The phone I’d buy my parents is a bargain in this early Black Friday deal

As part of TechRadar’s Gen-Z staff, part of my childhood was dedicated to running tech support for my parents and other family members – and now that I’m a full-time phones writer that’s queries about the best phones on the market, especially around the Black Friday sales season. And one such recommendation is the Samsung Galaxy A36, which is on sale for just $299.99 (was $399.99) at Amazon. In the UK, it’s on sale for £279 (was £309) at AO.

• Shop Amazon’s full Black Friday sale

Last year, the answer to that question was the Samsung Galaxy A35, which is now a daily driver for both of my parents and remains a solid recommendation – but you’d be better off buying its improved follow-up, the Samsung Galaxy A36, especially at a new cut-price.

I recommend the A36 to family members because of its great value for money, solid specs for everyday use, big screen, and decent storage capacity for photos, videos, and apps. However, all of these features make it a great bargain phone for any user. Instead, this Black Friday deal gets you a solid everyday phone that keeps you connected to the people that matter.

(Not in the US or US? See today’s best Samsung Galaxy A36 deals in your region below)

Today’s best Samsung Galaxy A36 Black Friday deals

The Galaxy A36 is a pretty iterative update on the Galaxy A35, which is fine by me as the A35 was already such a strong candidate in the mid-to-low price bracket. Notably, the phone comes with a triple-camera system, which isn’t always assured at this price point.

Granted, those three cameras are a main, ultra-wide, and macro combo, eschewing the telephoto zoom of more expensive Galaxy units. But they’re still able to capture some nice images, especially with the 50MP main sensor. Those photos look great on the phone’s 6.7-inch display, which is as large as some true flagship phones and almost as sharp with an FHD+ resolution.

Inside, the Galaxy A36 sports the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage, which are really decent specs for its retail price and even more so for its discounted Black Friday deal price. The $300 mark is usually where phones start becoming a bit harder to recommend due to underpowered specs, so having the mid-range Galaxy A36 available for a comparable price is really something.

The Galaxy A36 is also a great-looking phone, emulating the overall look of the Galaxy S25 series with a vertical camera stack and rounded edges. It’s got a plastic construction, though, so a case might be advisable to avoid nicks and scratches. And as for battery life, it’s got a 5,000mAh cell, the exact same size as the flagship Galaxy S25 Ultra, so you’ll have enough energy for a full day’s use.

Shop more of today’s best Black Friday sales in the US

• Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $119
• Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs, laptops & headphones
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
• Lenovo: 45% off laptops & tablets
• Lowe’s: up to 30% off appliances, holiday decor & tools
• Samsung: up to $2,000 off appliances, TVs & phones
• Target: 40% off Christmas decor, clothing & furniture
• T-Mobile: up to $1,100 off latest iPhone 17
• Walmart: furniture, cheap TVs & vacs from $69
• Wayfair: 54% off Christmas, furniture & decor

Today’s best Black Friday deals in the UK