Samsung Galaxy A34 5G Hands-on, First Impressions

Samsung has just launched its two newest A-series devices for 2023: the Galaxy A34 5G and the Galaxy A54 5G.

We’ve already done a quick hands-on and first impression on the slightly smaller and more expensive Galaxy A54 5G, which you can find here 11. Now it’s time for the bigger Samsung Galaxy A34 5G.

Let’s take a look!

For the display, the Galaxy A34 5G is rocking a 6.6-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED screen, which is 0.1 larger than last year’s A33 and has a 120 Hz refresh rate, up from 90 Hz compared to last year as well.

At first glance, the display is classic Samsung with a bright and vibrant panel with punchy colors and good viewing angles. The screen is also quick and snappy, thanks to that 120 Hz display.

The A34 adopts the teardrop notch that we usually find in Samsung’s A-series devices. And just like last year’s A33, the A34 unfortunately also has pretty big bezels all around the display.

For design, the A34 adopts the refined and boxier look of the newly released flagship S23 series. It has an aluminum frame that matches the color of the phone — we have the violet colorway in the studio today.

It has a plastic back with what Samsung calls a Prism Pattern panel.

We can also find here the A34’s rear camera system —which also follows the S23 design, removing the camera bump completely and leaving the three camera lenses bare and exposed.

The power button and volume rocker are on the right.

Meanwhile, the SIM and microSD card slot is on top; and the USB-C port and speaker grill are on the bottom. The A34 5G as a whole also has an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance.

We like how the outer aluminum frame is all one piece with no panel lines in sight, making it feel more premium than what the price suggests. Samsung also says that the phone is made with eco-friendly and recycled materials.

While we don’t know exactly what materials were recycled for the phone, we’re happy to report that the A34 feels good in the hand and doesn’t feel cheap.

For specs, the A34 5G has a MediaTek Dimensity 1080 with 8GB of RAM and either 128 or 256GB of storage. It’s also running the latest Android 13 and Samsung’s OneUI 5.1.

Samsung promises to support both the A34 and A54 with four major OS updates and five years of security updates, which is class-leading in the Android space.

It also carries a 5000 mAh battery with 25W of fast charging and an under-display fingerprint sensor.

We’re honestly pretty excited to see how long the battery in the A34 can last given that it features a hefty battery size and the Dimensity 1080 chip — which has a focus on maximizing power savings and battery efficiency.

For cameras, the A34 5G has a triple camera setup led by a 48MP OIS main sensor with an F1.8 aperture; an 8MP Ultra-Wide at F2.2; and a 5MP Macro at F2.4.

It also has a 13MP F2.2 for selfie camera on the front.

For a price of Php 19,990USD 341INR 28,878EUR 324CNY 2,481 for the 128GB version and Php 21,990USD 375INR 31,767EUR 357CNY 2,729 for the 256GB version — the Galaxy A34 5G has a pretty solid set of features for the price. But of course, we’ll be giving it our full review treatment to see how it fares overall.

Samsung Galaxy A34 5G specs:
6.6″ FHD+ Super AMOLED, (1080 x 2340)
120HZ Refresh rate
MediaTek Dimensity 1080
8GB RAM
128, 256GB storage
Triple camera setup:
48MP OIS Main (F1.8)
8MP Ultra Wide(F2.2)
5MP Macro (F2.4)
Selfie: 13MP (F2.2)
5G, LTE, Wi-Fi
IP67
5,000 mAh (25W Fast Charging)
78.1 x 161.3 x 8.2 mm
199g
Dual SIM
Violet, Graphite

So what do you think of the Galaxy A34 5G? Let us know in the comments down below!