Galaxy A36 vs A37: Refurbished A36 or Open Box A37?

If you can stretch to about £274, the Open Box Samsung Galaxy A37 5G is a better buy than a refurbished Galaxy A36 5G, and the version to look at first is the 256GB White listing at £273.99 (checked 5 October 2026). That's within £0.51 of the cheapest 128GB A37 and £1.00 less than a Like New 256GB A36.

On a firm budget of £212 to £249, the refurbished A36 is still a sound choice, because the A37's upgrades on paper are modest: the same camera specifications, screen, battery and charging, plus IP68 and one more year of security updates. Origin doesn't separate them: both are international stock, so manufacturer warranty repairs through Samsung UK may not be available on either, and The Tech Gadgets' own 12-month warranty is the cover.

Quick verdict by budget and buyer

• Best for: the A37 (Open Box, international stock) suits buyers who want 256GB, updates to March 2032 and a phone set up only once, and can live with White (other colours cost more). The A36 suits buyers who want eSIM and 45W charging for less, at £211.99 to £248.99 in Very Good condition, and don't mind a graded, previously used phone.
• Consider an alternative when: you were about to pay £278.99 for a 128GB A37 listing, because an Open Box Galaxy A57 5G 128GB, also international stock, costs the same. If your budget stops under £200, look at the refurbished Galaxy A26 5G instead.
• Check before buying: neither phone takes a memory card, the A37 listings don't state RAM, and the A36's Fair grade has no published definition.

Specifications and today's listings, side by side

Samsung's specifications describe each phone as manufactured, not the condition of an individual refurbished or Open Box unit.

Samsung UK specifications for both phones, as checked on 5 October 2026:

Grades, storage and from-prices on The Tech Gadgets (checked 5 October 2026):

The A36 sits on one refurbished Galaxy A36 5G listing with grade, storage and colour options. The A37 is spread across eight separate listings, four per storage size. For the A37 on its own terms, the Galaxy A37 5G buying guide covers the full specification.

Is the 256GB A37 really priced like the 128GB model?

On one listing, yes. On 5 October 2026 the 256GB White Galaxy A37 5G listing was £273.99. That's £0.51 more than the cheapest 128GB listing (£273.48), £0.10 more than the next (£273.89) and £5.00 less than the two 128GB listings at £278.99. The other 256GB listings, in Charcoal, Grey Green or Lavender, start at £283.00.

Samsung UK lists A37 security updates to 31 March 2032: 2,004 days from 5 October 2026, or 65.8 months (5.5 years) at 30.44 days a month. The last column divides each listing's price by those 5.5 years.

Every Galaxy A37 5G listing, Open Box (Activated), international stock (prices checked 5 October 2026):

The price depends on the listing, not the colour. The same 256GB Charcoal A37 appears at £283.00, £283.99 and £341.50, a £58.50 spread for identical storage and colour, so check which listing you're on. Nor does the colour in a web address limit you: the cheapest 128GB listing has “lavender” in its address but offers all four colours.

The 256GB White A37 listing sells one colour only, so its price could move independently of the others. Re-check it on the day you order.

Now set the A36 against the same yardstick. Its updates end on 31 March 2031, 1,638 days or 53.8 months (4.5 years) away. A Very Good A36 works out at £47.11 a year with 128GB (£211.99 ÷ 4.5) and £55.33 with 256GB (£248.99 ÷ 4.5). The White 256GB A37, at £49.82, undercuts every 256GB A36 grade on this measure, and only the 128GB A36 comes in cheaper than the cheapest A37.

£61.49 more for IP68 and a year of updates: is the A37 premium fair?

Only if you'll use that extra year. The cheapest 128GB Galaxy A37 5G (£273.48) is £61.49 dearer than a Very Good 128GB Galaxy A36 5G (£211.99). Samsung's spec sheets separate them on four lines: the chip, IP68 against IP67, Android 16 against Android 15 at launch, and security updates to March 2032 against March 2031.

The extra support is 366 days, or 12.0 months, so the premium is in effect the price of that year: £61.49 ÷ 1.0 = £61.49. That's a fair trade if you'll still use the phone in spring 2031 and wasted money if you won't. Condition is the softer difference: a single activation against a previous owner and a cosmetic grade.

Everything else on the two sheets lines up: identical outline dimensions and camera specifications, the same 6.7-inch 120Hz panel, 5,000mAh, 45W charging, eSIM on both and no memory card on either. The camera claims, the chip and the water rating are worth a closer look.

Cameras: identical lenses, unquantified processing claims

Samsung lists the same camera line-up for both: a 50MP f/1.8 main camera with optical stabilisation, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide, a 5MP f/2.4 macro and a 12MP f/2.2 selfie camera. The joint A37/A57 launch release mentions camera improvements, including a better image signal processor and Nightography, without saying which apply to each model or by how much.

Treat that as a possible refinement, not a reason on its own to pay £61.49 more. If photos matter most, look for a difference you can read off a spec sheet: the Galaxy A57 5G has a 12MP ultra-wide where both of these have 8MP.

Chip: a change of supplier, not an obvious step up

Samsung credits the A36 with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 and the A37 with the Exynos 1480, but publishes no comparison between them; The Tech Gadgets hasn't run benchmarks on either phone. Secondary sources list the same Exynos 1480 in 2024's Galaxy A55, so it isn't a new design. If speed is your reason to upgrade, look past the A37: Samsung lists the A57's Exynos 1680 at up to 2.9GHz, against 2.75GHz for the A37.

Water: a higher rating, with the usual small print

Samsung bases the A37's IP68 on lab tests in up to 1.5 metres of fresh water for 30 minutes, and the A36's IP67 on up to 1 metre. It also advises against beach or pool use and says the protection fades with wear. So a rating tells you how the phone left the factory, not how a particular refurbished A36 or Open Box A37 will cope today, and liquid damage sits outside The Tech Gadgets' warranty for both.

When a 256GB A36 beats a 128GB A37

Neither phone takes a microSD card, so the storage you buy is the storage you keep. That makes this rule simple.

Choose the 256GB A36 (Very Good, £248.99) over a 128GB A37 when you need more than 128GB, your ceiling is about £250, and you'd rather have a colour other than White. It costs £24.49 less than the cheapest 128GB A37 and doubles the storage, at the price of a year's updates and a previous owner.

The rule flips when White suits you. The 256GB White A37 at £273.99 is £25.00 more than the 256GB Very Good A36, with a year more support, IP68 on paper and no previous owner. Once White is acceptable, there's little reason to buy a 128GB A37 at all, since the 256GB White costs between £5.00 less and £0.51 more.

The A36 grades above Very Good don't fare well here. A 256GB Excellent A36 is £269.99 and a Like New is £274.99: £4.00 below and £1.00 above the 256GB White A37.

Reading the A37's saving against Samsung's RRP

Samsung UK launched the A37 at £399 for 6GB/128GB and £459 for 8GB/256GB. The cheapest 128GB listing here is £125.52 below the first, and the 256GB White listing £185.01 below the second.

Neither gap is a like-for-like saving: the RRP is for sealed UK stock, these are Open Box international units, the listings don't state RAM, and Samsung's current selling price may differ from its launch RRP. The Galaxy A37 5G deals roundup covers Samsung's own pricing in more detail; the fairer yardstick here is the A36.

Decision rules: when the A36 wins and when the A37 does

Choose the Galaxy A36 5G (Refurbished) when:

• £249 is your ceiling: Very Good costs £211.99 with 128GB or £248.99 with 256GB
• you need 256GB in a colour other than White without passing £250
• you'd rather have a graded refurbished phone than an Open Box one
• a battery floor matters: Very Good and above carry a stated minimum of 85% battery health at dispatch, while the A37 listings give no figure

Choose the Galaxy A37 5G (Open Box) instead when:

• you want 256GB and White is acceptable, at £273.99
• the extra year of updates, to March 2032, is worth about £61 to you

Other phones in the same price band

Galaxy A57 5G, Open Box (Activated), international stock, 128GB (£278.99). Most A37 buyers should check this first. It costs £5.51 more than the cheapest 128GB A37 and the same as the two £278.99 A37 128GB listings. Samsung lists the Exynos 1680, a 12MP ultra-wide, IP68 and updates to 31 March 2032.

Like the A37, it's international stock: Samsung UK may not provide manufacturer warranty service, so The Tech Gadgets' 12-month warranty applies. All 2026 Open Box models sit together in the Open Box Galaxy A27, A37 and A57 listings.

Galaxy A56 5G, Refurbished, 128GB Very Good (£243.99). It's £32.00 more than the equivalent A36 and £29.49 less than the cheapest A37. Samsung lists the Exynos 1580, a 12MP ultra-wide, a metal frame and IP67. Its update dates conflict: Samsung promised six Android upgrades and six years of security updates, which points to about March 2031, while its UK page says 31 March 2032. Plan on the earlier date. See how the A36 stacks up against the A56.

Galaxy A27 5G, Open Box (Activated), international stock, 128GB (£233.99), or Galaxy A26 5G, Refurbished, 128GB Very Good (£165.99). These are the step down. The A27 has the same Snapdragon chip as the A36 and updates to 31 July 2032, but only IP64, 25W charging and no eSIM listed. The A26 saves £46.00 on the A36 and adds microSD, but charges at 25W.

For calls, messaging, streaming and social apps, spending beyond the A37 isn't justified; the A57's case rests on its camera and chip.

Who should not buy the A36 or the A37

• Anyone who stores a lot locally and wants a memory card. Neither has a microSD slot; the A26 and A27 do.
• Anyone who wants Samsung UK manufacturer warranty repairs. Both are international stock, so Samsung UK may not provide warranty service for either; the retailer's warranty covers both.
• Buyers expecting a big performance jump from A36 to A37. Samsung's specifications don't show one.
• Anyone who needs a phone for swimming or water sports. No rating makes a used or Open Box phone safe for that, and liquid damage isn't covered.

Refurbished A36 vs Open Box A37: condition, box and first-day checks

A refurbished Galaxy A36 5G has been owned and used. Each one is tested, cleaned and reset in Manchester, cleared of the previous owner's accounts and graded on cosmetics:

• Like New: no visible marks on the screen or body
• Excellent: light signs of use, hard to spot at arm's length
• Very Good: visible marks on the body, screen in good shape

Those three grades carry at least 85% battery health at dispatch. That's your unit's battery condition, separate from Samsung's 5,000mAh capacity figure. A Fair option is listed; the grading page doesn't define it, so ask the team about its condition before ordering. The Tech Gadgets' grading standards set out the process. A refurbished A36 comes with a free USB-C cable, a SIM ejector pin and protective packaging, with no plug and no retail box.

An Open Box (Activated) Galaxy A37 5G was unboxed, powered on and activated a single time, then reset to factory settings, checked and cleared of all accounts. It isn't sealed, and The Tech Gadgets doesn't sell it as new. It ships in its Samsung box with a USB-C cable and SIM tool; there's no mains adapter. No battery-health figure is published for Open Box listings.

The A37 listings say the stock comes from the UAE or Europe, and the refurbished A36 is international stock too. On either phone, expect a model code (and, on the A37, box printing) that may not match UK-market phones. Samsung UK may not provide warranty service for them, which leaves the retailer's 12-month warranty as your cover. VoLTE and Wi-Fi Calling support on an international phone varies with network, plan and software, so if you rely on either on a particular network, ask the team before ordering. There's more on what international stock means in practice.

On arrival, confirm the model code under Settings › About phone matches the listing, check no previous account is signed in, look at battery status, and test calls, data, cameras and charging. The checklist for a used Samsung walks through each step. Don't test water resistance.

On batteries specifically, the warranty policy lists battery defects and reduced capacity as exclusions. Check battery health when the phone arrives. A faulty battery within 30 days is still covered by your Consumer Rights Act right to reject.

Buying from The Tech Gadgets: what's covered

Both phones carry a 12-month warranty from The Tech Gadgets, starting on delivery, covering faults that develop in normal use (not accidental or liquid damage). Keep the order confirmation (and, for the A37, the Samsung box): repairs on international stock go through The Tech Gadgets, not Samsung UK.

For a Very Good A36, the cosmetic marks you can see on arrival are part of the grade, not a fault. If they bother you, your 14-day right to cancel lets you inspect and return it (you pay return postage), and change-of-mind returns run for 30 days if the phone is unused and complete.

Faults are different: under the Consumer Rights Act you can reject a faulty phone for a refund within 30 days. The refund and warranty terms have the detail.

Orders placed by 3pm Monday to Friday are dispatched the same day from Manchester. Delivery is separate: standard delivery takes 1–3 working days after dispatch and is free on orders of £50 or more.

Samsung A36 vs A37: your questions

Is this a hands-on Samsung A37 review?

No. The Tech Gadgets doesn't publish hands-on tests or benchmark results, and this guide doesn't claim any. It compares Samsung's published specifications for the Galaxy A36 5G and Galaxy A37 5G, the support dates on Samsung UK's pages and the prices listed on 5 October 2026. Where Samsung makes a claim it doesn't quantify, such as improved Nightography on the A37, the guide says so rather than guessing at the size of the difference.

Which A37 listing should I choose if the colours are the same?

Choose by price: apart from storage and colour, the listing descriptions are identical. Each 128GB listing offers the same four colours, from £273.48 to £278.99. The non-White 256GB listings offer Charcoal, Grey Green and Lavender at £283.00, £283.99 or £341.50. All are Open Box (Activated) international stock. Pick the cheapest listing that offers your colour and storage, and check the price again at checkout.

How much RAM do the A36 and A37 have?

It isn't fixed for either phone as sold here. The A36 listing says RAM depends on the unit supplied; Samsung UK sold its consumer A36 with 8GB and 256GB, and a 6GB/128GB Enterprise Edition. The A37 listings don't state RAM. Samsung UK's A37 models are 6GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB, but other markets add 8GB/128GB and 12GB/256GB. If RAM matters to you, ask before ordering.

Will a Galaxy A36 case fit the A37?

Don't assume it will. Samsung lists identical outline dimensions for both phones, 162.9 × 78.2 × 7.4mm, but outline dimensions don't cover camera cut-outs, button positions or speaker openings. A case that doesn't line up can cover a lens or press a button. Buy a case made for the model you choose, and check the fit when the phone arrives.

Will the A36 and A37 end up on the same Android version?

Not if Samsung delivers both promises in full. Each phone is promised six Android upgrades, but the A36 started on Android 15 and the A37 on Android 16, so the A37's last promised upgrade is one version higher. Security support differs by a year as well: Samsung UK lists 31 March 2031 for the A36 and 31 March 2032 for the A37, and for both phones that date matches Samsung's six-year commitment.

Do both phones support eSIM, and can I add a memory card?

Both support eSIM. Samsung UK lists dual nano-SIM, nano-SIM plus eSIM, or dual eSIM on the Galaxy A36 5G and Galaxy A37 5G, so you can run two numbers with or without a second physical SIM. Neither takes a microSD card. Whatever storage you buy is what you'll have for the life of the phone, which is why the 256GB choice matters more here than on the A26 or A27.

Does either phone come with a charger?

No. The refurbished A36 comes with a USB-C cable and SIM pin, and the Open Box A37 ships boxed with a USB-C cable and SIM tool. Neither includes a mains plug. Both support 45W charging, but you need a compatible charger to reach that speed; Samsung sells its 45W charger separately, so budget for one if the full speed matters to you.

Verdict: the 256GB White A37 is the one to beat

For buyers who can spend about £274, the Open Box Galaxy A37 5G is the better buy, and the 256GB White listing at £273.99 is the standout. It gives you double the storage of the cheapest 128GB A37 for 51p more, IP68 on paper, updates to March 2032 and a phone set up only once. As with the A36, it's international stock, with The Tech Gadgets rather than Samsung UK handling warranty repairs.

The refurbished Galaxy A36 5G remains the right choice on a firm budget. A Very Good 128GB at £211.99 shares the A37's screen, battery, charging, eSIM and camera specifications, and its updates run to March 2031. If you need 256GB in a colour other than White, the 256GB Very Good A36 at £248.99 beats a 128GB A37.

Choose something else if camera hardware or performance is the priority: at £278.99, the Open Box Galaxy A57 5G 128GB, also international stock under the same warranty arrangement, is worth comparing before you commit to a 128GB A37.