Oppo Reno 14 vs. vivo V50 vs. Galaxy A36: Which Mid-Range 5G Handset Is Right For You?

If you’re in the market for a mid-range handset that neither drills a hole in your wallet nor cuts corners on essential (and some good-to-have) features, we have three hot options for you: the newly launched Reno 14, the vivo V50, and the Galaxy A36. While all three phones offer 5G connectivity (that’s sort of a given in 2025), they’re packed with features such as bright AMOLED screens, capable chipsets, multi-camera setups, and massive batteries.

However, like every other phone on the market, each of the three mid-rangers has one or more key selling propositions, which can either make or break your decision. If you’re unsure which of these phones to choose or want to compare them, here’s a detailed comparison between the Reno 14, vivo V50, and the Galaxy A36.

Oppo Reno 14 vs. vivo V50 vs. Galaxy A36: Tech Specs

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy M36 5G vs. Oppo K13 5G: Which Handset Offers More Value For Your Money?

Oppo Reno 14 vs. vivo V50 vs. Galaxy A36: Design

Dimensions & Weight

• Reno 14: 157.9 x 74.7 x 7.3 mm; 187 grams
• vivo V50: 163.3 x 76.7 x 7.4 / 7.6 / 7.7 mm; 189 grams or 199 grams
• Galaxy A36: 162.9 x 78.2 x 7.4 mm; 195 grams

Of the three phones, the Reno 14 is the thinnest and the lightest.

Materials

The Oppo Reno 14 features Corning Gorilla Glass 7i on the front, an aluminum alloy frame, and a glass back.

The vivo V50, on the other hand, features a plastic back, glass front, and a glass back.

Samsung’s Galaxy A36 features a plastic frame, complemented by Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus+.

Design

All the phones feature a punch-hole screen in the front, with minimal (and nearly symmetrical) bezels on all sides (except the Galaxy A36, which features a slightly thicker bottom chin).

While the power button and volume rockers are located on the right frame of each phone, the USB-C port and the primary speaker grill are at the bottom.

On the back, the Reno 14 houses a square-ish camera module (that protrudes from the back) and contains three camera sensors and the LED flash.

The vivo V40, on the other hand, features a blacked-out camera cutout that houses two sensors on the top and a ring-like LED flash module toward the bottom. Otherwise, the phone has a clean back panel.

The Galaxy A36 has a vertically-arranged pill-shaped camera module with sensors stacked on top of each other. The rest of the back panel has a plain, minimal finish.

Colors

• Reno 14: Pearl White, Forest Green
• vivo V50: Rose Red, Starry Night, Titanium Gray
• Galaxy A36: Awesome Black, Awesome Lavender, Awesome White

IP Rating

• Reno 14: IP66+IP68+IP69 (can survive high-pressure water jets, immersion up to 2m for 30 minutes)
• vivo V50: IP68+IP69 (can survive high-pressure water jets, immersion up to 1.5m for 30 minutes)
• Galaxy A36: IP67 (immersion up to 1m for 30 minutes)

Also Read: Exynos 2500 vs. Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. Dimensity 9400: The Flagship Processors Comparison

Oppo Reno 14 vs. vivo V50 vs. Galaxy A36: Display

The Oppo Reno 14 features a 10-bit 6.59-inch AMOLED screen that supports a 120Hz refresh rate (with options for 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz), 3,840Hz of PWM dimming, and achieves a peak brightness of 1,200 nits. Additional features include a 460 ppi pixel density, touch sampling rate of 240Hz, and 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

The vivo V50 has a 6.77-inch AMOLED screen that also supports a 120Hz refresh rate, 3,840Hz PWM dimming, and achieves a local peak brightness of 4,500 nits (although the screen is capped at 1,300 nits in the high-brightness mode). The screen is slightly less sharp at 388 ppi, but it supports P3 wide color gamut.

Samsung’s mid-range handset, the Galaxy A36 5G, features a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen that supports a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz and boasts a peak brightness of 1,900 nits (limited to 1,200 nits in the high-brightness mode). Unlike the other two phones in this comparison, the Galaxy A36 5G doesn’t come with an HDR10+ certification.

So, if you’re someone who consumes a lot of content via OTT apps like Netflix, the Reno 14 and the vivo V50 could potentially provide a better experience. The vivo V50, in particular, has a higher HBM brightness and local peak brightness. The Reno 14, on the other hand, has the sharpest display of all phones in the comparison.

Oppo Reno 14 vs. vivo V50 vs. Galaxy A36: Performance

Under the hood, the Reno 14 is powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 8350 (4nm) processor, which features one 3.35 GHz prime core and Mali G615-MC6 GPU paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. For easy comparison, the chip scores 1,285/4,325 points in the single/multi-core GeekBench 6 CPU test.

The vivo V50 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 (4nm) SoC that features a 2.63 GHz prime core and the Adreno 720 GPU paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 512GB of UFS 2.2 (this is an aspect where the handset cuts some corners). During our test, the device scored 1,128/3,141 points in the single/multi-core GeekBench 6 CPU test.

The Galaxy A36 features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 (4nm) processor, which includes four 2.4GHz performance cores, paired with the Adreno 710 GPU. It also comes with up to 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of storage (some version of UFS 2). In our review of the Galaxy A36 5G, the device scored around 1,015/2,915 points in the single/multi-core GeekBench 6 CPU test.

According to the benchmark scores, the Reno 14 appears to be the most powerful device of all. The vivo V50 comes in second place, followed by the Galaxy A36 5G.

Also Read: POCO F7 vs. iQOO Neo 10: Which is THE Ultimate Performer Under 35K?

Oppo Reno 14 vs. vivo V50 vs. Galaxy A36: Software

Out of the box, the Reno 14 runs on ColorOS 15 based on Android 15. The handset features Trinity Engine and Luminous Rendering Engine for smooth multitasking and animations. It offers numerous customization options for the lock and home screens, as well as app and icon fonts.

The operating system also offers features like AI Mind Space, AI Search, AI Eraser, and AI Unblur, among others. Lastly, Oppo has promised to provide four years of major Android updates and five years of security updates.

The vivo V50 features Funtouch OS 15 based on Android 15. While the operating system comes with multiple pre-installed apps, it also includes useful features such as Circle to Search, AI Eraser 2.0, Live Call Translation, and AI Transcript Assist. The manufacturer has promised to provide three years of operating system and four years of security updates with the handset.

The Samsung Galaxy A36 5G runs on the One UI 7.0 user interface, built on top of Android 15. It offers features such as Object Eraser, Edit Suggestion, Photo Remaster, Google’s Circle to Search, and Create Filter, as part of what Samsung calls “Awesome Intelligence.” What’s excellent is Samsung’s commitment toward providing six years of Android and security updates on the handset.

While you could have a personal preference for different user interfaces, Samsung’s Galaxy A36 5G excels in terms of longevity.

Also Read: vivo T4 Ultra vs. realme GT 7: Which Flagship Killer Offers More Value For Your Money?

Oppo Reno 14 vs. vivo V50 vs. Galaxy A36: Optics

Reno 14 Camera Configuration

• Primary Camera: 50MP (f/1.8, OIS)
• Secondary Camera: 50MP (f/2.8, OIS) sensor with 3.5x optical zoom lens
• Tertiary Camera: 8MP (f/2.2, 116°) ultrawide sensor with autofocus
• Front Camera: 50MP (f/2.0) with autofocus

The Reno 14 is the only phone in the comparison that can record 4K videos at 60 fps, both from the primary and the selfie camera.  

vivo V50 Camera Configuration

• Primary Camera: 50MP (f/1.9, OIS)
• Secondary Camera: 8MP (f/2.0, 119°) ultrawide sensor with autofocus
• Front Camera: 50MP (f/2.0) with autofocus

The vivo V50 features ZEISS optics, along with ZEISS Portrait Styles for the primary camera.

Galaxy A36 Camera Configuration

• Primary Camera: 50MP (f/1.8, OIS)
• Secondary Camera: 8MP (f/2.2, 123°) ultrawide sensor
• Tertiary Camera: 5MP (f/2.4) macro shooter
• Front Camera: 12MP (f/2.4) with autofocus

Both the primary and the front camera on the Galaxy A36 can record 10-bit HDR videos.

Among the phones, the Reno 14 possesses the most versatile camera system.

Oppo Reno 14 vs. vivo V50 vs. Galaxy A36: Battery

The Reno 14 boasts a 6,000 mAh battery that supports 80W wired charging.

The vivo V50 sports a similar 6,000 mAh battery cell, but with a silicon-carbon anode. It supports 90W wired charging.

Samsung’s Galaxy A36 5G features a 5,000 mAh battery with support for 45W wired charging.

Also Read: OnePlus 13s vs. Xiaomi 15: Which Compact Flagship Suits You Better? Find Out Here

Oppo Reno 14 vs. vivo V50 vs. Galaxy A36: Connectivity

Oppo’s Reno 14 supports 5G, Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth v5.4, GPS, GLONASS, NFC, an IR Blaster, and a USB Type-C 2.0 port.

The vivo V50 provides 5G connectivity, along with Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth v5.4, GPS, GLONASS, NFC, and a USB Type-C 2.0 port.

The Samsung Galaxy A36 is compatible with 5G networks, as well as Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, GPS, GLONASS, NFC, and a USB Type-C 2.0 port.

Oppo Reno 14 vs. vivo V50 vs. Galaxy A36: Price & Conclusion

Oppo Reno 14 5G Price

• Oppo Reno 14 5G (8GB + 256GB): Rs. 37,999
• Oppo Reno 14 5G (12GB + 256GB): Rs. 39,999
• Oppo Reno 14 5G (12GB + 512GB): Rs. 42,999

While the Oppo Reno 14 is an all-rounder, its triple-rear-facing camera sets it apart in our comparison. Further, it features the Dimensity 8350 SoC, which provides more processing power than the other two phones. Oppo has also improved its software update game, offering five years of major operating system updates.

Last but not least, the 6,000 mAh battery on the handset should last more than a day of moderate usage.

vivo V50 5G Price

• vivo V50 5G (8GB + 128GB): Rs. 34,999
• vivo V50 5G (8GB + 256GB): Rs. 36,999
• vivo V50 5G (12GB + 512GB): Rs. 40,999

If you’re looking for a big-screen smartphone with an AMOLED screen that feels as bright outdoors as it does indoors, the vivo V50 could be the ideal device for you. It also features a capable Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 (4nm) chip, a dual 50MP camera setup, and a massive 6,000 mAh Si/C battery that charges faster than the battery on the Reno 14.

If you’re into photography, you could also use the ZEISS Portrait styles.

Galaxy A36 5G Price

• Samsung Galaxy A36 5G (8GB + 128GB): Rs. 30,999
• Samsung Galaxy A36 5G (8GB + 256GB): Rs. 33,999
• Samsung Galaxy A36 5G (12GB + 256GB): Rs. 36,999

While the Galaxy A36 5G features a Super AMOLED screen, it will receive new One UI updates for six years, until 2031. Hence, it is a good investment for someone who prioritizes longevity in a device. Besides updates, Samsung’s One UI provides a reliable and stable user interface packed with customization options and useful AI-based features.

Of all the phones, the Galaxy A36 5G is the most affordable for the 256GB variant. If you can compromise a bit on performance, the handset offers excellent value for your money.

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