung - Galaxy A36Nothing - Phone (3a)
5G supporttruetrue
Headphone jackfalsefalse
microSD slotfalsefalse

Operating System

SpecSamsung - Galaxy A36Nothing - Phone (3a)
OSAndroidAndroid
Promised OS updates6 yearslead3 years
Reader questions

Frequently asked

Which has better battery, Galaxy A36 or Phone (3a)?+

Phone (3a) has 0.0% more battery — 5000 mAh vs 5000 mAh.

Which is lighter, Galaxy A36 or Phone (3a)?+

Galaxy A36 is 6g lighter — 195g vs 201g.

Is Galaxy A36 waterproof?+

Galaxy A36 has an IP67 rating.

Does Phone (3a) support 5G?+

Yes, Phone (3a) supports 5G.

Which has a better camera, Galaxy A36 or Phone (3a)?+

Phone (3a) has a 50 MP main camera vs 50 MP.

Drill down

Spec-level deep dives

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