Test of the Samsung Galaxy A34 5G: the opinion of 01LAB

On geekbench 6, The Galaxy A34 5G happily exceeds the Redmi Note 12 Pro which is equipped with the same processor, in addition to two additional RAM GBs with a score of 1038 in simple heart and 2457 in multicœur. As a reminder, the Redmi Note 12 PRO, reached scores of 761 and 2229 respectively. It is different with the OpenCl score which rises to 2391 against 2662 at Redmi.

Samsung Galaxy A34 test: a good smartphone that fails to stand out

The Galaxy A34 is one of the new mid -range smartphones in Samsung and is looking to take the best in the Galaxy range at a low price. Offered from € 399, he rubs himself with competitors with a solid reputation. He knows how to stand out ? This is what we will determine in this test.

Samsung Galaxy A34: Express presentation

That’s it, Samsung presented all of its smartphones for this year 2023. A first quarter loaded with the Galaxy S, and it is now at the Galaxy A, less expensive, to prove themselves. The Galaxy A34 follows the design line and incorporates interesting changes Compared to version 2022. AMOLED screen larger, better technically, disappearance of the Exynos house processor in favor of a solution from Mediatek. Last year, we had some criticisms to do in the A33, it remains to be seen if Samsung corrects the shooting on this version, and if the brand knows how to meet the expectations of the consumer.

Price and availability

With a starting price at 399 €, The Galaxy A34 comes directly to the Poco X5 Pro 5G Poco offered at € 380, at the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro, in Honor and its Magic 5 Lite, but also at the North 2. Summer competitors who have or proven themselves.

The Galaxy A34 5G is already available, in four colors: Black, gray, lavender and lime, and two configurations: 128 and 256GB. You can find it in all the usual brands (Fnac, Darty, Amazon, Boulanger, etc.), but also among large operators.

Technical sheet

Galaxy A34
Screen	Super Amoled 6.6 inches FHD+ 120 Hz 2340 x 1080 pixels
Processor	Mediatek Dimensity 1080 (5G compatible)
BONE	Android 13 + One UI 5.1
Ram	6 GB
Storage	128 GB
microSD	Yes (up to 1 to)
Main sensor	– 48 MP wide angle (f/1.8) – 8 MP ultra wide angle (f/2.2) 5 mp macro (f/2.4)
Selfie sensor	13 MP
Battery	5000 mAh Wired 25 watts recharge
Biometry	Imprint scanner under the screen
Water resistance	IP67
Wireless	– Wi-Fi 802.11 AC (wifi 5) – Bluetooth 5.3 – NFC
Network	– 5g – 4G/4G+/4G LTE
Connection	USB Type-C
Dimensions	161.3 mm x 78.1 mm x 8.2 mm

Our full video test of the Samsung Galaxy A34:

Samsung Galaxy A34: video test

A more modern design

Good news, like the Galaxy S, Samsung makes the outgrowth that came to house the cameras disappear. The constructor finally unifies design on all of its products. We have three aligned sensors, without artifice or fuss. Here in its lime color, the Galaxy A34 leaves an excellent general first impression. The whole is beautiful and balanced.

On the front, we find the large 6.6 -inch screen with an aging design under which the fingerprint sensor is housed. The slab is surrounded by large edges and a much thicker chin than the other three edges. The upper border integrates within it a “notch” drop of water to place the selfie sensor. Honestly, faced with what competition offers, it’s a bit of a shame.

The chassis surrounding the whole is made of brushed aluminum and allows you to house the different buttons and ports. At the top there is a microphone provided for noise reduction during calls, but also a hatch. Surprise ! The latter allows, in addition to putting a SIM card, integrating a second or a micro-SD card to extend storage according to your needs.

On the right, the switching buttons as well as those allowing to manage the volume fall well under the thumb if you are right -handed, but also under the index and the middle finger for left -handers. Finally, the lower edge houses A USB-C port and a speaker. Grand Classic.

The rear face, is made of matt plastic and not in glass. It opens rather well the fingerprints, which is appreciable. Top left, each of the three photo modules is highlighted by a chrome strapping of the most beautiful effect.

Printing on general design is good. You have to be honest, The screen is still old -fashioned. It would have been appreciable for Samsung to take more care and modernize this facade which, do not hide it, is the one that matters most. At this price, the competition takes care to offer a 3.5mm mini-jack port which here is absent subscribers. It’s a shame, in a sector as competitive as the mid -range. Not sure that the prestige of the brand allows him to keep the advantage.

On the dimensions side, the Samsung Galaxy A34 measures 161.3mm long by 78.1mm wide and 8.2mm thick. It is therefore thicker, but also heavier than its competitors.

A slightly old screen, but correct

If it is not the most immersive with its large borders and its drop of water worthy of a 2019 smartphone, the Galaxy A34 5G has not said its last word on this screen part. We have a 6.6 -inch Amoled slab With a Full HD+ resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels. A 0.2 inch enlargement welcome compared to the Galaxy A33. In addition, the slab offers A non -adaptive refresh that can be calibrated in 60 Hz or 120 Hz. Hit 60 Hz can be interesting for long days, if autonomy is missing.

It is Good to offer 120 Hz. This is also an important evolution since the predecessor of the Galaxy A34 was limited to 90 Hz. Nevertheless, we see more and more more impressive screens for an equivalent price, see, lower. This is the case of the Poco X5 Pro which for its part offers a slightly higher pixel density, but also an adaptive refreshment with additional, or the Magic 5 Lite which for its part has, in addition to a 120 screen Hz oled, fine and curved borders.

Colorimetry side, two different calibrations will be available. In lively mode, which is configured by default, the whites shoot slightly on blue, and the brightness is very correct. Even in full sun, the screen remains readable and pleasant. In natural mode, we get closer more than a pure white, more neutral. Conversely, the brightness falls a little and the result is much less convincing.

The screen is pleasant to use. Whether to watch videos or sail more simply on the internet and through the interface. The touch slab is reactive, efficient and offers a satisfactory service.

An interface still as effective

Samsung delivers its Galaxy A34 5G equipped of Android 13 and its ONEUI 5 overlay.1. The latter brings many new features like different colors for selfies, photo zoom functionalities with one hand, shared photo albums or the possibility of customizing the lock screen. Beyond the news precise in this version, we no longer present Oneui which is one of the overlay, If not the overlay, the most convincing on the market.

Navigation is fluid, the parameters are organized in a coherent manner. However, beyond the manufacturer’s applications offered by Samsung, There are a good number of preinstalled third -party applications. Netflix, Spotify, Tiktok, Disney+ or Nexdoor, as well as a set of Microsoft solutions. Fortunately, no unnecessary games, only a few very popular applications. Nothing too important so that could tarnish the experience, but it is still a little painful.

An important point to take into account before purchase, unlike Galaxy S and Z, here the system benefits from major updates that for 3 years, and 4 years of security. Samsung has not yet aligned the longevity of the Galaxy range A with its high -end devices, which have the right to one more year.

Good power, nothing more

The Galaxy A34 5G is equipped with a soc signed Mediatek, The Dimensity 1080 which equips other smartphones on the market such as the Redmi Note 12 Pro. The latter consists of 8 cores. Two cortex-a78 at 2.6 GHz and 6 cores cortex-a55 clocked at 2 GHz. The Dimensity 1080 is completed by a Mali-G68 MC4 GPU which comes to take care of the display and the graphic part. Side RAM, it’s only 6 GB. Ouch ! With the exception of the Honor Magic 5 Lite which offers 6GB of RAM, but offers in addition 5GB of virtual memory, all competitors of the Galaxy A34 5G offer 8 GB of RAM. It remains to be seen what the benchmarks say.

On geekbench 6, The Galaxy A34 5G happily exceeds the Redmi Note 12 Pro which is equipped with the same processor, in addition to two additional RAM GBs with a score of 1038 in simple heart and 2457 in multicœur. As a reminder, the Redmi Note 12 PRO, reached scores of 761 and 2229 respectively. It is different with the OpenCl score which rises to 2391 against 2662 at Redmi.

On Antutu, Samsung’s baby surpasses that from Redmi with a score of 474923 against 426003.

In use despite slightly behind scores on the geekbench6 benchE A34 5G is doing pretty well. The heating remains controlled and the phone responds well in the majority of situations. Games are running without too many problems, with the exception of human impact which, at times has shown a few slowdowns. However, the most gourmet games will quickly be limited. Human impact for example, turned fluidly, yes, but in weak graphics quality. Ditto for Asphalt 9 which has automatically confused on low graphic quality.

Excellent autonomy

The Galaxy A34 5G is equipped with a 5000 mAh battery, A standard that we find on the quasi-majority of smartphones today. “Ultra fast” load here or induction recharging. At Samsung, it’s 25w max in wired !

Samsung highlights the autonomy of 2 days without recharging the Galaxy A34. The least we can say is that indeed, The apparatus has it in the belly. A 30 -minute session on human impact will lower autonomy from 6% to 8%. Usually, for an equivalent playing time, at 120Hz, and with equivalent brightness, there is rather a reduction of 10%. So it’s a good surprise here. During our tests, on work 3.0 of PCMARK, he managed to hold almost 1 p.m. in the use of constant office automation. It is therefore, relating to a more standard use the equivalent of a day and a half, even two days of use for a normal user.

On the recharging side, it takes 15 minutes to go from 6 to 22%, 30 minutes to climb 6% 35% and Almost two hours for a complete recharge ranging from 0% to 100%. It’s slow … very slow, even too slow. We would really like to see a quick (really fast) recharge from Samsung who drags on this point.

A controlled audio part

On the audio side, failing to offer a 3.5mm mini-jack socket The Galaxy A34 5G is equipped with two speakers which deliver a good stereo sound. Powerful, balanced overall, the proposed sound is appreciable and there is a tendency to bring out the treble. A good point for those who like to watch series and films since this balancing will benefit the intelligibility of the votes, a more contrasting point for those who like that balancing benefits more at bass. To connect an external device, you can count on Bluetooth 5.3.

Regarding communications, the rendering is clear and audible both at the level of the listening speaker and the microphone. In fairly noisy spaces, a few background noises manage to pass, But the majority of the latter are canceled by the microphone of noise reduction.

A correct but perfectible photo part

Samsung has equipped the Galaxy A34 5G a triple rear photo module ::

• A main 48 -megapixel wide angle sensor stabilized optically at f/1.8
• An ultra-large angle of 8 megapixels opening at f/2.2
• A 5 megapixel macro sensor with f/2.4 opening

A photo part which does not evolve in relation to last year. The configuration was exactly the same.

The main day -to -day sensor, convincing results. The colors are bright without being too saturated, the transcription of the scene is correct both in terms of light and contrast. The precision and details are present, and the sharpness of the cliché ensured by optical stabilization is very satisfactory. There is a slight loss of sharpness in the edges of the image.

The Galaxy A34 5G is capable of a digital zoom going to X10. In fact, beyond a magnification x4, even x5, the results are much worse. But this is already a comfortable beach to have a little picture in pictures.

Basic, The sensor combines 4 pixels in one to get out of 12 megapixel shots. Via photo mode settings, it is possible to activate the 48 megapixel mode which will offer sharper and more precise clichés, in addition to offering an equally coherent result as in 12 megapixel mode. Nevertheless, the latter, less large, will therefore collect less light. Will come out of the images generally a little darker. This is not so much a concern since this can be easily corrected by applying some standard modifications to the resulting photo.

Ultra Grand Angle, in addition to offering real colorimetric fidelity with the main sensor, also offers successful shots. Certainly less clear due to its lower configuration, they are not to be overlooked. Very logically with this type of objectives, and even more on the middle of the range, the edges of the images will suffer from some distortions and chromatic aberrations. Nothing very bad.

Stay The macro sensor which offers fairly precise, but dull shots. The liveliness of the colors fade and the clichés are darker. That being said, the latter is very regularly shunned by users, once the first tests are made, his interest is therefore questionable.

With low light, forget the macro sensor and avoid the ultra-large angle sensor, Try to favor the main sensor which is the only one to stand out a little in this type of situations. Indeed, the shots are vague, filled with noise, the colors drools, in short, the result is really disappointing. The main sensor of 48 Mp it manages to transcribe the scene more faithfully. It is not perfect. Even with the latter, the loss of precision is substantial.

The last sensor to equip this phone is The 13 megapixel selfie sensor with f/2.2 opening. He too does not bring new features compared to his predecessor. In classic or portrait mode, the latter offers very successful shots. The software clutch is excellent, the precision is there and the post-processing does not distort the subject. If you wish, there is a beauty mode as well as a “fun” mode bringing together a collection of filters.

On the video side, the Galaxy A34 5G is able to film up to 4K at 30 frames per second, but also accelerated, or slowed down at 480 images per second in 720p.

Samsung finally offers a correct photo part on this Galaxy A34, but nothing more. The apparatus is pale next to the Poco X5 Pro and its main 108 MP sensor (signed Samsung). The Korean brand has accustomed us to a photo excellence which is not transcribed here and it is a shame.

Final note of the test: Samsung Galaxy A34 5G

The Galaxy A34 5G is a nice phone, correct for its price but which suffers from competition in aggressive tariff placement. The Poco X5 Pro being its most impressive rival. Basically, the Galaxy A34 manages to offer a more pleasant experience than its competitors such as the Redmi Note 12 Pro or the Poco X5 Pro, in particular on longevity with one year of additional updates, the interface, or the slightly higher performance. Nevertheless, he arrives much less equipped than his opponents. No charger, no protection out of the box, small things that inevitably increase the bill and dig the gap. Without counting on the screen borders which are really aging. The Galaxy A34 5G is a good mid -range phone but which deserved a pricing effort to come and take a more competitive place.

• The care taken in autonomy
• The main sensor offering pretty pictures
• The 120 Hz refreshment rate
• Well -controlled audio

• The aging design
• The price positioning well above what the competition offers
• The absence of a 3.5 mm jack port
• Photos in low light

Test of the Samsung Galaxy A34 5G: the opinion of 01LAB

Like every year, Samsung returns to the front of the stage with its smartphones in the “A” range. We tested the Galaxy A34 5G, a mid -range reference offered below 400 euros. After scrutinizing our 01LAB tests, we give you our verdict.

01net’s opinion.com

Samsung Galaxy A34 5G

• + Light 120 Hz screen
• + Gorilla Glass 5 protection
• + Very good autonomy
• + IP67 certification (waterproof and dust)
• + Grand-angle camera with optical stabilization
• + Double SIM 5G
• + Extensible memory
• + 4 years of Android maj and 5 years of safety maj

• – Perfectible design and finishes
• – A black version that marks fingerprints
• – Screen colors
• – Night photos
• – Ultra-Grand-Angle and Macro modules
• – Back -up performance in the face of competition
• – Charging time and no charger in the box

Writing note

Technical sheet

Samsung Galaxy A34 5G

System	Android 13
Processor	Mediatek Dimensity 1080
Size (diagonal)	6.6 “
Screen resolution	390 PPP

See the full file

Technical and design sheet

Unlike his Chinese competitors, Samsung does not play the game of the one who has the biggest technical sheet. This does not mean that she is bad for that. Indeed, we note the presence of an AMOLED 120 Hz screen, a 48 MP main camera module with optical stabilization or the presence of an IP67 waterproofing certification, very rare at this price.

Galaxy A34 6+128 GB at the best price basic price: € 399

In 2023, Samsung chose consistency with regard to the design of its smartphones. Indeed, from the Galaxy A14 via the A34, the A54 and up to the Galaxy S23 Ultra, all the phones of the brand have a common point: vertical camera modules and directly integrated into the hull. A simple way for the Korean manufacturer to have easily identifiable mobiles.

We carried out our test with the “file” color of the Galaxy A34 5G, but we took charge of the other colors. The version that most marks fingerprints is undoubtedly black. In terms of materials used, Samsung has bet on a qualitative plastic rather pleasant to touch. Not enough to revolutionize the grip of the phone which remains large with its 6.6 -inch screen and … its large black borders.

Let us come to the subject who is angry: the front of the phone. Admittedly, we are not on a high -end mobile, but at 400 euros, we no longer expected to find an integrated selfie camera in the form of a drop of water. In addition, the fairly thick black borders and the “chin” even wider on the lower part are not very visually visually.

The volume and power -up adjustment buttons are located on the right edge and the fingerprint reader is directly under the screen. He is not the most reactive in the world, but fills his office.

If the helmet connector shines by its absence, we appreciate the possibility of inserting a microSD card to extend the storage memory to 1 to 1 to. An economical way to gain space since Samsung asks 70 € more to go from 128 to 256 GB of storage (only in black version).

Screen

Let’s take a look at the slab in itself. As you can see on the table below, the A34 offers a screen with a 120 Hz refreshment rate. This is also the case for its direct competitors, with the exception of Google Pixel 6a. On the mid -range, do not expect a variable refresh rate, however. Thus, you will be able to choose in the parameters of the Galaxy A34 between the 60 and the 120 Hz to favor the autonomy or the fluidity of the display.

Screen: the Galaxy A34 5G in the face of competition

Refresh frequency color loyalty (delta e 2000 average) screen brightness
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G

On the colorimetry and color loyalty side, Samsung tends to play the saturation card to come and flatter the eye. This is once again the case, as we have noticed by measuring a far too high delta e of 6.79. What to see the colorimetric drift in the naked eye. Remember that the ideal score is the one that comes closest to zero. To get closer to it, we advise you to go to the screen settings and choose the “natural” color mode that brought the Delta E to 3.63. Thus, the colors are much more … natural.

On the brightness side, the Galaxy A34 is among the best students, alongside Poco X5 Pro 5G. With 888 cd/m2 measured, the Samsung smartphone is very comfortable to use outdoors, including by a big sun.

Performance

Antutu: The Galaxy A34 5G in the face of competition

Antutu benchmark 9 score antutu benchmark 9 cpu antutu benchmark 9 gpu antutu benchmark 9 mem
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G

Geekbench: the Galaxy A34 5G in the face of competition

Geekbench 5 multi-core score geekbench 5 single-core score
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G

Samsung is not known to have mid -range smartphones at phenomenal power. After having equipped its Galaxy A33 5G with an Exynos 1280 house chip, Samsung trusts Mediatek for its A34 5G which has a Dimensity Soc 1080.

Benchmarks Antutu and Geekbench highlight the slightest power of the Samsung smartphone compared to its competitors. The Google Pixel 6a and its Google Tensor chip draws their games here and the other phones of our comparison are always positioned a notch above the Galaxy A34.

GFXBENCH: The Galaxy A34 5G in the face of competition

GFXBENCH 1440P AZTEC RUINS VULKAN (high tier) offscreen gfxbench car chase gfxbench t-rex
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G

3dmark: the Galaxy A34 5G in the face of competition

3DMARK WILD LIFE BEST LOOP Score 3DMARK WILD LIFE STABILITY
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G

However, the latter does not show a sign of weakness in use. The mobile is reactive and does not suffer from any annoying slowdown on a daily basis.

The graphic part is provided by the GPU Mali-G68 MC4. Coupled with 6 or 8 GB of RAM, the duo allows you to play all the games of the Play Store, including the most gourmet. However, some concessions will have to be made on the quality of the graphics to be able to play in good conditions. Regarding fluidity, it will also be necessary to be satisfied with the 30 images per second, which is sufficient for most games.

Autonomy and load speed

The Galaxy A34 5G benefits from a substantial battery of 5000 mAh. The low consumption of the Mediatek chip and the good software optimization of Samsung offer it very good video autonomy, like all of its opponents of the day. In versatile autonomy, it does it honorably, but is toast the politeness by the Honor 70 and the Poco X5 Pro 5G, both more enduring.

Autonomy and load: the Galaxy A34 5G in the face of competition

Capacity of battery autonomy in Video Video Polyvalent Autonomous Handling Time
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G 5000 MAH
Google Pixel 6a 4410 Mah
Nothing Phone (1) 4500 mAh
POCO X5 PRO 5G 5000 MAH

On the other hand, if there is one point on which the A34 does not shine, it is its load speed. Samsung no longer providing a load block in the box, we used an official 45W charger for our tests. The phone is unfortunately only compatible with the 25W load. What allow him to find only 50 % battery in 29 minutes. For a full load, it takes 1 h 26, which makes it the worst student of this comparison.

Photo

The Samsung Galaxy A34 5G Camera block is equipped with three modules:

• A large angle (main) of 48 Mpx with f/1 opening.8 and ois
• An ultra-large angel of 8 Mpx with f/2 opening.2
• A 5 MP macro with f/2 opening.4.

We will not dwell on the latter whose use remains anecdotal and questionable quality. As too often with macro sensors on mid -range models, the minimum focus distance does not allow you to get close enough to the subject.

Grand-angle photo in high light: the Galaxy A34 5G on the left, the Google Pixel 6a on the right.

Let us rather look at the main camera module (great angle) that we compared to that of the cador on this price segment: the Google Pixel 6a 6a. Samsung’s phone offers better exposure that results in brighter shots and bright colors. On the other hand, the lack of details is obvious, especially in the face of the sharpness offered by Google’s phone, including in the angles. Between flattering photos and detailed photo, you will have to choose your camp.

Grand-angle photo in low light: the Galaxy A34 5G on the left, the Google Pixel 6a on the right.

In low light, the 6a pixel widens the gap with the A34. Again, the colors of the Samsung are more sympathetic, but the software processing is also very aggressive, to the point of smoothing the image which loses even more detail with causes of difficult light conditions. An exercise in which Google’s mobile and its algorithms are very comfortable.

The ultra-large angle module of the Galaxy A34 is practical to capture certain landscapes or interiors thanks to its 123 degree angle. On the other hand, the defects of the high angle module are exacerbated, to the point of making the shots difficult to exploit if the light conditions are not ideal.

Interface

The Samsung Galaxy A34 5G is delivered under Android 13 with the Oneiui house overlay, here in its version 5.1. We always appreciate browsing the Samsung interface as well, both for its simplicity of handling and for its level of personalization. Beyond its own applications, Samsung is not too abused by “bloatware”.

But the biggest argument of the interface is undoubtedly its extended software support. Indeed, it is one of the models that will receive major updates from Android for four years and security updates for five years. No other Android manufacturer offers this on the mid -range.

The graph above shows in red certain strengths and weaknesses of the Samsung Galaxy A34 5G against smartphones in the same price segment that we have tested in the past 12 months in our 01LAB.