Samsung Galaxy A17 5G VS Samsung Galaxy M36 5G

The Samsung Galaxy A17 5G offers water resistance, which the Samsung Galaxy M36 5G lacks. This makes the A17 5G more durable in environments where moisture might be a concern. In terms of size, both phones are nearly identical in height (164.4 mm) and width (77.9 mm). However, the A17 5G is slightly thinner at 7.5 mm, compared to the M36 5G's 7.7 mm. The A17 5G also weighs a bit less, at 192 g, whereas the M36 5G weighs 197 g, making the A17 5G a touch lighter.

When looking at the overall volume, the A17 5G measures 96.05 cm³, while the M36 5G has a slightly larger volume at 98.61 cm³. Both phones share the same non-foldable design and neither has a rugged build, which means neither is specifically designed to withstand extreme conditions.

In summary, the A17 5G stands out with its water resistance and lighter weight, but the M36 5G is slightly bulkier with no water resistance feature.

Both the Samsung Galaxy A17 5G and Samsung Galaxy M36 5G feature OLED/AMOLED displays, offering vibrant colors and deep blacks. The screen size is identical at 6.7″ for both models, with a pixel density of 385 ppi and a resolution of 1080 x 2340 px in each. The A17 5G has a 90Hz refresh rate, while the M36 5G steps it up with a 120Hz refresh rate, providing smoother visuals in the M36 5G.

In terms of brightness, the A17 5G offers a typical 800 nits, whereas the M36 5G delivers 1000 nits, making it potentially brighter in bright environments. Both devices come with Gorilla Glass Victus, a branded damage-resistant glass, which helps protect the screen from scratches and drops.

The A17 5G features an Always-On Display, while the M36 5G does not. Neither phone supports HDR10 or Dolby Vision, and both include touchscreens. Neither model has a secondary screen, ensuring a full display experience on the main screen.

Both the Samsung Galaxy A17 5G and Samsung Galaxy M36 5G offer 256GB of internal storage and 8GB of RAM. The A17 5G is powered by the Samsung Exynos 1330 chipset, with a CPU configuration of 2 x 2.4 GHz and 6 x 2 GHz cores, while the M36 5G features the more recent Exynos 1380 chipset with a CPU setup of 4 x 2.4 GHz and 4 x 2 GHz cores. Both phones use big.LITTLE technology, which optimizes power efficiency by pairing high-performance and power-saving cores.

The A17 5G’s GPU is the Mali G68 MP2, with a clock speed of 800 MHz, while the M36 5G uses the Mali G68 MP5 GPU, which has a higher clock speed of 950 MHz. In terms of benchmark performance, the A17 5G achieves a Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 2048 and a single-core score of 980, while the M36 5G performs better with a multi-core score of 2758 and a single-core score of 1007.

Both devices support the same memory bandwidth (51.2 GB/s) and maximum memory amount (8GB), have integrated LTE, and feature the same 5nm semiconductor size. Additionally, both devices include integrated graphics, support 64-bit processing, and use DDR5 RAM running at 3200 MHz. They also have the same Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 5W and support DirectX 12 and OpenCL 2.

The Samsung Galaxy A17 5G and Samsung Galaxy M36 5G both feature a triple-lens main camera, with the A17 5G offering a 50 MP, 5 MP, and 2 MP setup, while the M36 5G has a 50 MP, 8 MP, and 2 MP configuration. Both devices have similar wide apertures for their main cameras, with the A17 5G offering 1.8, 2.2, and 2.4f, and the M36 5G using 1.8, 2.2, and 2.4f as well. Both phones also include phase-detection autofocus for photos, continuous autofocus when recording movies, and support for slow-motion video recording.

For video recording, the A17 5G supports 1080p at 30 fps, while the M36 5G can record at a higher 2160p (4K) at 30 fps. Both devices are equipped with a single flash LED but lack dual-tone LED flashes. Neither phone supports HDR10 recording, Dolby Vision recording, or 3D photo/video recording capabilities. Both feature a CMOS sensor and have manual exposure, manual ISO, and manual focus settings, along with in-camera panorama creation.

The front camera on both phones is a 13 MP sensor. The A17 5G has a front camera aperture of 2f, while the M36 5G has a slightly wider aperture at 2.2f. Both phones support timelapse and have touch autofocus, but neither has a front-facing LED flash or a dual-lens front camera.

Both the Samsung Galaxy A17 5G and Samsung Galaxy M36 5G run on Android 15 and include similar features aimed at enhancing user experience and privacy. Both models have clipboard warnings, location privacy options, camera/microphone privacy options, theme customization, and the ability to block app tracking. They also both support on-device machine learning, notification permissions, media picker, and game downloads while playing.

Each phone offers features like dark mode, battery health check, extra dim mode, dynamic theming, customizable notifications, Live Text, full-page screenshots, split screen support, and PiP (Picture-in-Picture). However, neither model supports Quick Start or focus modes. Additionally, both phones support widgets, offline voice recognition, voice commands, and tracking the current position of a mobile device. They also share the ability to offload apps, have sharing intents, and a child lock, along with being multi-user systems.

While both phones are very similar in terms of software features, neither device offers Wi-Fi password sharing, focus modes, or direct OS updates. There is no mention of any differences in the software experience between the A17 5G and M36 5G.

Both the Samsung Galaxy A17 5G and Samsung Galaxy M36 5G feature the same 5000 mAh battery capacity, ensuring a similar level of endurance. Neither device supports wireless charging or reverse wireless charging. Both phones support fast charging at a speed of 25W, and neither has a removable battery. Additionally, both devices include a battery level indicator and feature rechargeable batteries.

In terms of battery-related features, there is no difference between the two phones. Both offer the same charging capabilities and battery management features, making their battery performance effectively identical.

Both the Samsung Galaxy A17 5G and Samsung Galaxy M36 5G lack a 3.5 mm audio jack, so users will need to rely on wireless audio solutions or USB-C for wired headphones. Neither device features stereo speakers, aptX, LDAC, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, or aptX Lossless support for high-quality audio streaming. Both phones also do not have a radio, meaning users won't be able to listen to FM radio broadcasts directly on the devices.

In terms of audio features, both phones are quite similar, offering the same set of limitations and the absence of advanced audio technologies.

Both the Samsung Galaxy A17 5G and Samsung Galaxy M36 5G support 5G connectivity, ensuring fast mobile data speeds. The A17 5G supports Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) and Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), while the M36 5G also supports these Wi-Fi standards but adds Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) for improved network efficiency and performance. Both devices use Bluetooth 5.3, have NFC support, and feature USB Type-C with USB version 2.0 for charging and data transfer. Both phones offer an external memory slot, allowing for expandable storage.

Regarding download and upload speeds, the A17 5G has a download speed of 2550 MBits/s and an upload speed of 1280 MBits/s. In contrast, the M36 5G provides faster download speeds at 3790 MBits/s, while the upload speed remains the same at 1280 MBits/s. Both phones feature a fingerprint scanner for security and have GPS and compass support for location-based services. Additionally, both devices are equipped with a gyroscope, accelerometer, and a cellular module, but neither offers a barometer, infrared sensor, or HDMI output.

Both phones lack advanced features like emergency SOS via satellite, crash detection, 3D facial recognition, an iris scanner, or a stylus. They also do not support motion or optical tracking or include a built-in projector. However, both support Galileo for enhanced satellite navigation and share many connectivity and feature capabilities overall.

Both the Samsung Galaxy A17 5G and Samsung Galaxy M36 5G are equipped with a video light, making them suitable for low-light video recording. Neither of the devices features sapphire glass displays, curved displays, or e-paper displays, which are sometimes found on other high-end smartphones. The display characteristics of both phones are similar in this regard, offering standard glass and flat screens.

In summary, both phones are quite similar in their miscellaneous features, with no significant differences in the display or lighting technology.