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MagyarSamsung Galaxy A34 5G smartphone review: Affordable all-rounder with an extra-bright OLED display
Samsung refreshes its popular Galaxy A series every year right on time for the beginning of spring. It has always been popular with buyers thanks to its good price-performance ratio. In addition to top model Galaxy A54 5G and entry-level smartphone Galaxy A14, the mid-range model Samsung Galaxy A34 5G is also among the newcomers of 2023 and is positioned between its two Galaxy A siblings in terms of features and performance
The Galaxy A34 5G starts at US$315,97 and offers some value for money. It does not change the established Galaxy A formula for success, but still does a number of things differently than its predecessor, the Galaxy A33 5G, which was already very solid. By Samsung's standards, a lot of changes have been made. This is especially evident in the display size, because the Galaxy A34 5G now measures 6.6 inches instead of the previous 6.4 inches.
Other improvements also affect the display, since its refresh rate has increased from 90 Hz to 120 Hz. Samsung has also significantly increased the brightness of the Super AMOLED panel. The processor has also been improved, as the Galaxy A34 5G now uses a MediaTek Dimensity 1080, which is a slightly faster SoC than Samsung's own Exynos 1280 in the Galaxy A33 5G.
Possible competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 84.9 % | 04/2023 | Samsung Galaxy A34 5G Dimensity 1080, Mali-G68 MP4 | 199 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.60" | 2340x1080 | |
| 85.8 % | 09/2022 | Google Pixel 6a Tensor, Mali-G78 MP20 | 178 g | 128 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.10" | 2400x1080 | |
| 85.6 % | 07/2022 | Nothing Phone (1) SD 778G+ 5G, Adreno 642L | 193.5 g | 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.55" | 2400x1080 | |
| 81.9 % | 12/2022 | Motorola Moto G72 Helio G99, Mali-G57 MP2 | 166 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.60" | 2400x1080 | |
| 83.2 % | 06/2022 | Samsung Galaxy A33 5G Exynos 1280, Mali-G68 MP4 | 186 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.40" | 2400x1080 | |
| 85.4 % | 04/2023 | Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G Dimensity 1080, Mali-G68 MP4 | 187 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.67" | 2400x1080 |
Case - Increased to 6.6 inches and with the Galaxy S23 look
Like the Galaxy A33 5G, the case of the Galaxy A34 5G is made of plastic and is protected against dust and water according to IP67. Buyers continue to get a very well made and stable plastic chassis, the front of which is protected by Gorilla Glass 5. The selfie camera is located in a drop-shaped recess, just like in the Galaxy A33 5G.
This is all familiar to us so far. New is the fact that the successor has not only changed the screen size from 6.4 to 6.6 inches, but also the design. The Galaxy A34 5G's back cover clearly borrows from the design language of the Galaxy S23 series.
The back is now completely flat around the triple camera on the top left. Moreover, the three lenses are each surrounded by a silver-colored ring, which gives the back panel a much more stylish look than its predecessor. Despite its plastic surfaces, the Samsung smartphone doesn't feel cheap. At 199 grams, it's not necessarily light either.
Depending on ambient light conditions, the back cover of the Galaxy A34 5G shimmers in a slightly metallic hue. The color effects are particularly pronounced in the color variant Awesome Silver, whereas they are more subtle in Awesome Violet and the Awesome Lime of our test device. Visually, the Samsung smartphone is most inconspicuous in the fourth color variant, Awesome Graphite.
Equipment - Up to 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage
Samsung offers the Galaxy A34 5G in two storage variants. The first is exactly the same as the Galaxy A33 5G, with 6 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128 GB of UFS 2.2, and costs US$329.99. Storage variant number two with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage space is new, for which Samsung is asking US$409.99 and thus US$70 more.
The microSD/SIM slot of Samsung's phone can accommodate either a nano-SIM card and a microSD card that can be up to 1 TB in size, or two nano-SIM cards. eSIMs cannot be used - in the current Galaxy A lineup, this only works in Samsung's Samsung Galaxy A54 5G.
The OTG-capable USB-C port of the Galaxy A34 5G works at USB 2.0 speed and, due to the lack of a 3.5 mm jack, is also used to connect wired audio devices. In addition to NFC, Bluetooth 5.3 is also on board. DRM Widevine L1 is also supported, but the Camera2 API is only available with the support level Limited. If third-party camera apps are installed, they only have limited access to the camera features.
microSD card reader
Using our Angelbird AV Pro V60 microSD reference card, the Galaxy A34 5G achieves solid read and write performance rates on par with the class average, but is slower than the Galaxy A33 5G in the copy test.
| SD Card Reader - average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
| Motorola Moto G72 (Angelbird V60) | |
Cross Platform Disk Test (CPDT)
Software - Android 13 and four guaranteed OS upgrades
The Galaxy A34 5G runs Android 13 and version 5.1 of Samsung's user interface OneUI. According to Samsung, counting from market launch in March 2023, the smartphone will receive up to four generations of operating system upgrades and up to five years of security updates. At the time of review (early April), the Android security patches were from February 1 and thus still reasonably up to date.
Of the 128 GB of our test device, just under 96 GB is free upon booting up for the first time. This is due to the space required by OneUI and the preinstalled Google and Samsung apps, as well as the the dozen or so preinstalled third-party apps such as Disney+, LinkedIn, Pinterest and TikTok. These can all be uninstalled if not needed. However, OneDrive can only be deactivated, but at least made invisible in the app drawer.
Communication and GNSS - Fast WiFi 5 with VHT80
With 17 4G and 11 5G bands, the Galaxy A33 5G offers practically the same mobile frequency hardware as the Galaxy A33 5G, so you shouldn't have any problems getting a signal anywhere. However, the smartphone does not have a radio receiver.
Regarding WLAN, the Galaxy A34 5G uses WiFi 5, including VHT80 VHT80 support, which means it can theoretically achieve a maximum transfer rate of 800 Mbit/s. Connected to our Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 reference router, it doesn't quite achieve this data throughput, but is still fast for a mid-range device.
The Galaxy A34 5G offers very stable WiFi transmission rates that are more than twice as high as the predecessor with a peak value of 679 MBit/s. However, similarly positioned comparison devices such as the Google Pixel 6a and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G are even faster.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Average of class Smartphone (34.8 - 1875, n=208, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Average of class Smartphone (40.5 - 1810, n=209, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Average of class Smartphone (229 - 1894, n=61, last 2 years) | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Average of class Smartphone (598 - 1840, n=61, last 2 years) | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
Via GPS (B1), Glonass (B1), Beidou (B1, B1C), Galileo (B1) and QZSS, the Samsung smartphone uses numerous satellite navigation services to query its current location. In testing, this worked very well with an accuracy of up to 2 meters indoors and even up to 1 meter outdoors.
The Galaxy A34 5G's navigation skills are also adequate for real-world use, delivering precise route guidance. On our approximately 10-kilometer bike ride, the smartphone almost always pinpoints our location just as precisely as the Garmin Venu2 fitness tracker, but often deviates from the actual route taken in densely built-up areas. Why it suddenly goes straight into the lake remains a mystery. We consider this to be a small slip-up that does not affect the overall solid result.
Telephony and Voice Quality
The Galaxy A34 5G scores with good voice quality and its efficient noise suppression ensures good speech intelligibility, even in noisy environments. This also applies to hands-free mode, although voices do sound a little muffled.
Either two nano-SIM cards or one nano-SIM card and a microSD card, which can be up to 1 TB in size, fit in the hybrid slot. VoLTE and WiFi calls are supported.
Cameras - Triple camera with 48 MP and OIS
The camera setup of the Galaxy A34 5G is almost identical to that of the Galaxy A33 5G. The 2 MP depth sensor has been omitted, but it wasn't of much use anyway. A 13 MP camera (f/2.2) is used for selfies, which delivers good image quality and achieves decent bokeh effects in portrait mode. Like the main camera, it records videos at up to 4K at 30 FPS.
The triple camera on the back cover consists of a 48 MP main camera (f/1.8, autofocus, optical image stabilizer, 10x digital zoom), which takes 12 MP photos via 4x pixel binning. While the 8 MP ultra-wide-angle camera (f/2.2, fixed focus) sits at the top of the camera ensemble, the macro camera (f/2.4, fixed focus), which has a resolution of 5 MP, is again found at the bottom.
If you want a smartphone with good snapshot qualities, the Galaxy A34 5G is the right choice. In daylight, its 48 MP main camera takes good photos in standard photo mode, which score with lots of detail and a large dynamic range. Towards the edges of photos, however, it gets blurred in places and zoom shots often appear quite artificial due to the many image artifacts.
Although the picture quality suffers in low light, colors are still captured relatively realistically and the detail level remains reasonably high. Overall, the Galaxy A34 5G does much better than the Galaxy A33 5G in night shots, beating rivals such as the Google Pixel 6a.
Compared to the main camera, the ultra-wide-angle camera is only average. The edges of the image are clearly distorted and details in darker sections of the image are poorly processed, thus increasing image noise. The macro camera does its job quite well. If you hold it 3 to 5 centimeters away from the subject, you get decent results, even if it takes a few attempts.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Daylight photo 1Daylight photo 2Ultra wide angle5x zoomLow light
Our test lab results reveal that the main camera reproduces colors realistically under optimal lighting conditions. The test chart is somewhat blurry at 1 lux residual light, but is still completely recognizable - a task that many other smartphone cameras fail at.
Accessories and Warranty - Without power supply, with optional insurance package
One look at the slim packaging of the Samsung Galaxy A34 5G is enough to know that the scope of delivery is just as slim. The smartphone comes with a USB-C cable, a SIM tool, a quick-start guide and leaflets with warranty information. The Galaxy A34 5G supports up to 25 watts of charging. A suitable adapter is available in the Samsung web shop for around US$20.
The Galaxy A34 5G comes with a 24-month warranty, which can be supplemented with the Care+ insurance package, which is available with terms of up to two years and also optionally includes theft protection. Depending on the package selected, Care+ then costs between US$25-65. In the event of damage, an additional deductible of US$35 (without theft protection) or US$70 (with theft protection) is due.
Input Devices & Operation - Smooth 120 Hz and Always-On display
The OLED display of the Galaxy A34 5G offers a refresh rate of 120 Hz and is very smooth running. This is supported by a responsive touchscreen that offers pleasantly little resistance to the fingers when gliding or swiping. The Always On display function can also permanently display the time and notifications if desired.
Overall, the performance is definitely sufficient for everyday use. The smartphone only needs a short moment to gain its senses directly after booting. It can then take a short time until apps start or the touchscreen reacts to inputs, but this subsides after a few seconds.
The optical fingerprint sensor integrated into the display does its job well and unlocks the smartphone quickly and reliably. Biometric locking/unlocking works with 2D facial recognition, but is less secure due to the missing infrared sensor.
Display - Up to 1500 nits bright
The 120 Hz Super AMOLED screen of the Galaxy A34 5G offers a typical class-standard resolution of 2340 x 1080, but does not support HDR. In return, it surpasses itself in terms of brightness.
At an average of almost 930 cd/m², the OLED screen can easily compete with much more expensive smartphones in terms of luminosity. If you switch from the full screen to a smaller screen section (APL18) in the luminance measurement, you even get up to 1544 cd/m². Without a brightness sensor, the review sample achieves a maximum of 429 cd/m² and still shines at 1.66 cd/m² in the lowest brightness setting.
With its impressive brightness, the Galaxy A34 5G is a welcome exception in the middle class. However, there are certainly competitors that have similarly bright displays, such as the Motorola Moto G72 and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G.
When the brightness is set to 2% or lower, the display flickers in a range from 120 to 253 Hz. Above that, PWM frequency is constant at 240 Hz, which shouldn't bother most users. A DC dimming mode that counteracts the PWM flickering is not available in the Android settings.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 98 %
Center on Battery: 922 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.5 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 2.7 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
100% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.09
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G Super AMOLED, 2340x1080, 6.60 | Google Pixel 6a AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.10 | Nothing Phone (1) OLED, 2400x1080, 6.55 | Motorola Moto G72 P-OLED, 2400x1080, 6.60 | Samsung Galaxy A33 5G Super AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.40 | Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G OLED, 2400x1080, 6.67 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 16% | 10% | -35% | 9% | 31% | |
| Brightness middle | 922 | 758 -18% | 620 -33% | 992 8% | 693 -25% | 938 2% |
| Brightness | 930 | 767 -18% | 625 -33% | 980 5% | 695 -25% | 939 1% |
| Brightness Distribution | 98 | 93 -5% | 98 0% | 92 -6% | 98 0% | 96 -2% |
| Black Level * | ||||||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.5 | 0.9 64% | 1.24 50% | 4.56 -82% | 1.3 48% | 0.9 64% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 3.6 | 2.5 31% | 2.31 36% | 7.96 -121% | 3.5 3% | 1.6 56% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2.7 | 1.6 41% | 1.7 37% | 3.1 -15% | 1.3 52% | 1 63% |
| Gamma | 2.09 105% | 2.2 100% | 2.318 95% | 2.233 99% | 2.14 103% | 2.25 98% |
| CCT | 6661 98% | 6599 98% | 6325 103% | 7098 92% | 6530 100% | 6350 102% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 253 Hz |  | |
The display backlight flickers at 253 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) . The frequency of 253 Hz is relatively high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. However, there are reports that some users are still sensitive to PWM at 500 Hz and above, so be aware. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17933 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Series of measurements at a fixed zoom level and different brightness settings
In the standard display mode Vivid, the OLED panel displays colors strongly, but not too accurately. If you want more precision, switch to the second display mode Natural. At a maximum Delta-E of 2.7, the color accuracy is then just as ideal as the RGB balance and the color temperature.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1.22 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.6245 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.592 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 3 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 1.33 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.6985 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.629 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 3 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.8 ms). | ||
The bright and viewing-angle stable display does an excellent job outdoors. Content is very legible, even in direct sunlight. Only the glossy display surface prevents even better viewing quality.
Performance - MediaTek instead of Exynos
The Galaxy A34 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1080. The SoC, which is manufactured using the 6 nm process, has two ARM Cortex-A78 cores with a clock frequency of up to 2.6 GHz and six energy-saving ARM Cortex-A55 cores with up to clock to 2 GHz. The ARM Mali-G68 MP4 serves as the GPU.
The MediaTek Dimensity 1080 achieves good everyday performance values and also runs current games without issue. In the synthetic benchmarks, the processor is around 10 percent faster than the Exynos 1280 in the Galaxy A33 5G and comes close to the Snapdragon 778G+.
| UL Procyon AI Inference for Android - Overall Score NNAPI | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 1080 (21997 - 22589, n=3) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Average of class Smartphone (207 - 84787, n=149, last 2 years) | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| AImark - Score v3.x | |
| Average of class Smartphone (298 - 245629, n=105, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 1080 (8784 - 9429, n=3) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
With the ARM Mali-G68 MP4, the Galaxy A34 5G also offers sufficient performance for demanding graphics calculations, but is unable to assert itself against the comparison devices in the GPU benchmarks (as in the synthetic tests). At least it's enough for a small advantage over the Galaxy A33 5G, while the Nothing Phone (1) with its Snapdragon 778G+ and in particular the Google Pixel 6a (Google Tensor) offer a little more power.
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7: T-Rex Onscreen | 1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen
GFXBench 3.0: on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL | 1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen
GFXBench 3.1: on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen | 1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen
GFXBench: on screen Car Chase Onscreen | 1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen | on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen | 2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen | 1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen | 3840x2160 4K Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen
| 3DMark / Wild Life Extreme Unlimited | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| 3DMark / Wild Life Extreme | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| 3DMark / Wild Life Unlimited Score | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| 3DMark / Wild Life Score | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited Physics | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited Graphics | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Physics | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Graphics | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 / T-Rex Onscreen | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 / T-Rex Offscreen | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| GFXBench 3.0 / Manhattan Onscreen OGL | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| GFXBench 3.0 / 1080p Manhattan Offscreen | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| GFXBench 3.1 / Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| GFXBench 3.1 / Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| GFXBench / Car Chase Onscreen | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| GFXBench / Car Chase Offscreen | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| GFXBench / 4K Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
The Galaxy A34 5G loads websites quickly and also does well in the browser benchmarks. Samsung's smartphone ranks in the midfield of the comparison devices and even takes first place in WebXPRT 3 & 4.
| Jetstream 2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (13.8 - 351, n=172, last 2 years) | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 1080 (69.7 - 84.7, n=3) | |
| Google Pixel 6a (Firefox 1ß4-2-ß) | |
| Nothing Phone (1) (Chrome 103) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G (Chrome 111) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G (Chrome 111.0.5563.116) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G (Chrome) | |
| Motorola Moto G72 (Chrome 107) | |
| Speedometer 2.0 - Result | |
| Average of class Smartphone (14.9 - 445, n=157, last 2 years) | |
| Google Pixel 6a (Chrome 105.0.5195.79) | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 1080 (62.2 - 73.7, n=3) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G (Chrome 111) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G (Chrome 111.0.5563.116) | |
| Nothing Phone (1) (Chome 103) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G (Chrome) | |
| Motorola Moto G72 (Chome 107) | |
| WebXPRT 4 - Overall | |
| Average of class Smartphone (22 - 202, n=159, last 2 years) | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 1080 (71 - 87, n=3) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G (Chrome 111.0.5563.116) | |
| Google Pixel 6a (Chrome 105.0.5195.79) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G (Chrome 111) | |
| Nothing Phone (1) (Chrome 103) | |
| Motorola Moto G72 (Chrome 107) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
| Average of class Smartphone (39 - 304, n=122, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G (Chrome 111.0.5563.116) | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 1080 (99 - 114, n=3) | |
| Nothing Phone (1) (Chrome 103) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G (Chrome 111) | |
| Motorola Moto G72 (Chrome 107) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G (Chrome 102.0.5005.99) | |
| Google Pixel 6a (Chrome 105.0.5195.79) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 89112, n=210, last 2 years) | |
| Google Pixel 6a (Chrome 105.0.5195.79) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G (Chrome 111) | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 1080 (25154 - 31839, n=3) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G (Chrome 111.0.5563.116) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G (Chrome 102.0.5005.99) | |
| Nothing Phone (1) (Chrome 103) | |
| Motorola Moto G72 (Chrome 107) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| Motorola Moto G72 (Chrome 107) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G (Chrome) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G (Chrome 111.0.5563.116) | |
| Nothing Phone (1) (Chrome 103) | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 1080 (1747 - 1797, n=3) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G (Chrome 111) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=172, last 2 years) | |
| Google Pixel 6a (Chrome 105.0.5195.79) | |
* ... smaller is better
Like the Galaxy A33 5G, the Galaxy A34 5G uses UFS 2.2 memory, but can utilize the speed of the storage chips better than the predecessor, especially in sequential reading, which shortens the times of loading processes.
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | Google Pixel 6a | Nothing Phone (1) | Motorola Moto G72 | Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | Average 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | 26% | 70% | 5% | -12% | 29% | -10% | 60% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 887.41 | 1312.64 48% | 1638 85% | 868.5 -2% | 512.84 -42% | 1008.8 14% | 708 ? -20% | 1505 ? 70% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 494.67 | 712.94 44% | 1351.9 173% | 497.5 1% | 487.66 -1% | 865.59 75% | 517 ? 5% | 1112 ? 125% |
| Random Read 4KB | 216.75 | 219.53 1% | 240.6 11% | 231.4 7% | 216.48 0% | 241.83 12% | 188 ? -13% | 247 ? 14% |
| Random Write 4KB | 206.14 | 225.61 9% | 228.2 11% | 230.2 12% | 194.12 -6% | 234.21 14% | 182.5 ? -11% | 271 ? 31% |
Gaming - 120 FPS is possible
The Galaxy A34 5G is good for gaming, even if it's not always enough for maximum details. But more demanding games such as PUBG Mobile also run very smoothly in HD/High settings at almost 40 FPS. The maximum HDR/Ultra setting can be selected for the tactical shooter.
The Galaxy A34 5G can even utilize the full 120 Hz of its OLED display in graphically simpler games such as Subway Surfers. This doesn't quite work with Armajet, but a good average of 108 FPS is still possible here.
Frame rates were determined with our Gamebench test tool.
Emissions - Always cool in operation
Temperature
The Galaxy A34 5G gives no hints when its SoC is under load, because it does not even get lukewarm at a maximum of 34.5 °C. The 3DMark Wild Life benchmarks show that the smartphone does not have to deal with heat problems internally either. In both the Wild Life stress test and the Wild Life Extreme stress test, the smartphone almost always reproduces the test scenarios at the same speed from the first to the last run, thus achieving over 99% stability.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 34.2 °C / 94 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 34.5 °C / 94 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.7 °C / 78 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
3DMark Wild Life Stress Test
| 3DMark | |
| Wild Life Stress Test Stability | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
| Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | |
| Nothing Phone (1) | |
| Google Pixel 6a | |
Speakers
The stereo speakers of the Samsung Galaxy A34 5G produce balanced mids and highs, while bass is lacking. One of the speakers is located next to the USB-C port, the second below the display in the area of the selfie camera.
Audio devices can be connected to the smartphone via USB-C adapter or paired via Bluetooth 5.3. The Galaxy A34 5G only offers a relatively small selection of Bluetooth audio codecs, namely SBC, AAC, aptX, LDAC and the Samsung Seamless Codec (SSC).
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (90.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 24.3% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (6.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 7.3% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (2.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (18.1% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 11% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 81% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 33% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 59% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Samsung Galaxy A33 5G audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (88.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 26.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 7.1% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.1% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (2.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (20.1% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 26% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 65% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 46% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 45% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Battery Life - More enduring than the predecessor
Power Consumption
The Galaxy A34 5G is quite economical. The average power consumption under load is just under 4 watts, which, apart from the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, is not achieved by any other comparison device.
The 5000 mAh battery can be charged with up to 25 watts. However, a power supply is not included. In our test, it took around 1.5 hours to bring an empty battery back to 100% capacity. Wireless charging is not supported.
| Off / Standby |   0 / 0.13 Watt |
| Idle |  0.69 / 1.61 / 1.66 Watt |
| Load |
4.01 / 6.5 Watt |
    
| |
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G 5000 mAh | Google Pixel 6a 4410 mAh | Nothing Phone (1) 4500 mAh | Motorola Moto G72 5000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A33 5G 5000 mAh | Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G 5000 mAh | Average MediaTek Dimensity 1080 | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -12% | -6% | 6% | -9% | -17% | -10% | -17% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 0.69 | 0.68 1% | 1 -45% | 0.7 -1% | 0.88 -28% | 0.99 -43% | 0.927 ? -34% | 0.897 ? -30% |
| Idle Average * | 1.61 | 1.56 3% | 1.2 25% | 1.1 32% | 1.47 9% | 2.03 -26% | 1.68 ? -4% | 1.452 ? 10% |
| Idle Maximum * | 1.66 | 1.58 5% | 1.5 10% | 1.5 10% | 1.52 8% | 2.08 -25% | 1.88 ? -13% | 1.629 ? 2% |
| Load Average * | 4.01 | 5.37 -34% | 4.2 -5% | 4.5 -12% | 5.38 -34% | 3.97 1% | 4.06 ? -1% | 5.55 ? -38% |
| Load Maximum * | 6.5 | 8.74 -34% | 7.4 -14% | 6.5 -0% | 6.62 -2% | 5.85 10% | 6.45 ? 1% | 8.31 ? -28% |
* ... smaller is better
Power consumption: Geekbench (150 cd/m²)
Power consumption: GFXBench (150 cd/m²)
Battery Life
The switch from the Exynos SoC to the energy-efficient MediaTek Dimensity 1080 has a noticeably positive effect on the battery life of the Galaxy A34 5G. Just over 17 hours of web surfing and almost 23 hours in our video test are very good values that neither the predecessor nor any other comparison device can match.
| Samsung Galaxy A34 5G 5000 mAh | Google Pixel 6a 4410 mAh | Nothing Phone (1) 4500 mAh | Motorola Moto G72 5000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A33 5G 5000 mAh | Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G 5000 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -19% | -26% | -16% | -21% | -24% | |
| Reader / Idle | 2975 | 1878 -37% | 1813 -39% | 2396 -19% | 2041 -31% | 1598 -46% |
| H.264 | 1363 | 1318 -3% | 1059 -22% | 1104 -19% | 1146 -16% | 1043 -23% |
| WiFi v1.3 | 1024 | 768 -25% | 926 -10% | 929 -9% | 771 -25% | 978 -4% |
| Load | 395 | 360 -9% | 259 -34% | 333 -16% | 347 -12% | 299 -24% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict on the Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
As usual for Galaxy A smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy A34 5G offers a lot of value for comparatively little money. With its design based on the Galaxy S23 series, the smartphone, which has grown to 6.6 inches, looks higher quality than its predecessor. But good looks are not the only selling point of the smartphone, as it also has more to offer in terms of features.
A big advantage of the Galaxy A34 5G is the Super AMOLED screen, which has increased significantly in brightness and achieved four-digit brightness values in our tests. In everyday life, you also notice the upgrade from 90 to 120 Hz, which makes operation even smoother. At the same time, the MediaTek Dimensity 1080 is a new SoC that provides a small performance boost and has enough power for current games - PUBG Mobile runs stably at 40 FPS.
The Samsung Galaxy A34 5G is an affordable mid-range smartphone with extensive features and surpasses its predecessor in a number of points.
The long update period is also a strong selling point of the Galaxy A34 5G. Four OS upgrades and 5 years of security updates are by no means usual in this price range. If you take Samsung at its word, Android 17 should also be able run on the smartphone. The Galaxy A34 5G is also popular for its decent camera, which takes very nice pictures in daylight.
In view of its retail price, it doesn't really come as a surprise that the Galaxy A34 5G fails to achieve best marks in all areas. USB 2.0 and WiFi 5 are solid standard fare, but not highlights. Samsung also charges extra for the power adapter, and the maximum charging power of 25 watts is not impressive.
Alternatives to the Galaxy A34 5G are, for example, the Motorola Moto G72 and the Nothing Phone (1), which are also around 6.6 inches in size and each have a 120 Hz OLED.
Price and Availability
In the US, the 128 GB + 6 GB version of the Samsung Galaxy A34 5G is available via Amazon for $315,97. On Amazon UK, the 128 GB version is listed for £349.00, while the 256 version is on sale for £299.00, which amounts to a whopping 25% discount of the original price.
Prices are as of 26.04.2023 and are subject to change.
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
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01/30/2024 v7
Manuel Masiero
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Transparency
The present review sample was made available to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or a shop for the purposes of review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review.
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