I passed on last year’s Samsung Galaxy A35. I couldn’t justify spending that kind of money on an Exynos 1380 chipset and 6GB of RAM, when so many fantastic midrange options were available for only a few dollars more. Even Samsung offered a better choice, with the excellent Galaxy A55 selling for around the same price. Unfortunately, the Galaxy A55 was never released in the US, leaving buyers to scour Amazon and hope for carrier compatibility.
It’s a tale we’ve seen quite a few times from Samsung, and it leaves US midrange buyers out in the cold. I’m tired of seeing the company sell more powerful variants of the same phones overseas, while we’re stuck with the base models. I was hyped for this year’s Galaxy A36, with its gorgeous display and Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset, but the phone fell short. Samsung needs to try harder in the US, and it shouldn’t be that difficult.
Read our review
The Samsung Galaxy A36 has flagship looks but lags behind the competition
A mixed bag of results
Samsung’s midrange lineup is a mess
More confusion on the way
Samsung produces too many phones for its own good. I appreciate that the company wants to service multiple price points, but there’s a limit. There comes a point when phones start competing against each other, and Samsung has to create artificial barriers to keep each in its lane.
It offers the Galaxy A16, A26, and A36, with a $100 price difference between each. I love that the Galaxy A16 features a vibrant display and six years of software support for $200, but I’d absolutely pay an extra $50 for the higher RAM variants sold overseas. Unfortunately, we’re not given the opportunity.
Related
The Samsung Galaxy A16 delivers where it counts — without punishing your wallet
A gorgeous display with decent performance
When the Galaxy A56 is eventually released in the US, the conversation gets even more complicated. Having used the Galaxy A56, I can tell you there’s zero reason to opt for a Galaxy A36, even if you have to spend a few dollars more. And to make matters even more confusing, the A56 is routinely on sale through Amazon for less than what Samsung sells the Galaxy A36 for.
Performance suffers as a result
I wouldn’t mind if the phones kept up
I wouldn’t have any beef with Samsung if the phones performed well against the competition, but that’s not the case. It’s hard for me to find fault with the Galaxy A16 for only $200, but the phone is limited to 4GB of RAM. Other regions have the option to purchase more, and 6GB would have a significant impact on performance. I’d gladly pay $240 for a Galaxy A16 with more RAM, as the rest of the phone is an outstanding value for money.
If Samsung were a company that only made a couple of devices, I’d give them a pass for not offering more variants in the US.
The same applies to the Galaxy A36. I’ve used a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 in the Moto G Stylus 2025, with much better results. Yes, Moto’s software is more lightweight than the One UI, but the G Stylus also has 8GB of RAM. It’s a smoother overall experience, and it’s a shame that Samsung doesn’t offer the same variants as those available overseas. I even had users comment on my review, mentioning that the 8GB version of the Galaxy A36 is smoother, but we’ll never know in the US.
This doesn’t have to be that difficult
It’s not for a lack of resources
If Samsung were a company that only made a couple of devices, I’d give them a pass for not offering more variants in the US. However, with the M-series, S-series, and A-series, Samsung has a diverse and complicated lineup. Unfortunately, the US market is often limited to the weakest variants that Samsung ships, and this can be easily corrected. Simply give us more options. Unlock the choices afforded to overseas buyers and let the marketplace dictate which phones you should keep selling and which deserve to be relegated to the dustbin.
The Galaxy A16 with 6GB of RAM is a strong recommendation for most budget buyers, and the Galaxy A36 with 8GB of RAM competes effectively with the Moto G Stylus 2025. It’s hard to credit Samsung for its significantly longer software support compared to the Moto, when its performance lags behind. I’ve noticed this trend for some time, but the Galaxy A36 was the most glaring example I’ve seen.
Samsung needs to try harder
I’d love to see the Galaxy A56 released in the US sooner rather than later, and I’d appreciate it if Samsung refined its midrange lineup. The company does an excellent job of bringing quality features and support down to more affordable price ranges, but it doesn’t quite hit the nail on the head. I’m only asking for the choices and conveniences already afforded overseas buyers — it’s time Samsung brought that to the US.