Samsung Galaxy A34 vs Galaxy A33
Samsung's Galaxy A34 hardware upgrades are important when compared to its predecessor the Galaxy A33, but there are now great visual differences jibing with the design established by the Galaxy S23 models, rather than the typical A-series phone of yesteryear.
Is that enough to upgrade from the Galaxy A33, or consider the A34 before the slightly cheaper predecessor? Let's compare the 2023 Galaxy A34 vs the A33 edition which will be the fight for budget Android phone supremacy on many a carrier this year.
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Design and display
Just as with the Galaxy A54, Samsung changed the design language of the A34 to look more in sync with the Galaxy S23 models. The camera island that adorns the A33 is thus gone, and instead the three camera lens rings are protruding from the flat back directly. It is a simpler, more elegant, and more uniform design, plus Samsung got rid of the pointless depth camera module to arrange the triple camera in a neat vertical column.
The 6.6-inch Galaxy A34 has a larger display than the Galaxy A33, and comes in Lime, Graphite, Violet, and Silver colors with the "Awesome" tag before their names. At 161.3 x 78.1 x 8.2mm and 199g of weight, the Galaxy A34 is slightly taller and wider than the A33 at 6.29 x 2.91 x 0.32 inches (159.7 x 74.0 x 8.1 mm), and discernibly heavier.
6.35 x 3.07 x 0.32 inches
161.3 x 78.1 x 8.2 mm
7.02 oz (199 g)
6.23 x 3.02 x 0.32 inches
158.2 x 76.7 x 8.2 mm
7.13 oz (202 g)
6.3 x 2.94 x 0.32 inches
159.9 x 74.7 x 8.1 mm
6.67 oz (189 g)
6.29 x 2.91 x 0.32 inches
159.7 x 74.0 x 8.1 mm
6.56 oz (186 g)
6.35 x 3.07 x 0.32 inches
161.3 x 78.1 x 8.2 mm
7.02 oz (199 g)
6.23 x 3.02 x 0.32 inches
158.2 x 76.7 x 8.2 mm
7.13 oz (202 g)
6.3 x 2.94 x 0.32 inches
159.9 x 74.7 x 8.1 mm
6.67 oz (189 g)
6.29 x 2.91 x 0.32 inches
159.7 x 74.0 x 8.1 mm
6.56 oz (186 g)
Compare these and other phones using our Size Comparison tool.
At the front, the cool uniform bezels, the centered punch hole selfie camera, and the rounded corners add to the signature 2023 Samsung phone body design impression. The biggest upgrade to the Galaxy A34 compared to the 2022 A33 edition is the display, though.
While both phones sport 1080p display resolution, Samsung equipped the Galaxy A34 with a modern panel that offers high 120Hz refresh rate despite that the phone still comes with a sub-$400 pricing, a rather unheard of specification for the money just until the A34.
Besides the 1080p resolution and the high refresh rate that helps for smoother scrolling, reading, and gaming, the screen has Samsung's Vision Booster feature that ups the peak brightness and the contrast outside so that the visibility is further increased.
Camera
Samsung didn't bother with camera upgrades for the Galaxy A34 and lifted the Galaxy A33 camera set directly. On the contrary, it actually cut the number of cameras from four to three, disposing of the near useless depth sensor in order to arrange the kit similar to the way it does on the S23 family.
The A34 remains with a 48 MP main camera with 1/2.0" sensor and 0.8µm pixels that comes with f/1.8 aperture lens. The main camera offers fast Phase Detection autofocus and is optically stabilized for steadier photos and videos. The 8MP ultrawide sensor has f/2.2 aperture lens and is able to capture 123˚ angle panoramic and group photos, plus it offers larger 1.12 micron pixels.
Last but not least, the 5MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture remains for your closeups, but the fairly pointless depth sensor is gone, just a need tri-camera setup on the back that you might actually use.
Last but not least, the 5MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture remains for your closeups, but the fairly pointless depth sensor is gone, just a need tri-camera setup on the back that you might actually use.
Galaxy A34 camera samples
The main camera spits out some good images for a phone of this caliber. They are sharp enough, and the dynamic range seems alright. Of course, you get Samsung's typical oversaturated colors and a pinch of extra contrast. Then again, that's perfect, as people buying the Galaxy A34 5G probably want the phone to quickly capture a pleasing photo that's ready to be shown.
The ultra-wide shooter is not as good when it comes to sharpness, and it tends to make the colors even more saturated than the main camera. That being said, it does the job and it works for quick wide-angle snapshots for social media.
The Galaxy A34's camera app also gives you a 2x zoom option, which seems to crop on the main camera's 48MP sensor and produces surprisingly good results.
The 5MP macro camera on the Galaxy A34 has enough image quality for social media purposes, as long as you are not trying to shoot any serious macro photography.
Selfies made with the Galaxy A34 are perfectly fine and so is the Portrait Mode that simulates a blurred-out background. I was left with an especially good impression from the colors that photos taken with the 13MP front-facing camera have.
Selfies made with the Galaxy A34 are perfectly fine and so is the Portrait Mode that simulates a blurred-out background. I was left with an especially good impression from the colors that photos taken with the 13MP front-facing camera have.
Video recording maxes out at 4K and 30fps, while with the A34 and A54 for the first time on Galaxy A-series phones Samsung offers new editing tools to directly improve the dynamic range of the photos straight from the camera app.
Performance and software
The phones are powered by Samsung's midrange octa-core processors but the Galaxy A34 is faster and runs on the latest Android 13 with Samsung's One UI 5.1 overlay on top of it with more new features to peruse.
Just as the Galaxy A33, the cheapest Galaxy A34 option offers 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. It starts at just 389 €, making any money you'd potentially save by getting the A33 left in the warehouses a rather insignificant amount.
There is also a microSD card slot for memory expansion should you not wish to upgrade to the 459 € model with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, too. Needless to say, the A34 immediately shoots into the best budget 5G phones ranking with these prices and specs.
Battery life and charging
Samsung equipped both the Galaxy A34 and Galaxy A54 with large 5,000 mAh battery unit, even though they both launch at less than $400 starting price. At their 6.4-inch and 6.6-inch display sizes and 1080p resolution, the phones would last more than a day even with heavy usage, with a slightly better endurance from the newer A34.
Charging the 5,000 mAh battery is rather slow, however, as the phones don't support Samsung's fastest 45W option, and you'd better have its 25W charger around if you don't want to spend more than two hours near the outlet to top up the batteries fully.
Summary
The strategically placed hardware and software upgrades that Samsung delivered for the Galaxy A34 compared to its predecessor the Galaxy A33 make wanting to save fifty bucks or so getting the older model a rather pointless exercise.
With the Galaxy A34 you will be getting not only 5G connectivity at a rock bottom sub-$400 budget, but also a modern 1080p display with high 120Hz refresh rate. Furthermore, the new Galaxy A34 design is a breath of fresh air that started with the more expensive Galaxy S23 series and now trickles down to the looks of the A-series which were getting a bit long in the tooth.
There are no significant camera or battery life upgrades, but those are already excellent on the Galaxy A33 considering its price bracket, so Samsung went and upgraded the Galaxy A34 only where needed.
That includes a bigger and better screen, otherwise betting on an elegant design refresh for adding that distinctive new phone edition feel that the Galaxy A34 brings in droves compared to its predecessor.
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