Mehmet Demirbaş
Samsung, which also made its name in the middle segment with price-performance smartphones, introduced the Samsung Galaxy A34, one of the new A series devices, last March. Samsung Galaxy A34 was released as a model that Samsung launched to increase the quality of price-performance products in the middle segment and to continue the competition.
Samsung Galaxy A34, which has been on the agenda since the release of this model, continues the general design line that Samsung continues with the S23 family, and aims to offer users a powerful experience at the mid-level. In terms of Design, Screen, Camera, Performance, Battery Performance, Connection Features, and price, can it offer users what it promises in terms of price performance? What are the differences between it and its competitors? You can be sure that all your questions will be answered in this review.
Design
The design of the Samsung Galaxy A34 brings to mind the question of whether this is the Galaxy S23 when viewed from the back. With a length of 161.3 mm, a width of 78.1 mm, and a thickness of 8.2 mm, you will realize that it is a thin but large device in your hand. However, it is also quite light with a weight of 199 grams. Unfortunately, the frame and the back of the device are made of plastic, which gives it a cheap look. The plastic casing raises concerns about durability and makes it appear vulnerable to drops.
The front of the device has a more interesting design than the back. It comes with a drop-notch design, which is a slightly older design than its competitors in the same price segment. There are physical buttons on the right side of the device, while there is nothing on the left side. There is a SIM tray on the top of the device, while the speaker grille and USB Type-C port are on the bottom. The 3.5mm jack input is not preferred in this model. Samsung Galaxy A34 offers users some personalization options with four different color options: Lime, Graphite, Violet, and Silver, allowing users to customize their device to suit their style.
Overall, the design of the Samsung Galaxy A34 is inspired by the Galaxy S23 and is made of plastic to keep it cheap. While this reflects its affordability in the price segment, it doesn’t provide a premium feel, especially with the drop notch on the front.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy A34 comes with a large 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display, which can be considered quite large. This screen offers a vivid and fluid visual experience with Full HD+ resolution and 120Hz screen refresh rate. Its brightness of up to 1000 nits is quite sufficient for outdoor use.
For those who love to consume content, the Samsung Galaxy A34 offers an ideal screen to enjoy high-resolution content combined with L3 certification on Netflix. However, unfortunately, the drop notch design and the lack of HDR support is a feature that content consumption lovers will consider as a minus.
It is possible to say that the screen of the device is generally sufficient, but we know that it can offer better screen features from a brand of Samsung caliber. The Redmi Note 12 Pro 4G, which is in the same price scale, has a screen with Dolby Vision support as well as a dot-notch screen.
Performance
Samsung Galaxy A34 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chipset. This chipset consists of 2x ARM Cortex-A78 performance cores running at 2.6 GHz and 6x ARM Cortex-A55 productivity cores running at 2.0 GHz. As for the graphics unit, this chipset uses the Mali-G68 MC4 graphics unit and offers enough power.
This chipset is capable of handling everyday tasks quickly and delivering impressive performance in games. Up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage options offer users a sufficient range, while the up to 8GB RAM Plus feature takes performance to the next level.
If we look at some tests with the Samsung Galaxy A34, it managed to score 554,400 points in the AnTuTu v10 test. In the GeekBench 6 test, it managed to score 1027 points in single-core and 2485 points in multi-core test.
Camera
Samsung Galaxy A34 offers a versatile triple-camera system. A 48MP camera was preferred as the main camera. This camera with F1.8 aperture proves that it is a device above its segment in terms of a camera with OIS support. This camera will help users capture clear and vivid photos even in low light conditions.
There is an 8MP wide-angle camera and a 5MP macro camera as auxiliary cameras. The 8MP wide-angle camera has an aperture of F2.2. With enough light, you can be sure that it can capture wide landscapes perfectly. The 5MP macro camera has an aperture of F2.4, ideal for detailed close-ups. On the front is a 13MP selfie camera with an aperture of F2.2. Samsung Galaxy A34 also received 92 points from the camera test of DxOMark, which is known for its tests, showing that we should not expect much from this device in terms of camera, but it has a very sufficient camera.
In terms of video performance, it can record 4K 30fps video with front and rear cameras. We are used to 4K 30FPS video recording on the rear camera in this price segment, but what Samsung does differently here is that it can also perform this video recording performance on the front camera.
Battery
Samsung Galaxy A34 is also adequate in terms of battery life. Although the device is so thin, it offers a long battery life with its 5,000 mAh battery capacity and lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technology. This large battery is more than enough for daily use. This device, which can be charged via USB Type-C, can be seen as a low value in that it has 25W fast charging support despite its large battery. However, with this fast support, we can fill a 5000mAh battery in a very reasonable time like 1 hour 30 minutes.
The battery performance of the Samsung Galaxy A34 is sufficient for daily use. It is worth mentioning that the device can consume less power with 6x ARM Cortex-A55 efficiency cores running at 2.0 GHz in the MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chipset that powers the device. DxOMark, known for its tests, once again shows that it is ambitious about battery performance by getting 129 points from the battery test. With this score, Xiaomi 13 Pro can leave behind its high-end competitors such as iPhone 14 Plus.
Connectivity Features
The Samsung Galaxy A34 is a smartphone that offers multiple connectivity options. Offering 4.5G LTE support as well as 5G support, this smartphone provides fast data download and upload speeds, ensuring smooth viewing and loading of online content. Wi-Fi 5 support provides fast Internet connectivity over wireless networks. It also supports Bluetooth 5.3, the latest Bluetooth technology, enabling seamless connection to wireless headphones, speakers, and other Bluetooth devices.
With NFC support, you can easily use NFC-based features such as wireless payments and data sharing. The GPS feature enables the use of location-based services and supports map navigation and positioning capabilities. With these connectivity features, the Galaxy A34 is a sufficient and diverse device to meet your daily communication needs.
Other Features
If we look at the other features of the Samsung Galaxy A34, although this smartphone is so cheap, it has an IPX7 certificate proven to be resistant to water for up to 30 minutes and an IP6X certificate proven to be resistant to dust. On the security side, apart from traditional methods, our device also includes an under-screen fingerprint reader and artificial intelligence face recognition options.
In addition, perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the Samsung Galaxy A34 is that it can offer 4 years of Android update support and 5 years of security update support. While it is difficult to see even 3 years of Android update support in this price segment, it is admirable that Samsung offers 4 years of update support for this device.
Price
Samsung Galaxy A34 stands out with an excellent price-performance ratio and powerful features. This device, which can easily fulfill all kinds of tasks, offers high-quality photo and video experiences. With a price tag starting at $210, this device shows that it is the best phone that can be bought at this price in terms of price performance.
Samsung Galaxy A34 stands out as an attractive option for both technology enthusiasts and those looking for a budget-friendly option. It is a phone that can always give enough performance in daily work, you will not have problems with content consumption, the charge can go for long periods and most important budget-friendly, price-performance ratio is quite high.
