Samsung Galaxy A34 5G Review: S23 on cheap

Samsung Galaxy A34 5G appears to be a decent mid-range 5G device with a premium design, an impressive camera, an excellent display, and a high-performing chipset. Additionally, it comes with a 5000mAh battery that provides solid backup and supports 25W fast charging. However, the reviewer questions whether the phone is worth its price and aims to find out in this Samsung Galaxy A34 review.

Samsung Galaxy A34 5G Price in India

Samsung Galaxy A34 price in India starts from Rs 30999 for the base model with 128 GB storage and Rs 32999 for the variant with 256 GB storage. Both variants come with 8 GB of RAM.

Samsung A34 is available in four colour options including, Awesome Silver, Awesome Graphite, Awesome Violet and Awesome Lime.

Design

The Samsung Galaxy A34 has a similar appearance to the flagship Galaxy S23, particularly at the back panel which has the same camera lenses and LED flash. The phone has a glass back with a matte finish, which provides a good feel when held.

The curved frames also have the same matte finish and are rounded around the edges, giving the phone a well-balanced weight of about 199 grams. However, the water-drop notch on the front of the phone does not complement the premium look of the back, making it seem dated. It would have been better if Samsung had opted for a punch hole cut out instead.

Display

Samsung Galaxy A34 does not disappoint with its display. It features a 6.6-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, providing a smooth user experience.

Whether you are navigating the UI or playing games, the display is responsive and enjoyable to use. The screen is also bright and easy to use in direct sunlight. In the display settings, you can choose between High and Standard refresh rate modes, and adjust the screen mode and colours to your preference.

The colours on the display are vivid and the viewing angles are good, enhancing the content consumption experience with thin bezels. However, the water-drop notch does take away from the overall experience, giving the phone a dated look.

Performance and Software

The Samsung Galaxy A34 runs everyday tasks seamlessly without any difficulties. The phone is equipped with the Dimensity 1080 chipset, which is combined with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.

Apps open up rapidly and remain in the background for extended periods without any lag. I reopened them after a few hours, and they were still in the same state. Multitasking is also effortless on this device. Samsung has done a commendable job with the RAM management.

Furthermore, you can play games with high graphics on it. I played COD Mobile, Asphalt 9, and Apex Legends Mobile on it. COD Mobile ran at High graphics and Very High frame rates, while Apex Legends ran at Ultra HD graphics and High frame rates. All of the games ran smoothly, with only occasional lags and frame drops.

The Samsung Galaxy A34 operates on the One UI 5.1, which is based on Android 13. Its user interface has the familiar Samsung look and is user-friendly. It comes with several useful features such as multi-window, gestures, and dual apps for social media.

The phone has some pre-installed applications such as Byju's, Prime Video, Snapchat, Truecaller, Spotify, Netflix, and Facebook, which could be classified as bloatware. However, the good news is that all of these apps can be uninstalled through the settings.

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy A34 is equipped with a triple camera setup at the back that comprises a 48MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a 5MP depth camera, and a 13MP front camera for selfies.

In well-lit conditions, the primary camera captures impressive shots that are sharp, detailed, and have vibrant colors with a wide dynamic range. Portrait shots have good edge detection and nice background blur, with the added feature of adjusting blur level before and after taking the shot. However, the low-light shots lack clarity and details, and even though Night mode helps brighten the image, the results are still subpar.

While the ultra-wide shots look good, they lack detail compared to the primary camera, and low-light ultra-wide shots are not satisfactory. The front camera takes good selfies with natural-looking skin tones, nice sharpness and detail, and accurate edge detection in portrait selfies, even in low-light conditions.

Battery

The Samsung Galaxy A34 has a large 5000mAh battery that offers a long battery life. With more than 6 hours of screen time, a light user can use the phone for two days without needing to charge it.

However, heavy users who play a lot of games might need to recharge it by the evening. For example, when playing Apex Legends and COD Mobile for just over 30 minutes, the battery level dropped by 6%.

Despite the good battery life, the charging speed is not impressive. The phone only supports 25W fast charging, and no charger is included in the package, only a type-C to type-C cable. Using an 18W charger, it took about 2.5 hours to charge the phone from 0 to 100%, which is quite slow. Even with the 25W fast charger, it will take more than 1.5 hours to fully charge the phone.

Samsung Galaxy A34 5G Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy A34 is a mid-range 5G phone that has a premium design and long-lasting battery life. Its cameras and performance for daily tasks are impressive, and it comes with a beautiful display that has stereo speakers for great content consumption.

However, the charging speed is only 25W, which lags behind the competition. Also, the water-drop notch can be distracting and detract from the display experience. Nevertheless, the Samsung Galaxy A34 is a solid choice for anyone in the market for an everyday mid-range 5G phone.