Samsung Galaxy A34 in the test: Really good smartphone from 330 euros

With the Samsung Galaxy A34, the Koreans offer an inexpensive entry into the smartphone portfolio. It sits above the entry-level Samsung Galaxy A14 and below the Galaxy A54. The predecessor Samsung Galaxy A33 (test report) was one of the best sellers of the electronics giant in 2022. The successor Galaxy A34 is slightly larger, now offers 120 Hz instead of 90 Hz for the OLED display and a Mediatek chip instead of the in-house Exynos 1280. Three lenses and optical image stabilization (OIS) are used in the camera equipment.

At first glance, the Galaxy A34 looks really chic. Visually, Samsung adapts it to the design language of the new Galaxy S23 series (guide). These include the three distinctive rings around each individual lens on the back. Our test device shines in silver – it might be a little too shiny for our taste.

If you then hold it in your hand, disillusionment spreads. As with the predecessor, the entire housing is made of plastic. Only this time Samsung covers it with the metallic finish. We found the solution for the Galaxy A33 almost more honest – no attempt was made to hide the plastic. At least the glossy surface is surprisingly insensitive to fingerprints. We think that’s a success. The workmanship is also solid and does not have any significant gaps or uneven edges, the pressure point of the keys is firm. In summary: The Galaxy A34 looks classy, ​​but doesn’t feel like it.

It has grown significantly compared to its predecessor and the Galaxy A54. At 161.3 × 78.1 × 8.2 mm, the Galaxy A34 even surpasses the Galaxy S23+ (test report) with the same display size. This is due to the fairly wide bezel around the display. Only the Galaxy S23 Ultra is currently larger in the Samsung portfolio (test report). One-handed operation is no longer possible here. Less beautiful, but not untypical for the price range: the front camera is in a conspicuous waterdrop notch. Only with the Galaxy A54 do you get a fancy punch hole.

The Galaxy A34 withstands contact with water well, thanks to the IP67 certification. According to Samsung, the device is dustproof and protected against temporary submersion to a depth of 1 meter (fresh water without additives) for a maximum of 30 minutes. A protective cover is not included. For reliable protection against a fall, we therefore recommend buying a case or bumper. We show a selection in the guide Alternative to outdoor mobile phones: massive protective covers for smartphones and tablets.

The 6.6-inch display with OLED panel is really great. This offers an optical experience at the upper mid-range level. The resolution of 2340 × 1080 pixels ensures a crisp image with a pixel density of 390 ppi (pixels per inch). Otherwise, the display offers the usual good contrasts and deep black levels, as you would expect from an OLED from Samsung, including good viewing angle stability. The display now flickers at 120 Hz instead of 90 Hz, which has a positive effect on playing games, animations or moving images.

A weakness of cheaper displays is usually too low a brightness. But we can’t confirm that with the A34. On the contrary: With up to 900 cd/m², the screen shines brightly with active brightness adjustment, so it remains easy to read even in sunshine. In manual mode it is only 470 cd/m². Here it is advisable to trust the automatic.

There are three lenses on the Galaxy A34: 48-megapixel with OIS, 8-megapixel (wide-angle) and 5-megapixel (macro lens). The latter serves more as an alibi so that you can replicate the look of the S23 series. A 13-megapixel lens is used for selfies.

In daylight, the Galaxy A34 takes really good-looking pictures. The dynamic range is well balanced, colors appear vivid and image sharpness is good. The main camera combines four pixels into one and offers sufficient image detail, even if it cannot keep up with the 50-megapixel lenses of the S23 models in this respect. The digital zoom gives you good and sharp results at twice the magnification, but above that it gets too pixelated.

The color of the wide-angle lens differs somewhat, grass looks more “gaudy”. Image details in wide-angle shots are rather meager. We’re not exactly fans of macro lenses, especially since it would be possible to use the wide-angle lens with software adjustments. You shouldn’t expect too much from 5 megapixels. Nevertheless, macro shots look coherent overall, significantly better than, for example, with the meager 2-megapixel lens in the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ (test report). In the dark, however, the recordings decrease significantly, then image noise dominates. But that’s not a big surprise for the price range.

Selfies that offer a high dynamic range with a lot of image sharpness look really good – except in twilight. Videos are possible with 4K, but then with 30 fps (frames per second). With 60 fps, only a maximum of Full HD is available. The selfie camera films at 30 fps in Full HD.

For the drive, Samsung does not rely on a chip from its own production, but on the Mediatek Dimensity 1080. This also does its job in the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ (test report) and is comparable to the Snapdragon 778G from Qualcomm. For everyday use, this means a smooth operating system that manages without any notable stuttering – one of the weaknesses of the predecessor. This is also proven by the strong results of 11500 points in PCmark’s Work 3.0 benchmark. In terms of graphics performance, the chip delivers about 2200 points in PCmark’s Wild Life. This is in the middle of our benchmarks, but is sufficient for most casual games.

The main memory is 6 GB, the internal memory can hold either 128 GB or 256 GB. A microSD slot is also available. The slow USB 2.0 standard of the Type-C port is less modern, although not unusual for the price range. This also applies to wireless networks, where a maximum of Wifi 5 is supported. The equipment is completed with 5G, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC and sufficiently accurate navigation via GPS, Glonass and Beidou as well as QZSS. The phone quality is good, and the speakers provide a decent sound.

A fingerprint sensor in the display is used for unlocking, which works quickly and reliably. Unlocking via face recognition is also possible, but due to 2D technology it is less secure against attempted deception.

The system runs Android 13 with the One UI 5.1 user interface. As always, Samsung packs a lot of its own applications and additional apps (e.g. from Microsoft) onto the device, about 30 GB are occupied by the house. At the time of testing, the patch was dated February 1st, which is still current. In principle, buyers are in good hands with Samsung when it comes to updates: security patches are available for the next five years. In addition, four major version upgrades can be expected (up to Android 17).

The battery is quite generous at 5000 mAh. This is also shown by the really good battery life of around 12.5 hours according to the PCmark battery test. The Galaxy A34 easily lasts a day, and with moderate use another.

There is no power supply “for reasons of sustainability”. Only a USB-C to USB-C cable is included. The smartphone cannot charge particularly quickly; a maximum of 25 watts is possible. The charging process from 20 to 100 percent takes about an hour. There is no chi.

The RRP of the Samsung Galaxy A34 is 389 euros for 128 GB, around 20 euros more than the previous model. In the meantime, however, the prices have dropped significantly, so you can get the smartphone from online retailers from 330 euros. With 256 GB, the A34 costs at least 380 euros. The colors available are anthracite, silver, citrus yellow and violet.

The Samsung Galaxy A34 offers a lot of technology for comparatively little money. The predecessor’s design, which took some getting used to, has been adapted to the elegant style of the Galaxy S23 series. However, the good impression only applies to looks; the device looks a bit cheap in the hand, which is due to all the plastic.

The OLED display with 120 Hz looks really great. The performance of the CPU is more than sufficient, except perhaps for hardcore gamers. USB 2.0 and Wifi 5 are less nice. The camera takes great pictures during the day, but then drops off significantly in the evening. But that’s not unusual for the price range. Thanks to IP67, it’s a good cell phone for clumsy people.