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Smartphone comparison

Nothing Phone 2a vs Samsung Galaxy A36 5G

Compare cameras, battery, screen and everyday features.

Compared products
01Selected
Nothing Phone 2a

Nothing Phone 2a

  • 190 g.
  • About 120 Hz display refresh rate.
  • About 6.7 inch screen.
  • Mediatek Dimensity 7200 Pro (4 nm) processor.
  • 5,000 mAh battery capacity.
KSh 43,000Out of Stock
02
Samsung Galaxy A36 5G

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G

  • 195 g.
  • About 120 Hz display refresh rate.
  • About 6.7 inch screen.
  • Qualcomm SM6475-AB Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 (4 nm) processor.
  • Storage: UFS 2.2.
KSh 40,000In Stock
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Samsung Galaxy A57 5GKSh 42,000
Nothing Phone 3aKSh 39,300
Samsung Galaxy A56 5GKSh 45,500
Honor 600 Lite 5GKSh 45,300
Redmi Note 14 Pro 5GKSh 42,000
Nothing Phone 2a PlusKSh 45,500
Motorola G77 5GKSh 40,500
2 of 4 products

Our quick verdict

With the same 6.7-inch OLED screen, 5,000 mAh battery and 50 MP main camera, the Samsung Galaxy A36 5G is the stronger choice: it runs newer Android 15 and has 6 promised OS upgrades, a brighter screen for outdoor use and better water and dust protection (IP67), while the Nothing Phone 2a only has sharper selfies (32 MP).

Weight

Nothing Phone 2a
190 g
Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
195 g

Display

Nothing Phone 2a
1080 x 2412 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~394 ppi density)
Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~385 ppi density)

Performance

Nothing Phone 2a
Mediatek Dimensity 7200 Pro (4 nm) processor
Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
Qualcomm SM6475-AB Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 (4 nm) processor

Water resistance

Nothing Phone 2a
IP54 water and dust resistance
Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
IP67 water and dust resistance

Connections

Nothing Phone 2a
Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3
Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4

Key differences

The main differences to help you choose.

Nothing Phone 2a

  • Higher-resolution selfie camera: 32 MP (vs 12 MP).

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G

  • IP67 water and dust resistance (vs IP54).
  • Newer Android 15 (vs Android 14).
  • More promised OS upgrades: 6 (vs 3).
  • Brighter display: up to 1,900 nits (vs 1,300).
  • Newer Bluetooth 5.4 (vs 5.3).
  • Plastic frame and glass back (vs plastic frame).

What matters most to you?

Choose any priorities

How each product answers the questions buyers ask most. Tick a topic to add it, untick one to hide it.

More topicsFewer topics
6 priorities selected.
How each product answers the selected priorities
PriorityNothing Phone 2aSamsung Galaxy A36 5G
Display6.7-inch OLED display, 120 Hz, 394 ppi6.7-inch OLED display, 120 Hz, 385 ppi
PerformanceMediatek Dimensity 7200 Pro processorQualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor
Weight190 g195 g
Water resistanceIP54 water and dust resistanceIP67 water and dust resistance
ConnectionsWi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4
SoftwareAndroid 14, 3 OS upgrades promisedAndroid 15, 6 OS upgrades promised

Detailed comparison

Explore the full specifications, section by section.

General

General specifications comparison
SpecificationNothing Phone 2aSamsung Galaxy A36 5G
BrandNothingSamsung
ModelPhone (2a)Galaxy A36
Announced2024, March 052025, March 02
Release statusAvailable. Released 2024, March 12Available. Released 2025, March 10
Model numbersA142SM-A366E, SM-A366E/DS, SM-A366B, SM-A366B/DS, SM-A366U, SM-A366U1, SM-A366W
SAR—1.07 W/kg (head)
SAR EU—0.53 W/kg (head)     1.29 W/kg (body)

Design

Design specifications comparison
SpecificationNothing Phone 2aSamsung Galaxy A36 5G
Dimensions161.7 x 76.3 x 8.6 mm (6.37 x 3.00 x 0.34 in)162.9 x 78.2 x 7.4 mm (6.41 x 3.08 x 0.29 in)
Weight190 g (6.70 oz)195 g (6.88 oz)
Build materialsGlass front (Gorilla Glass 5), plastic frame, plastic backGlass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), plastic frame, glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+)
Additional body features3 LED light strips on the back (notifications, camera fill light, 26 addressable zones)—

Display

Display specifications comparison
SpecificationNothing Phone 2aSamsung Galaxy A36 5G
Display6.7 inches, 108.0 cm2 (~87.6% screen-to-body ratio); AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 2160Hz PWM, HDR10+, 700 nits (typ), 1100 nits (HBM), 1300 nits (peak)Super AMOLED, 120Hz, 1200 nits (HBM), 1900 nits (peak); 6.7 inches, 110.2 cm2 (~86.5% screen-to-body ratio)
Screen resolution1080 x 2412 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~394 ppi density)1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~385 ppi density)
Display protectionCorning Gorilla Glass 5Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+
Display featuresAMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 2160Hz PWM, HDR10+, 700 nits (typ), 1100 nits (HBM), 1300 nits (peak)Super AMOLED, 120Hz, 1200 nits (HBM), 1900 nits (peak)

Performance

Performance specifications comparison
SpecificationNothing Phone 2aSamsung Galaxy A36 5G
ProcessorMediatek Dimensity 7200 Pro (4 nm)Qualcomm SM6475-AB Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 (4 nm)
CPUOcta-core (2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 6x 2.0 Cortex-A510)Octa-core (4x2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A55)
GPUMali-G610 MC4Adreno 710

Memory & Storage

Memory & Storage specifications comparison
SpecificationNothing Phone 2aSamsung Galaxy A36 5G
RAM8GB / 12GB6GB / 8GB / 12GB
Storage128GB / 256GB128GB / 256GB
Expandable storageNoNo
Memory configurations128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM
Storage technology—UFS 2.2

Cameras

Cameras specifications comparison
SpecificationNothing Phone 2aSamsung Galaxy A36 5G
Rear camera50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS 50 MP, f/2.2, 114˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.76", 0.64µm50 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/1.96", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS 8 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm 5 MP, f/2.4, (macro)
Front camera32 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1/2.74", 0.8µm12 MP, f/2.2, (wide)
Rear camera featuresLED flash, panorama, HDRLED flash, panorama, HDR
Rear camera video4K@30fps, 1080p@60/120fps, gyro-EIS4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS
Front camera featuresHDR—
Front camera video1080p@60fps4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, 10-bit HDR

Battery & Charging

Battery & Charging specifications comparison
SpecificationNothing Phone 2aSamsung Galaxy A36 5G
Battery5000 mAh5000 mAh
Charging45W wired, 50% in 23 min, 100% in 1 hour45W wired, 66% in 30 min, 100% in 68 min

Software

Software specifications comparison
SpecificationNothing Phone 2aSamsung Galaxy A36 5G
Operating systemAndroid 14, upgradable to Android 15, up to 3 major OS updates, Nothing OS 3.0Android 15, up to 6 major OS updates, One UI 8.5

Network

Network specifications comparison
SpecificationNothing Phone 2aSamsung Galaxy A36 5G
NetworkGSM / HSPA / LTE / 5GGSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
SIMNano-SIM + Nano-SIM· Nano-SIM + eSIM · Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time)
2G bandsGSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G bandsHSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
4G bands1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 661, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 40, 41, 66 - International; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71 - USA
5G bands1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International; 2, 5, 25, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA
Network speedHSPA, LTE, 5GHSPA, LTE, 5G

Connectivity

Connectivity specifications comparison
SpecificationNothing Phone 2aSamsung Galaxy A36 5G
NFCYes, 360˚Yes (market/region dependent)
Bluetooth5.3, A2DP, LE5.4, A2DP, LE
Wi-FiWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi DirectWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
PositioningGPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSSGPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS
RadioNoNo
USBUSB Type-C 2.0, OTGUSB Type-C 2.0, OTG

Durability

Durability specifications comparison
SpecificationNothing Phone 2aSamsung Galaxy A36 5G
Water resistanceIP54 dust protected and water resistant (water splashes)IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 min)

Features

Features specifications comparison
SpecificationNothing Phone 2aSamsung Galaxy A36 5G
SensorsFingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compassFingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, compass
ColorsBlack, White, Milk, BlueLavender, Black, White, Lime
Multitasking and productivity—Virtual Proximity Sensing

Audio

Audio specifications comparison
SpecificationNothing Phone 2aSamsung Galaxy A36 5G
LoudspeakersYes, with stereo speakersYes, with stereo speakers
3.5 mm headphone jackNoNo

Tests

Tests specifications comparison
SpecificationNothing Phone 2aSamsung Galaxy A36 5G
Performance benchmarksAnTuTu: 578493 (v9), 684574 (v10) GeekBench: 2184 (v5), 2592 (v6) 3DMark: 1151 (Wild Life Extreme)—
Measured display brightness981 nits max brightness (measured)—
Measured loudspeaker loudness-26.3 LUFS (Good)—
Active use battery scoreActive use score 15:53h—
Performance—AnTuTu: 613492 (v10) GeekBench: 2917 (v6) 3DMark: 912 (Wild Life Extreme)
Display—1233 nits max brightness (measured)
Loudspeaker—-26.2 LUFS (Good)
Battery—Active use score 11:38h

EU label

EU label specifications comparison
SpecificationNothing Phone 2aSamsung Galaxy A36 5G
Energy—Class C
Battery—41:28h endurance, 2000 cycles
Free fall—Class C (90 falls)
Repairability—Class C

Similarities

  • Both have 5,000 mAh batteries.
  • Both have optical image stabilisation.
  • Both support Wi-Fi 6.
  • Both have NFC.
  • Both have stereo speakers.
  • Both support 5G networks.

In summary

For most buyers the Samsung Galaxy A36 5G is the better buy; the Nothing Phone 2a makes sense if you want sharper selfies.

Back to compared products ↑

In-stock alternatives

Samsung Galaxy A57 5GFor Nothing Phone 2aSamsung Galaxy A57 5GView product ↗Honor 600 Lite 5GFor Nothing Phone 2aHonor 600 Lite 5GView product ↗Nothing Phone 3aFor Samsung Galaxy A36 5GNothing Phone 3aView product ↗

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