Samsung Galaxy A36 5G vs Sony Xperia 1 V

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G

The 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED at 120Hz is the standout reason to buy this phone for the money. Notebookcheck measured peak HDR brightness above 2,000 cd/m² and GSMArena clocked 1,230 nits in auto mode — better than most rivals in this bracket. The catch is a 120Hz/240Hz low-frequency PWM dimming pattern that can bother PWM-sensitive eyes, and the bezels are still wider than the cheapest competition.

• Peak HDR brightness measured over 2,000 cd/m² in lab testing — exceptional for a sub-$400 phone and even brighter than Samsung's claimed 1,900-nit spec.
• The display gets nice and bright for sunny-day use, though colors can look slightly washed out at peak auto brightness.
• GSMArena measured the panel at 430 nits manual and 1,230 nits auto, up from the A35's roughly 1,000 nits, and the adaptive 120Hz dynamically drops to 60Hz to save battery.
• In HDR, Short Circuit's lab not only met Samsung's 1,900-nit claim but exceeded it, making for an excellent HDR viewing experience on an OLED panel.
• OLED PWM dimming runs at only 120Hz with a 240Hz secondary frequency — too low for PWM-sensitive users who may experience eye strain or headaches.
• The screen looks crisp and large for the money, but there is still no official HDR video support flagged by reviewers as a budget compromise.
• After a year of use, the 6.7-inch 120Hz Super AMOLED still feels like a full-flagship display in everyday use — bright, smooth, and great for video.
• Notebookcheck and Tech Daily both flag that the bezels — particularly along the lower edge — are still wider than what you get on similarly priced Xiaomi or Nothing phones.

Sony Xperia 1 V

The 6.5-inch 4K 21:9 OLED is the headline differentiator — no other 2023 flagship matches the cinema aspect ratio or the true 4K resolution at this size.

• 6.5" 4K 21:9 OLED 120Hz HDR — only smartphone in 2023 delivering true 4K at this aspect ratio.
• Creator Mode delivers accurate colors 'as the directors intended' — best smartphone for watching movies.
• 21:9 aspect ratio is divisive — perfect for cinema content but letterboxed on most apps and 16:9 video.
• Display gets dazzling 4K resolution that makes watching movies feel cinematic — long, narrow form factor pockets easily.

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G

The A36's Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 is the phone's most consistent weak point. Notebookcheck found it benchmarks roughly the same as the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 from 2022, and in many tests the older Exynos 1380 in last year's A35 was actually faster. Wired's review went further: the carrier-locked A36 actually felt slower in daily use than the $100-cheaper Galaxy A26 sitting next to it. Reviewers agree it's still fast enough for everyday browsing, social, and light gaming, but anyone who games heavily should look elsewhere.

• The carrier-locked AT&T A36 produced visible stutters and felt sluggish out of the box, with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 actually scoring lower in benchmarks than the Exynos 1380 in the $100-cheaper A26.
• Aside from slightly higher clock rates, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 is functionally the same chipset as 2022's Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, and the Nothing Phone (3a)'s Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 is roughly 10-15% ahead in Geekbench.
• Benchmarks on the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 are roughly the same as last year's A35, with only a minor boost in raw graphics — overall performance is adequate for daily tasks and light gaming.
• Geekbench 6 results land at roughly 1,019 single-core and 2,947 multi-core after a year of updates — clearly on the lower end of the $400 bracket compared to phones like the Galaxy S25 FE.
• Genshin Impact ran at an average 43fps on lowest graphics in lab testing, but only 24fps at high settings — playable but not what gamers should buy this phone for.
• The Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 has about half to a third of the gaming performance of a couple-generations-old flagship — daily browsing and social are fine, but heavy 3D games will struggle.
• Despite the modest chipset the A36 doesn't get hot under sustained load and survived the prolonged 3DMark Wild Life stress test without significant throttling.
• Long-time A-series user on r/Android reports the A36 'is just as stuttery as the A35 and A54' — small generational chip refreshes don't seem to be moving the needle.

Sony Xperia 1 V

Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 + 12GB RAM delivers flagship-class performance; thermal management improved over the Xperia 1 IV but still throttles under sustained load.

• Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 + 12GB RAM — flagship-tier benchmarks aligned with Galaxy S23 family.
• Thermal management improved vs the IV but still observes 'significant thermal throttling' in prolonged stress tests.
• Real-world performance is better than the synthetic stress tests suggest — display refresh rate never throttled.

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G

The 5,000 mAh battery is unchanged from the A35 but the bigger story is charging: 45W wired charging (up from 25W) now hits 60-66% in 30 minutes and full in around 68 minutes — faster than the Galaxy S25 itself. Real-world battery life lands around a full day with 20-40% to spare. The catch: no wireless charging, no charger in the box, and you'll need a separate 45W brick with a 5A-rated cable to hit the advertised speeds.

• The 5,000 mAh battery comfortably lasts a day, with Wired regularly ending with 30-40% remaining and occasional heavy-use days dropping to 20% by 11pm.
• Samsung's quoted charging math — 30 minutes to 65% and full in 68 minutes — matches what reviewers measured in practice and is faster than the Galaxy S25 itself.
• Active-use battery score of 11 hours 38 minutes in GSMArena's standardised test is decent for the class, but actually a touch below last year's A35.
• There's no charger in the box, and you'll need a Samsung 45W brick (or compatible USB-PD adapter) with a 5A-rated cable — the 3A cable Samsung ships won't unlock full 45W speed.
• No wireless charging at all — Motorola's $300 Moto G Power and $400 Moto G Stylus 2025 both offer it at this price.
• After a year of use Dave2D's retrospective measured the A36 charging from 0 to 66% in 30 minutes with no degradation in real-world battery longevity.
• The charge bump from 25W to 45W is more about wall-clock time than the spec itself — a full charge is only about 12 minutes faster than the A35 in head-to-head testing.

Sony Xperia 1 V

5,000mAh + Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 efficiency delivers strong real-world endurance — but Sony's 30W wired charging is now firmly behind OnePlus's 80W and Samsung's 45W flagship peers.

• 5,000mAh battery delivers up to 20 hours of continuous 4K playback per Sony's claim.
• Real-world: ~50% remaining after average day of web browsing, messaging, calls, and gaming — strong endurance.
• 30W wired + PD3.0/PPS — 50% in ~30 min. Slow vs OnePlus 11's 80W and S23 Ultra's 45W.
• Wireless + reverse wireless charging supported — feature parity with S23 family for the basics.

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G

At $399 the A36 sits in an awkward spot — pricier than its $300 sibling the Galaxy A26 (which Wired argues is the better buy thanks to a more responsive Exynos 1380), $100 cheaper than the much more polished Galaxy A56, and shoulder-to-shoulder with the Nothing Phone (3a), Motorola Moto G Stylus 2025 and Xiaomi Poco X7 Pro — all of which offer something the A36 doesn't (better chip, wireless charging, microSD, more interesting design). The reason to choose the A36 is the six-year update window plus carrier promotions, not the spec sheet.

• Most people will not pay full $399 — Samsung and carriers run aggressive launch promos, trade-in offers up to $150 off, and bundle deals on Buds FE and Watch FE.
• Wired's verdict: 'I would buy a Moto G Stylus 2025 or Nothing Phone (3a) before the Galaxy A26 or Galaxy A36' — Samsung is coasting on brand and carrier reach rather than spec leadership.
• If you can stretch $100 more, the Galaxy A56 brings aluminium+glass build, a larger 1/1.56" main sensor, 12MP ultrawide, Exynos 1580 chip and Best Face mode — and Trusted Reviews calls the upgrade meaningful.
• Notebookcheck names the Nothing Phone (3a) and Xiaomi Poco X7 Pro as the alternatives to consider if you don't want to lock yourself to the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 — both offer better performance per dollar.
• The A36 cracked Counterpoint Research's global top 10 best-selling smartphones in Q1 2026 — the budget Galaxy thesis is working on a global scale even if Western reviewers are lukewarm.
• r/Android's top community reply is blunt: '€380 is €100 too much. You can find Edge 50 Neo under €300 and various other better options.' — sentiment cooler than the spec sheet would suggest.
• One year in, even Dave2D's retrospective calls the $399 MSRP 'a little bit on the expensive side' and recommends scoring a deal on the Galaxy S25 FE or stepping down to the cheaper A17 5G instead.
• For the buyer who actually values the six-year update window over chip performance, the A36 is the only budget Galaxy with this support length — and that alone is the case for the price.

Sony Xperia 1 V

The $1,399 price is the make-or-break factor — meaningfully above Galaxy S23 Ultra ($1,199) and iPhone 15 Pro Max ($1,199), and limited US distribution shrinks the addressable market further.

• $1,400 price tag is a true flagship spend going up against Apple iPhone 14, Galaxy S23 Ultra, Z Fold 4, Pixel Fold.
• Notebookcheck verdict: 'more camera replacement and DSLR companion than smartphone' — niche positioning explicit.
• Most-cited fan critique: 'too expensive for what it offers, especially in camera department' — value debate is the central tension.
• If long battery life is the priority, Galaxy S23 Ultra or Xiaomi 13 Ultra offer more endurance at lower prices.