Samsung Galaxy A36 5G / Apple iPhone 15 Plus

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G: Galaxy A36 5G, international SM-A366B; 6/128, 8/128, 8/256 and 12/256 GB options vary by market. The US SM-A366U, Latin American SM-A366E and the Galaxy A56/A26 are separate models.

Apple iPhone 15 Plus: iPhone 15 Plus; 128, 256 and 512 GB. Apple’s spec page lists model numbers A3090 and A3094; models sold outside the US have a SIM tray. The iPhone 15, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max are separate models.

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A36 5GApple iPhone 15 Plus
Release year20252023
Display6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED; up to 120 Hz; Vision Booster; 1200 nits (High Brightness Mode)

Vision Booster adjusts colour and contrast in strong light to improve readability. Because of the rounded corners, the visible area measures 6.5 inches.

Samsung
6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2796 × 1290, 460 ppi; Dynamic Island, True Tone, Wide colour (P3)

Dynamic Island uses the front camera cut-out as an area for notifications and Live Activities. Apple does not list ProMotion for this model; the display is not 120 Hz. Because the corners are rounded, the actual viewable area is slightly smaller than the 6.69-inch rectangle.

Apple
ProcessorQualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3; larger vapor chamber

The vapor chamber spreads processor heat over a larger area, delaying performance drops during long gaming or video sessions.

Samsung
A16 Bionic; 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine Apple
Memory and storage6/128, 8/128, 8/256 or 12/256 GB (market-dependent)

No microSD slot is listed for this model; storage cannot be expanded later.

Samsung
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Rear cameras50 MP main (ƒ/1.8, AF, OIS); 8 MP ultra-wide (ƒ/2.2); 5 MP macro (ƒ/2.4)

OIS counters hand shake for sharper low-light photos. There is no telephoto camera; zoom is digital.

Samsung
48MP Main (26 mm, ƒ/1.6, sensor-shift OIS); 12MP Ultra Wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.4, 120°); 12MP 2x Telephoto (52 mm, ƒ/1.6)

The 2x telephoto is not a separate lens; it uses the centre of the 48 MP main sensor (Apple says it is “enabled by quad-pixel sensor”). Photos can be 24 MP or 48 MP; digital zoom goes up to 10x.

Apple
Front camera12 MP (ƒ/2.2); 10-bit HDR video recording Samsung—
Battery and charging5000 mAh (typical), 4905 mAh (rated); 45 W wired charging (Super Fast Charging 2.0)

The typical value is the average capacity in IEC 61960 tests; the rated value is the guaranteed minimum.

Samsung
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DurabilityIP67; Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ front and back

IP67 describes a lab test of up to 30 minutes in 1 metre of fresh water; Samsung does not advise beach or pool use.

Samsung
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SoftwareAndroid 15, One UI 7; six Android/One UI upgrades and six years of security updates Samsung—
SecuritySamsung Knox, Knox Vault

Knox Vault keeps sensitive data such as passwords and PINs in a protected hardware area separate from the main processor.

Samsung
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AudioStereo speakers Samsung—
Size and weight162.9 × 78.2 × 7.4 mm; 195 g Samsung160.9 × 77.8 × 7.80 mm; 201 g Apple
ColoursAwesome Lavender, Awesome Black, Awesome White, Awesome Lime SamsungBlack, Blue, Green, Yellow, Pink Apple
Brightness and contrast—1,000 nits typical; 1,600 nits peak (HDR); 2,000 nits peak (outdoor); 2,000,000:1 contrast

The outdoor peak is used briefly in strong sunlight; the HDR peak applies to HDR video and photos.

Apple
Storage—128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB Apple
Video—4K at 24/25/30/60 fps; HDR video with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps; Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR at 30 fps; Action mode up to 2.8K at 60 fps

Action mode crops the image to apply strong digital stabilisation when running or in a vehicle, which is why it tops out at 2.8K.

Apple
Front camera and Face ID—12MP TrueDepth (ƒ/1.9, autofocus); Face ID Apple
Wireless—5G (sub-6 GHz, 4x4 MIMO); Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO; Bluetooth 5.3; second-generation Ultra Wideband; NFC with reader mode

Ultra Wideband shows the direction and distance of a nearby item or friend in Find My; availability varies by region. This UK page does not list mmWave 5G.

Apple
Safety features—Emergency SOS via satellite and Roadside Assistance via satellite; Crash Detection

Satellite features work only in certain countries and in open areas without mobile or Wi-Fi coverage.

Apple
Battery—Up to 26 hours video playback, 20 hours streamed, 100 hours audio; built-in lithium-ion

Apple quotes 6 hours more video playback than the iPhone 15.

Apple
USB-C and charging—USB-C, USB 2 (up to 480 Mb/s), DisplayPort; up to 50% in around 30 minutes with a 20W adapter; MagSafe up to 15W, Qi up to 7.5W

Although the port is USB-C, data speed is USB 2. Native DisplayPort output over USB-C mirrors video up to 4K HDR. No power adapter is included; a USB-C charge cable that supports fast charging is in the box.

Apple
SIM—Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM); Dual eSIM support

The SIM tray is on models sold outside the US; eSIM use depends on carrier support.

Apple
Durability and materials—IP68 (maximum depth of 6 metres up to 30 minutes, IEC 60529); aluminium design, Ceramic Shield front, colour-infused glass back Apple