Product test
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 tested: works better and better
by Jan Johannsen
How much should a smartphone cost? No more than the Samsung Galaxy A34
20/6/2023
Translation: machine translated
In my search for a usable smartphone that was as cheap as possible, I started in the budget segment. I didn't really find what I was looking for there and have now arrived in the mid-range segment. The Samsung Galaxy A34 leaves nothing left to be desired, for which I would have to spend more money.
Top display and waterproof casing
The back of the Galaxy A34 is made of single-colour plastic, which greasy fingers leave their mark on. The three camera lenses protrude slightly from the casing. The frame is discreetly rounded and the smartphone is comfortable to hold overall. The entire casing is IP67 waterproof. This means that it survived 30 minutes in one metre of water in tests without damage.
On the front, you can see a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display. With a resolution of 2340 × 1080 pixels, a refresh rate of up to 120 hertz and a brightness of 1000 nits, it leaves nothing to be desired. The colours are vibrant and black is really dark. Use in sunshine is not a problem.
Samsung protects the display with Gorilla Glass 5, the same shatterproof glass used in the Nokia G60. More expensive smartphones have a newer version, Gorilla Glass Victus, but it is only slightly more stable.
The fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy A34 is located under the display. It unlocks the smartphone quickly and reliably. Even if its symbol is not visible, it starts working as soon as you place your finger in the right place on the touchscreen.
Dimensity 1080 delivers enough power for everyday use
In a nutshell: The Galaxy A34 has more than enough power for everyday use.
Large battery, no jack and only Wi-Fi 5
Many pre-installed apps, long update period
More positive than the many pre-installed apps is Samsung's update promise. The Galaxy A34 is set to receive four major Android updates - i.e. up to Android 17 - and five years of security updates.
Usable, but far from perfect cameras
The camera setup of the Galaxy A34 consists of three cameras on the back and one front camera:
- Main camera: 48 megapixels, 26 mm focal length (converted to KB format)
- Ultra wide-angle camera: 8 megapixels, 123 degrees
- Macro camera: 5 megapixels
- Front camera: 13 megapixels
Colour
Samsung uses pixel binning for the main camera of the Galaxy A34. This is why the photos have a resolution of 12 megapixels by default. You have to select the full 48 megapixels in the settings. However, this means you lose out on numerous convenient camera functions.
The colour reproduction of the main camera looks natural and the level of detail is high.
Strong contrasts are no problem for the camera. It manages to balance out very dark and very bright areas.
Ultra wide angle and zoom
The pictures taken with the ultra-wide-angle camera also look good on the smartphone itself. The natural colour and good contrast balance are maintained even on larger screens. However, when I view the image in its original size on the computer, I notice that the level of detail is not as high as with the main camera.
The Galaxy A34 only offers digital zoom. At 2x magnification, this is still presentable on the smartphone. At the maximum tenfold magnification, however, all details are lost.
Macro
With a macro camera, you can get very close to your subject. And even though the camera only has a resolution of five megapixels, the images look significantly better than with 2-megapixel macro cameras.
The main camera only delivers a blurred image from the same distance.
If I want to take a sharp picture with the main camera, I have to keep at least enough distance so that the image section is as shown in the following photo. If I crop this photo to the same image section, the macro camera delivers better image quality in comparison.
Portrait
The portrait mode looks good at first. I am in focus, the background is blurred. On closer inspection, I notice unsightly transitions on my head - even without hair, which makes it rather difficult to draw clear boundaries.
I can edit the portrait shots in the Samsung Gallery app. I can adjust the level of blurring and turn the circles of light in the background into stars, hearts and other things. You can see the other effects in the video below.
Night
In the dark, the automatic mode of the Galaxy A34 already brightens up the photo. The night mode also ensures greater sharpness and a better dynamic range.
The wide-angle camera does not have a night mode. In the dark, it can only rely on the automatic mode, which delivers much darker images than the main camera.
Selfie
The 13-megapixel front camera delivers decent selfies. The level of detail is good and the colours have a slight tendency towards yellow. It is noticeable that the background is blurrier than with the front cameras of other smartphones, even without portrait mode active. If I switch on portrait mode, the blurring increases significantly.
In the dark, I can tick the brightness box for the front camera - but not for sharpness and detail.
Conclusion: My question is answered
I would consider my question answered with the Galaxy A34 at the latest. You can spend more money on a smartphone, but you don't have to. The display is beautiful to look at, the hardware offers enough performance and the time periods for the promised updates allow for several years of use. However, I personally like the One UI with its many pre-installed apps less.
The battery has a large capacity and offers a long runtime. However, it does not charge very quickly. The main camera delivers good photos in daylight. In the dark or when using the other cameras, more expensive smartphones generally offer even better image quality.
Cover photo: Jan Johannsen
Jan Johannsen
Senior Editor
Jan.Johannsen@galaxus.deWhen I was but a young student, I'd sit in my friend's living room with all my classmates and play on his SuperNES. Since then I've had the opportunity to test out all the newest technology for you. I've done reviews at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, and have now arrived at Galaxus.de.
