Samsung has officially set the launch date for its latest mid-range device, the Galaxy M36. The phone is scheduled to go live on June 27 at 12 PM IST, and will be available exclusively via Amazon India. 
While Samsung touts this as a fresh release, tech fans have already started noticing that it shares more than a few similarities with the Galaxy A26-especially under the hood.
The Galaxy M36 5G will be sold in three color variants: Orange Haze, Velvet Black, and Serene Green. It sports Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection, and Samsung claims the device can survive drops up to 2 meters. Around back, there’s a triple camera system featuring a 50 MP main sensor with OIS, an 8 MP ultrawide lens, and a 2 MP macro camera. However, it’s the front design that’s raising eyebrows: the M36 swaps out the punch-hole selfie cam from its predecessor (the M35) in favor of a dated notch, housing a 13 MP shooter.
Under the hood, the Galaxy M36 is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 1380 chipset with 6 GB of RAM. It will ship with Android 15 and the latest One UI 7 out of the box. Geekbench scores suggest the performance will be adequate for everyday multitasking and light gaming, but it’s clear this phone isn’t targeting power users.
Despite the polished marketing, many fans feel the M36 is little more than a rebranded A-series phone, repackaged with minor design tweaks and the same internals. The addition of a notch in 2025 also left some users scratching their heads.
Samsung might be banking on brand loyalty and Amazon exclusivity to push units, but with such subtle changes, the Galaxy M36 could have a tough time standing out in the fiercely competitive mid-range segment.