Samsung Galaxy A34 5G review: Well-balanced mid-range phone

Samsung Galaxy A34 earlier in the month made its global debut along with A54 5G. In India, it is slated to hit stores on March 28.

. The company is offering the device in two configurations-- two variants--8GB RAM + 128GB and 8GB RAM + 256GB storage-- for Rs 30,999 and Rs 33,999, respectively.

. I have been using the Galaxy A34 5G for close to a week, here are my thoughts on Samsung's latest mid-range phones.

. Design, build quality, and display Galaxy A34 does not carry forward any design elements of the predecessor A33, which has a slim profile and fused camera module on the back.

. Instead, Samsung has incorporated the design language of the company's most premium Galaxy S23 series for the mid-range Galaxy A34 5G. It has a flat display panel with a visually appealing uniform bezel and on the back, it has three vertically aligned three camera islands with LED flash in the top left corner. The module does not protrude and this helps the phone to slip easily into the pocket even in tight jeans pant.

. It has a U-notch camera module on the front. It occupies a very small space at the top and never obstructs while watching multimedia content or reading the news on the internet.

. It has a sturdy frame around the display made of polycarbonate-based material and on the black, it has a smooth cover, which is made of plastic fiber, but offers a glass-like finish. But, Samsung has done a good job to make it appear premium. This review unit is a silver model. I have to say, it is the best among the three colour variants offered by the company. As you can see in the cover shot, the phone reflects colours of the rainbow, when sunlight hits the device's back. Other two colour options include-- graphite and lime.

. The Galaxy A34 5G flaunts a 6.6-inch full HD+ super AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, and Vision Booster, a first for the A30 series to date. It has close to 85 per cent screen-to-body ratio and has a pixel density of 390 ppi (pixels per inch). I had a good time watching vlogs on YouTube and reading the newsfeed on the Phone. I did not face any pressing issues to complain about, even when using it outdoors too.

. Another notable aspect of the Galaxy A34 is the Vision Booster. It ensures the display brightness is uniform at all times be it indoors or outdoors. Based on ambient light sensors, it increases brightness, when it senses the phone is outdoors and comes back to normal brightness, once inside the house or the office.

. With a higher refresh rate, the display delivered really good viewing experience. Browsing the internet on the device was so great and I repeat, it was a delightful experience to watch multimedia content on the Galaxy A34 5G.

. The display is protected with Gorilla Glass 5 shield against scratches by keys or other rough-surfaced articles in the pockets. It also comes with IP67 rating, meaning the device can survive accidental drops in the water body up to a depth of one metre (around three feet) for up to 30 minutes.

. As far as the in-display fingerprint sensor, it works fine without any issues, but users have to ensure the fingers are not sweaty or wet when unlocking the phone. It is good practice to keep the hands clean and dry, which also helps unlock the phone quickly too.

. Performance It is powered by a 6nm class Mediatek MT6877V Dimensity 1080 octa-core processor (2.6 GHz Cortex-A78 x 2 cores + 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 x 6 cores).

. As mentioned in my first impression article, Samsung is setting a new benchmark for RAM+Storage configuration for upper mid-range phones, with the new Galaxy A34.

. The base variant comes with 8GB RAM + 128GB and the top-end mode features 8GB RAM + 256GB storage. Our review variant is the former, and it performed really well all through the testing period.

. The device did not show any sign of lag-ness at all. And, with RAM Extension, owners can expand physical memory by an additional 8GB, to 16GB RAM, provided there is free space in the storage.

. The apps opened fast and switching between multiple apps was a breeze too. I played Asphalt 9: Legends and the Galaxy A34 5G aced with no issues of overheating. Yes, it does get warmed up, which all phones do exhibit when played on for several hours, but it never went out of control.

. The Galaxy A34 comes with Android 13-based One UI 5.1 out-of-the-box. The default user interface is clean, but there are a lot of pre-loaded apps on the phone. On the bright side, even the base model comes with 128GB, which is enough to take thousands of photos and also install new apps as you continue to use the phone for years to come.

. Speaking of years, the device is that it is guaranteed to get four years of Android OS support (up to Android 17, 2027 ) and five years of security software support (up to the year 2028).

. This is a welcome move by Samsung that allows owners to use phones for several years and not have to change in one or two years.

. The device houses a 5,000mAh battery and can easily last a full day under normal usage. But, I have to note that the device will drain a bit faster when streaming content with cellular data on, but not so much when on Wi-Fi.

. But, most importantly, I never had the anxiety of losing out on the battery life before I could return home.

. The only qualm is that the company offers just the Type-C-to-Type-C cable with the retail box and it supports just a 25W charging speed. Prospective owner has to buy the charger separately unless he/she has the older phone's charger.

. With a 25W charger, it is said to take around 90 minutes to fully charge the phone from zero to 100 per cent capacity.

. And, the device supports 11 5G bands and users need not have to update their phones as well. Once you put on the SIM, it will be able to instantly connect with 5G services offered by Airtel and Reliance Jio in India.

. Photography Samsung Galaxy A34 comes with a triple-camera module--a 48MP main camera (f/1.8, autofocus, OIS) backed by 8MP (f/2.2, fixed focus) and 5MP macro sensor (f/2.4, fixed focus) with LED flash on the back.

. It takes fantastic images in the sunlight. Of course, like the premium phones, the native camera ensures the subjects particularly flowers come out warm and punchy bright. They look really pretty worthy to be shared on social media platforms.

. Also, as you can see in some of the sample photos, the phone ensures the bright colours don't mask the minute details of the petals or the leaves.

. In portrait mode, the phone does a fantastic job of making the photo look natural and yet stand out among normal phones. The edges around the bottle are beautifully captured, while the background with artfully blurred.

. And with macro mode, the phone does an excellent job of capturing clear and crisp shots in close range.

. In the night mode, the phone manages to get decent photos with less noise.

. The device can also record up to 4K video at 30 frames per second (fps) and slow motion in HD (720p) at 480 fps. They are good, on par with rival brands in its class.

. It features a 13MP (f/2.2) fixed-focus front camera. It takes pretty decent selfies and even the video quality (up to 4K/full HD 1080p at 30 fps) is really good you can notice the difference while video chatting, but you should have a really good Wi-Fi connection to have the buffer-free session.

. Samsung has also introduced some premium camera features of the Galaxy S series to the Galaxy A series including the AI image enhancer, object eraser, GIF Remaster, Photo Remaster, Snapchat-like tools with Fun mode, and more. This really enhances the photography experience on the device.

. Final thoughts Samsung's Galaxy A34 5G is a well-balanced mid-range phone. It has a lot many things to praise about and less to complain. I am very impressed with the build quality, the display is just top-notch, the best among its class.

. As far as the performance is concerned, it works smoothly and the phone can easily last a full day. it surely won't cause you any battery anxiety as such. And, it is guaranteed to get four years of Android OS update (up to 2027) and security software support up to 2028.

. The camera does a pretty fine job of capturing good pictures in the sunlight, at night, and in controlled conditions indoors. Overall, it is on par with any of its rival brands. But, Photo Remaster, Object Eraser, and other value-added features give the Galaxy A34 5G an edge over others including Pixel 6a, which has shorter battery life.

. The Galaxy A34 5G is a true future-ready mid-range phone, which will surely serve you well for several years.

. Pros -- Impressive display quality and class-leading Vision Booster that delivers an excellent viewing experience -- Durable build quality and comes with Gorilla Glass 5 shield for the display and IP67 rating -- Reliable processor and offer a full-day battery life -- Support 11 5G bands Cons -- 25W charger compared to rival brands which support 33W/66W or faster charging speed