Samsung Galaxy A34 review

One UI 5.1 on top of Android 13

The Galaxy A34 ships with the latest One UI 5.1 with an Android 13 underneath. Samsung is promising up to four generations of OS updates and up to five years of security updates on the A34, which is quite an ambitious goal, but also very vaguely worded. So, there’s that.

You are getting the same general UX and even most of the features of the Galaxy S series, which is great to see on a mid-range device. The good news to all Galaxy users is that list of software features reserved for the flagships has been shrinking in recent years and currently includes niche things like Samsung DeX.

You can choose between a few clock styles of the Always-on Display or opt for an Image Clock. Music info is also supported. The AoD can be always-off, always-on, scheduled, shown only when new notifications are available, or you can opt for tap-to-show for 10s.

Always-on Display

For most, the under-display fingerprint reader will likely be the primary method of unlocking, but you can still use face unlock either instead of or alongside it. It can be more convenient in certain situations, but it generally is less secure since it's just using the selfie camera. You can have the fingerprint icon displayed on the AoD or not, and you can have the reader itself always on or only available after you wake up the screen.

Security options • Biometrics • Fingerprint settings • Fingerprint settings • Fingerprint enrollment

The experience when dealing with the fundamentals is straightforward and familiar. The app drawer, notification shade, recent apps, lock screen, and home screen are all business as usual, as is the general Settings menu.

The accent color palette is automatically generated based on your wallpaper, and the system gives you a wide choice of color combinations and that palette can also be applied to app icons.

One UI 5.1 basics: Lockscreen • Homescreen • App drawer • Notifications • Quick settings • Task switcher

Widgets can now be stacked, and you can switch between stacked widgets with a simple swipe. Keep in mind that not all widgets support stacking, so app developers might have to get around that pretty soon.

Stacked widgets

Modes and routines, a feature similar to Apple's Focus, is present too. You can choose a mode based on what you are doing right now and execute certain actions, change sound profiles, display settings, notifications, etc. For instance, the driving Routines profile can be set up to turn on DnD mode and launch Spotify automatically. You can even trigger certain Routines with actions of your choice, such as turning on the hotspot or airplane mode.

Modes and routines

Familiar proprietary Samsung features include the Edge panels - the panes that appear when you swipe in from the side and provide tools and shortcuts to apps and contacts. Game launcher, the hub for all your games, also provides options for limiting distraction when gaming is here to stay as well. An in-house Gallery app and a proprietary file manager are both present, as well as Samsung's Internet web browser. Split-screen multitasking is also an option.

Edge panel • Game Launcher • Gallery • File manager • Split-screen

Performance and benchmarks

Instead of rocking one of Samsung's own in-house developed chips, the Galaxy A34 is equipped with a MediaTek Dimensity 1080. It's a fine mid-range part made on an efficient 6nm node and rocking an octa-core CPU setup with two big Cortex-A78 cores clocked at up to 2.6 GHz and six Cortex-A55 ones working at up to 2.0 GHz. For graphics, there is a Mali-G68 MC4 GPU on board. Network connectivity is provided by a 5G NR Sub-6 onboard modem, capable of SA and NSA operation.

The Galaxy A34 can be had in one of the following memory and storage configurations: 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM and 256GB 8GB RAM. For the sake of thoroughness, we should mention our review unit is a base model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage.

Let's kick things off with some CPU loads and GeekBench. We can see the Dimensity 1080 holding its own pretty well. Samsung is generally making the most out of the part, as evidenced by the close results of other handsets equipped with the same chip, like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro/Pro+ and the Realme 10 Pro+.

GeekBench 5 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• vivo V27 Pro
  3933
• Poco F4
  3190
• Nothing Phone (1)
  3024
• Poco X5 Pro
  2930
• Google Pixel 6a
  2876
• OnePlus Nord 2T
  2790
• Samsung Galaxy A54
  2703
• Oppo Reno8
  2694
• OnePlus Nord 2T 5G
  2694
• Realme 10 Pro+
  2371
• Galaxy A34
  2316
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro
  2229
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+
  2208
• Poco X5
  2088
• Realme 10 Pro
  2021
• Galaxy A23 5G
  1940
• Galaxy A23 5G
  1940
• Galaxy A33 5G
  1900
• Galaxy A53 5G
  1891
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G
  1797
• Realme 10
  1762
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  1729
• Galaxy A14 5G
  1727
• Redmi Note 11
  1662
• Galaxy A23
  1632
• Galaxy A04s
  1100

GeekBench 5 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Google Pixel 6a
  1047
• vivo V27 Pro
  996
• Poco F4
  975
• Realme 10 Pro+
  842
• Nothing Phone (1)
  820
• Galaxy A34
  781
• Poco X5 Pro
  781
• Samsung Galaxy A54
  770
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+
  767
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro
  758
• Galaxy A53 5G
  743
• Galaxy A33 5G
  742
• Realme 10 Pro
  698
• Poco X5
  693
• Galaxy A23 5G
  676
• Galaxy A23 5G
  676
• Realme 10
  567
• Galaxy A14 5G
  530
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  511
• Oppo Reno8
  493
• OnePlus Nord 2T 5G
  493
• OnePlus Nord 2T
  491
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G
  440
• Galaxy A23
  380
• Redmi Note 11
  376
• Galaxy A04s
  184

It is pretty interesting to compare Samsung's new Exynos 1380 chip, as found in the Galaxy A54 and the Dimensity 1080 inside the Galaxy A34. We can clearly see that the two chips are not far apart in CPU performance, but the 1080 does outpace the 1380 in single-core scenarios due to the higher clock speed of its bit Cortex-A78 units, whereas the Exynos 1380 clearly has the multi-core edge due to its four Cortex-A78 cores, instead of two, like in the Dimensity 1080.

AnTuTu and its much more compound set of tests place the Galaxy A54 and A34 pretty close on the chart as well. So, generally speaking, you are not really giving up a lot of performance by going for the lower-end A34 instead of its A54 sibling.

AnTuTu 9

Higher is better

• vivo V27 Pro
  846767
• Google Pixel 6a
  712092
• Poco F4
  698586
• Oppo Reno8
  619610
• OnePlus Nord 2T 5G
  619610
• OnePlus Nord 2T
  604467
• Nothing Phone (1)
  592789
• Poco X5 Pro
  531398
• Realme 10 Pro+
  522376
• Samsung Galaxy A54
  506678
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+
  498710
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro
  490526
• Galaxy A34
  472126
• Realme 10 Pro
  401860
• Poco X5
  400895
• Galaxy A33 5G
  394918
• Realme 10
  385829
• Galaxy A53 5G
  379313
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G
  319219
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  319093
• Galaxy A23 5G
  318821
• Galaxy A23 5G
  318821
• Galaxy A14 5G
  307886
• Galaxy A23
  273554
• Redmi Note 11
  244526
• Galaxy A04s
  145123

The Galaxy A34 and A54 are also pretty comparable in terms of GPU setup. Both phones and their respective chips have a Mali-G68 GPU. The main difference is that the A34 and its Dimensity 1080 have four GPU cores, whereas the A54 and Exynos 1380 have five of the same GPU cores. The difference in actual performance between the two phones is small but noticeable. Since they have the exact same display resolution, we can even compare their on-screen test results directly.

GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Google Pixel 6a
  47
• vivo V27 Pro
  45
• Oppo Reno8
  31
• OnePlus Nord 2T
  31
• OnePlus Nord 2T 5G
  31
• Nothing Phone (1)
  23
• Samsung Galaxy A54
  19
• Galaxy A34
  17
• Realme 10 Pro+
  16
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro
  16
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+
  16
• Galaxy A33 5G
  15
• Galaxy A53 5G
  15
• Galaxy A23 5G
  12
• Galaxy A23 5G
  12
• Realme 10 Pro
  11
• Realme 10
  10
• Galaxy A14 5G
  8.3
• Galaxy A04s
  7.1
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G
  5.3
• Galaxy A23
  4.7
• Redmi Note 11
  4.6

GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Google Pixel 6a
  29
• vivo V27 Pro
  29
• Oppo Reno8
  22
• OnePlus Nord 2T
  22
• OnePlus Nord 2T 5G
  22
• Nothing Phone (1)
  15
• Samsung Galaxy A54
  13
• Galaxy A34
  11
• Realme 10 Pro+
  11
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro
  11
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+
  11
• Galaxy A33 5G
  10
• Galaxy A53 5G
  10
• Realme 10 Pro
  7.8
• Galaxy A23 5G
  7.6
• Galaxy A23 5G
  7.6
• Realme 10
  6.5
• Galaxy A14 5G
  5.5
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G
  3.5
• Galaxy A23
  3.2
• Redmi Note 11
  3.1

GFX Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)

Higher is better

• vivo V27 Pro
  45
• Google Pixel 6a
  39
• Oppo Reno8
  30
• OnePlus Nord 2T 5G
  30
• OnePlus Nord 2T
  29
• Nothing Phone (1)
  23
• Samsung Galaxy A54
  19
• Galaxy A34
  16
• Galaxy A33 5G
  15
• Galaxy A53 5G
  15
• Realme 10 Pro+
  15
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro
  15
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+
  15
• Galaxy A23 5G
  12
• Galaxy A23 5G
  12
• Realme 10 Pro
  12
• Realme 10
  9.3
• Galaxy A14 5G
  7.9
• Galaxy A04s
  6.6
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G
  5.3
• Redmi Note 11
  4.8
• Galaxy A23
  4.6

GFX Aztek Vulkan High (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Google Pixel 6a
  32
• vivo V27 Pro
  30
• Oppo Reno8
  20
• OnePlus Nord 2T
  20
• OnePlus Nord 2T 5G
  20
• Nothing Phone (1)
  16
• Samsung Galaxy A54
  13
• Galaxy A34
  10
• Galaxy A33 5G
  10
• Galaxy A53 5G
  10
• Realme 10 Pro+
  10
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro
  10
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+
  10
• Realme 10 Pro
  8.3
• Galaxy A23 5G
  8
• Galaxy A23 5G
  8
• Realme 10
  6.1
• Galaxy A14 5G
  5.3
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G
  3.6
• Galaxy A23
  3.2
• Redmi Note 11
  3.1

As we continue down the list of benchmarks with increasingly lower intensity, we still find the Galaxy A34 around the middle of the pack, as expected. There are definitely at least a few devices in the same price range that offer much better graphical performance, in case that's what you are after.

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• vivo V27 Pro
  57
• Google Pixel 6a
  51
• Poco F4
  49
• Oppo Reno8
  42
• OnePlus Nord 2T 5G
  42
• OnePlus Nord 2T
  40
• Nothing Phone (1)
  33
• Poco X5 Pro
  28
• Samsung Galaxy A54
  25
• Galaxy A34
  23
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro
  22
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+
  22
• Realme 10 Pro+
  21
• Galaxy A33 5G
  20
• Galaxy A53 5G
  19
• Realme 10
  17
• Galaxy A23 5G
  16
• Galaxy A23 5G
  16
• Realme 10 Pro
  16
• Galaxy A14 5G
  12
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  12
• Galaxy A04s
  11
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G
  7.5
• Redmi Note 11
  6.8
• Galaxy A23
  6.7

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Google Pixel 6a
  66
• vivo V27 Pro
  63
• Poco F4
  59
• Oppo Reno8
  51
• OnePlus Nord 2T 5G
  51
• OnePlus Nord 2T
  50
• Nothing Phone (1)
  37
• Samsung Galaxy A54
  31
• Realme 10 Pro+
  27
• Galaxy A34
  26
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro
  26
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+
  26
• Galaxy A33 5G
  23
• Galaxy A53 5G
  23
• Galaxy A23 5G
  19
• Galaxy A23 5G
  19
• Realme 10 Pro
  19
• Galaxy A14 5G
  15
• Realme 10
  14
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  14
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G
  8.6
• Galaxy A23
  8.3
• Redmi Note 11
  8
• Galaxy A04s
  6

Lowering the test intensity further still, we finally see the Galaxy A34 break through the 60fps barrier in OpenGL ES 3.0 tests. Remember, these loads are purely synthetic and not representative of real-world game engine behavior. In practice, the A34 has enough power for almost every casual game out there and can even deliver a decent experience in some higher-end titles.

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• vivo V27 Pro
  101
• Poco F4
  84
• Google Pixel 6a
  60
• Nothing Phone (1)
  58
• OnePlus Nord 2T
  56
• Oppo Reno8
  55
• OnePlus Nord 2T 5G
  55
• Samsung Galaxy A54
  46
• Galaxy A34
  41
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro
  40
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+
  40
• Realme 10 Pro+
  38
• Galaxy A33 5G
  35
• Galaxy A53 5G
  35
• Galaxy A23 5G
  29
• Galaxy A23 5G
  29
• Realme 10 Pro
  29
• Realme 10
  28
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  22
• Galaxy A14 5G
  21
• Galaxy A04s
  19
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G
  14
• Redmi Note 11
  12
• Galaxy A23
  12

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Google Pixel 6a
  116
• vivo V27 Pro
  109
• Poco F4
  96
• Oppo Reno8
  81
• OnePlus Nord 2T 5G
  81
• OnePlus Nord 2T
  80
• Nothing Phone (1)
  65
• Samsung Galaxy A54
  52
• Realme 10 Pro+
  45
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro
  45
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+
  45
• Galaxy A34
  44
• Galaxy A33 5G
  38
• Galaxy A53 5G
  38
• Realme 10 Pro
  35
• Galaxy A23 5G
  33
• Galaxy A23 5G
  33
• Galaxy A14 5G
  25
• Realme 10
  25
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  24
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G
  16
• Redmi Note 11
  15
• Galaxy A23
  15
• Galaxy A04s
  9.4

GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• vivo V27 Pro
  117
• Poco F4
  114
• Nothing Phone (1)
  84
• Samsung Galaxy A54
  69
• Galaxy A34
  62
• Google Pixel 6a
  60
• OnePlus Nord 2T
  60
• Oppo Reno8
  59
• OnePlus Nord 2T 5G
  59
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+
  58
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro
  57
• Galaxy A33 5G
  56
• Realme 10 Pro+
  56
• Galaxy A53 5G
  55
• Realme 10
  44
• Realme 10 Pro
  41
• Galaxy A23 5G
  39
• Galaxy A23 5G
  39
• Galaxy A14 5G
  34
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  34
• Galaxy A04s
  28
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G
  23
• Redmi Note 11
  18
• Galaxy A23
  18

GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• vivo V27 Pro
  180
• Google Pixel 6a
  167
• Poco F4
  137
• OnePlus Nord 2T
  127
• Oppo Reno8
  124
• OnePlus Nord 2T 5G
  124
• Nothing Phone (1)
  93
• Samsung Galaxy A54
  79
• Galaxy A34
  68
• Realme 10 Pro+
  68
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro
  67
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+
  67
• Galaxy A33 5G
  60
• Galaxy A53 5G
  60
• Realme 10 Pro
  47
• Galaxy A23 5G
  44
• Galaxy A23 5G
  44
• Galaxy A14 5G
  40
• Realme 10
  40
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  37
• Redmi Note 11
  21
• Galaxy A23
  20
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G
  20
• Galaxy A04s
  16

Finally, we have 3DMark, which is a bit less favorable towards the Galaxy A34 and its Dimensity 1080 chip, placing their performance very close to last year's Galaxy A53 and A33 and their Exynos 1280 chips. Consequently, the new Exynos 1380 inside the Galaxy A54 gets a noticeable, even if fairly modest, uptick in performance.

3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• vivo V27 Pro
  6611
• Google Pixel 6a
  6066
• Oppo Reno8
  4653
• OnePlus Nord 2T 5G
  4653
• OnePlus Nord 2T
  4577
• Poco F4
  4357
• Nothing Phone (1)
  2921
• Samsung Galaxy A54
  2818
• Galaxy A34
  2313
• Galaxy A53 5G
  2292
• Galaxy A33 5G
  2260
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro
  2255
• Realme 10 Pro+
  2252
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+
  2248
• Realme 10
  1320
• Realme 10 Pro
  1218
• Galaxy A23 5G
  1200
• Galaxy A23 5G
  1200
• Galaxy A14 5G
  1197
• Redmi Note 11 Pro
  1101
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G
  652
• Redmi Note 11
  439
• Galaxy A23
  429

3DMark Wild Life Extreme (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• vivo V27 Pro
  1790
• Samsung Galaxy A54
  808
• Galaxy A34
  636
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro
  630
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+
  630
• Realme 10 Pro+
  622
• Realme 10
  366
• Galaxy A14 5G
  331
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G
  135

On the topic of thermals and thermal-throttling, the Galaxy A34 deserves plenty of praise. The phone runs incredibly cool both inside and out, with no noticeable heat buildup.

Thermal-throttling behavior

It throttles its performance very little, even with unrealistic torture loads of a full hour. Even after the full 60 minutes of testing, the A34 was perfectly comfortable to hold too. The Dimensity 1080 inside the A34 is very well-cooled.

All things considered, the Dimensity 1080 appears to be a good choice for the Galaxy A34. It offers decent performance levels not far behind those on the Galaxy A54 with the new Exynos 1380 mid-range chipset. In practical terms, the A34 is smooth, snappy and responsive, especially when operating at a 120Hz refresh rate. The phone had no issues with any day-to-day tasks we threw at it and even had enough performance to power some pleasant gaming experiences. Plus, the A34 kept perfectly cool under load, which is a big plus.