To understand what it’s really like to use the Samsung Galaxy A34, we analyzed 812 reviews from verified owners. Our process is direct. We break down user feedback into key categories that matter most when buying a new phone.
For the Galaxy A34, we focused on Value for Money, Camera, Screen, Design, Performance, Software & OS, and Battery. We then counted every positive, negative, and neutral mention for each of these aspects, generating a simple percentage score that shows how users truly feel about each part of the device.
💰 Value for Money: Great at first, then less so
When it comes to the Samsung Galaxy A34‘s value for money, users tell a story of two competing experiences. On one hand, the phone delivers a core feature set that leaves many feeling they’ve made a smart purchase. With a satisfaction-to-cost score of 87%, slightly surpassing the category average of 84%, owners often feel they’ve received a great deal.
They point to tangible benefits that make the phone feel like a premium bargain. As one user explained:
comparing the functionalities with the price, its an absolute steal.
Another highlighted a specific feature that sealed the deal, noting:
The 256GB internal storage for the price I got it for represented great value.
For these users, the A34 successfully provides a high-end feel without the high-end cost.
Upgrade Justification & Hidden Costs
However, this positive sentiment is significantly undermined by two major sources of frustration. The first concerns Upgrade Justification, with a lukewarm reception from those upgrading from older devices. The phone’s ability to justify an upgrade scores a lackluster 52% positive sentiment, a full 7 points below the category average, meaning for nearly half of these buyers, the phone fails to feel like a meaningful step forward.
This disappointment is palpable in user reviews, with one upgrading from a Samsung A7 (2018) stating:
the picture quality on the Samsung A34 5G is mediocre, especially given cameras, chipsets and software have moved on in 5 years.
This sentiment is compounded by the second major issue: unexpected costs. A mere 10% of users felt positive about what was included in the box, less than half the category average of 21%. The primary complaint is the missing charger, which forces an immediate, unforeseen expense and creates a sense of being nickel-and-dimed, as one user bluntly put it:
$60 of extra expenses to be able to charge my phone and use my headphones. It’s honestly rubbish.
Competitive Standing
This mixed experience puts the Galaxy A34 in a precarious position against its peers. While its 87% satisfaction-to-cost score seems decent in isolation, it represents a step back from its own predecessor, the Galaxy A33 5G, which boasted a much higher 93% approval. This suggests that Samsung may have misjudged the balance of features and omissions this time around.
Furthermore, direct competitors like the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion and OnePlus Nord CE3 handily beat the A34, with satisfaction scores of 95% and 94% respectively, showing that other brands are doing a better job of delighting customers in this price bracket. For some loyal Samsung users, the A34 simply doesn’t compete, leading to drastic decisions like one who lamented:
sorry I cannot endorse this phone, it is so bad I went back to my ‘Note 9‘!
Trade-Off: The Galaxy A34 delivers solid, foundational value for its price, but this is frequently soured by its underwhelming performance as an upgrade and the frustrating hidden costs of essential missing accessories.
📸 Camera: Day vs. Night Dilemma
The camera system on the Samsung Galaxy A34 presents a mixed bag, where surprisingly clever software features are overshadowed by a significant, and for some, disqualifying weakness. While users find moments of delight in well-lit conditions, the experience is defined by a sharp divide between what the phone can do during the day and what it fails to do when the sun goes down.
Clever Software Features
The brightest spot in the A34’s camera experience lies in its software. With 63% positive sentiment, its camera features and modes actually edge out the category average of 61%, indicating that users are genuinely pleased with the creative tools at their disposal.
This isn’t just about standard filters; people are discovering tangible value in what they describe as:
a sophisticated and versatile camera system with interesting options.
For many, these tools feel premium, allowing them to personalize their photos in unexpected ways. One user was particularly impressed to find a feature that lets you “select a part of a photo to make it a sticker,” while another was thrilled to discover a function “similar to the iPhone 14 Pro, wherein you hold a picture of a person, it will make a cutout.”
It’s these thoughtful additions that make everyday photography more fun and engaging.
A Major Low-Light Weakness
However, this software ingenuity is severely undermined by the phone’s Achilles’ heel: low-light performance. This single factor plummets to a mere 30% positive rating, a staggering 31 points below the category average of 61%. This isn’t a minor flaw; it’s a major point of frustration that transforms a capable daytime camera into a liability after dark.
As one user bluntly puts it:
In good light, it takes good photos, but once the light gets low, the quality of the photos is substantially worse.
Another simply concluded that the “pictures at night are not very good,” a sentiment that encapsulates the disappointment felt by many who expect more consistent performance.
Market Comparison
This weakness becomes even more pronounced in the context of the market. The A34’s predecessor, the Galaxy A33, scored a respectable 67% for low-light performance, meaning long-time Samsung users may feel this is a significant step backward.
The competition is even more punishing. The Motorola Edge 50 Fusion achieves a 72% positive rating for its low-light capabilities, while the OnePlus Nord CE3 earns a perfect 100%, highlighting just how far behind the A34 has fallen.
For potential buyers, this clear discrepancy can make the difference between choosing the A34 for its software tricks and opting for a competitor that delivers more reliable results in all lighting conditions.
Trade-Off: For the Galaxy A34, you gain a suite of clever software tools at the direct expense of reliable low-light image quality.
📱 Screen: Big View, Slow Touch
Regarding the screen on the Samsung Galaxy A34, the story is one of striking visual appeal clashing with functional frustration. While the overall impression is positive, the experience is defined by what users see versus what they feel when they interact with the display.
The most celebrated element, with a perfect 100% positive sentiment, is its size and handling—a significant 18 points above the category average. This isn’t just about a large display; it’s about a screen that makes daily tasks more comfortable and immersive.
As one user explained:
The display is big and I can easily look at the PDF plans on it.
Another summed up its versatility, stating:
Love the screen size. It’s perfect for reading, games, and videos and especially browsing the Web.
Touchscreen Responsiveness
However, this visual excellence is sharply contrasted by a significant underlying weakness: touchscreen responsiveness. With a meager 45% positive score, barely inching past the dismal 43% category average, users report a consistent and irritating lag.
This flaw translates into tangible daily frustrations. One user detailed the impact on simple texting:
sometimes the keypad area doesn’t pick up what you’ve selected. So words are missing letters.
For gamers, the problem is even more pronounced, turning a fluid experience into a test of patience:
When playing a game that relies on the speed of user to touch the screen in rapid movements, it can take one touch, or 10 hits to get the screen to react.
Competitive Context
This internal conflict becomes even clearer in a competitive context. The A34’s display quality and vibrancy score of 87% easily outshines rivals like the Nothing Phone (2a), which scored a much lower 50% in the same category. This visual superiority establishes the A34 as a great choice for watching videos and viewing photos.
Yet, the tables turn dramatically on interactivity. The A34’s 45% score for responsiveness is dwarfed by the perfect 100% scores achieved by both the Nothing Phone (2a) and the OnePlus Nord CE3.
For a potential buyer, this presents a stark choice: opt for the A34’s visually richer and more colorful display, or choose a competitor for a far more reliable and responsive touch experience.
Trade-Off: Users get a large, vibrant, and media-friendly display that excels visually but must accept a frustratingly unresponsive touch experience that competitors have perfected.
🎨 Design: Pretty Frustrating to Use
For the Samsung Galaxy A34, the story of its design is one of conflicting user experiences.
On the surface, the phone wins praise for its visual appeal, with its overall aesthetics earning a 90% positive score, slightly edging out the category average of 88%.
Owners frequently describe it in glowing terms, noting that:
the design is sleek and beautiful
and that it:
is so classy looking & fun at the same time.
This focus on appearance gives a strong first impression, fulfilling the desire for an affordable device that doesn’t look cheap. As one user noted, it:
looks more premium than the plastic materials might suggest.
Functional Frustrations
However, this visual satisfaction is severely undermined by functional frustrations, particularly with the phone’s features and ergonomic choices.
The score for design features and changes plummets to a mere 17%, falling a stark 23 points below the 40% category average. This number reflects a series of specific, aggravating omissions and decisions.
Users lament the lack of a headphone jack, with one stating:
I really do miss an audio jack,
a sentiment that complicates life for those with wired headphones. More critically, the phone fails users with specific accessibility needs, as one expressed their extreme disappointment that:
Samsung have failed to implement ASHA for compatible hearing aids.
Beyond missing ports, even the physical button layout causes problems. A user explains:
the buttons are located in the middle of the body… you cannot comfortably use any tripod or phone holder.
A Puzzling Regression
The context of its predecessor, the Galaxy A33, makes these design choices even more puzzling. While the A33 was also criticized for its features, it earned a perfect 100% positive score for size and handling.
In a stark regression, the A34’s score for the same factor has collapsed to just 51%.
Users feel this change viscerally, describing the A34 as:
ridiculously heavy and very, very large,
with one owner reporting they got:
shooting pains down my arms after only an hour
of use. This suggests Samsung traded the beloved, comfortable handling of the previous model for a phone that many now find physically difficult to manage.
Trade-Off: The Galaxy A34 offers a visually appealing device that is often frustrating to hold and functionally compromised in ways that directly impact daily use.
🔥 Performance: Hot Power, Cool Down
When evaluating the performance of the Samsung Galaxy A34, users paint a picture of a surprisingly capable device, but one that battles a significant internal demon.
While the phone excels in keeping up with daily demands, a critical flaw emerges when the pressure is on.
Impressive Multitasking and Gaming
The highlight of the user experience is the phone’s impressive multitasking capability, which earns a 90% positive score, a full 7 points above the category average. For users, this translates into a seamless and fluid daily operation, free from the usual stutters of a mid-range device.
This satisfaction is evident in user comments describing it as:
perfect for all different multitasking
…and praising how it operates:
smoothly whilst navigating through different apps.
This is reinforced by a strong gaming performance score of 84%, which is 10 points higher than average, leading many to declare that:
playing games on this phone is GREAT!
The Overheating Problem
However, this power generates a major problem: heat. The A34’s thermal management is its Achilles’ heel, with a dismal 18% positive score that falls 15 points below an already low category average of 33%.
This isn’t just a number on a spec sheet; it’s a tangible and frustrating reality for owners. One user summed up the feeling of many:
Another disadvantage that personally bothers me is that it heats up very easily.
This issue directly impacts sustained use, with another owner noting that during longer gaming sessions:
the game stutters around 15-25% of time, animations may get a little jerky, and the device starts to heat up.
Competitor Comparison
This internal conflict is thrown into sharp relief when compared to key competitors. While direct rivals like the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion (94%) and OnePlus Nord CE3 (91%) offer superior raw processing power to the A34’s 81%, Samsung’s device surprisingly punches above its weight in gaming (84% vs. the OnePlus’s 73%).
This should be a clear win, but the A34’s woeful thermal management (18%) is completely outclassed by the OnePlus Nord CE3’s perfect 100% score in the same category. This massive gap explains why the A34’s initially “flawless” gaming experience degrades over time, while competitors can better sustain their performance without overheating.
Trade-Off: The Galaxy A34 offers impressive multitasking and short-burst gaming power for its class, but this performance is consistently undermined by significant overheating issues that key competitors have managed to solve.
🔄 Software & OS: Easy UI, Glitchy Core
When it comes to the Software and Operating System of the Samsung Galaxy A34, the story is one of stark contrasts. On one hand, users find a reassuringly familiar and easy-to-use interface, driven by a 70% positive sentiment for the general user experience and UI smoothness.
For many, especially those upgrading from older Samsung models, this translates into a seamless transition. As one user put it, this makes the phone feel immediately accessible and reliable:
Transferring all the previous apps and data was hassle-free using Samsung Switch and the data cable supplied… All the functions seem to operate in the same way as on my previous Samsung, so no need to learn a whole lot of new things.
A Story of Bugs and Bloatware
However, this surface-level ease masks a deeper, more troubling issue: software stability. With a strikingly low 22% positive score in this area—a full 5 points below the category average—users are contending with a host of frustrating bugs that significantly disrupt daily use.
People report persistent connectivity issues and even complete system failure. One owner shared their harrowing experience with the phone repeatedly restarting:
The phone auto-restarts on its own without any warning. Till now it has restarted more than 10 times within 2 days.
Another user complained about the pre-installed software, calling the phone:
FILLED with bloatware… [and] double the system apps for half the system benefits.
The Competitive Trade-Off
This inconsistent performance becomes clearer in a competitive context. While the A34’s UI smoothness score of 70% is decent, it falls well short of rivals like the OnePlus Nord CE3 (88%) and Nothing Phone (2a) (83%), which offer a more fluid experience.
Yet, the A34 holds a powerful trump card: Samsung’s update policy. This commitment is a significant reason for purchase, with one buyer citing it as the compelling factor:
the 4 generations of OS support… and 5 years of security patches/maintenance guarantees on this device are an extra bonus which really compelled me to buy this device.
This promise of longevity and security provides a powerful incentive for users to tolerate the A34’s current stability flaws, hoping future updates will resolve them.
Trade-Off: Users get an easy-to-use interface and an industry-leading software update promise at the cost of dealing with significant and frustrating stability bugs not found as frequently in its competitors.
🔋 Battery: Great Life, Slow Charge
When evaluating the Samsung Galaxy A34’s battery, users tell a story of stark contrasts. The core experience is built on a foundation of impressive stamina, a key factor that satisfies many.
With a 75% positive sentiment score for its fundamental battery life—just a point above the 74% category average—this phone delivers the longevity that users crave. For those upgrading from older devices, this is a game-changer.
One owner, coming from an aging iPhone, was thrilled:
the battery usually lasts a couple of days after a full charge, which is amazing after my old phone.
This sentiment is echoed by another user, highlighting a real-world freedom from daily charging anxiety:
I only charge the phone every three days when the charge gets to about 50 percent.
Impressive Stamina, Frustrating Flaws
However, this positive narrative is severely undermined by two critical failings: inconsistent battery drain and outdated charging methods. A shockingly low 3% positive sentiment for battery drain patterns, far below the 15% category average, reveals a deep-seated frustration for a significant portion of users.
These are not minor complaints; they are expressions of a promised potential that goes unfulfilled. One user captures this anger perfectly:
How can a fully charged battery with 5000mah capacity last for less than 8 hours… I HAVE TO CHARGE IT TWICE BEFORE I RETURN FROM WORK.
This anxiety is compounded by frustrations with charging itself. The A34 scores a dismal 9% positive rating for its charging methods, a fraction of the 32% category average. Users are not just annoyed by the lack of an included charger, but by the absence of modern features, as one pointed out:
It also surprised me the lack of possibility of charging it wireless. I simply expected this to be an essential nowadays.
Falling Behind the Competition
In a competitive market, these shortcomings are magnified. While the A34’s charging speed sits at a 59% positive score, it is completely overshadowed by rivals like the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion (96%) and the OnePlus Nord CE3 (100%).
This vast difference means A34 owners are tethered to the wall for significantly longer, a practical disadvantage that erodes the phone’s value.
Perhaps most telling is the comparison to its own family; the A34’s 75% score for battery life is a significant step down from the 91% rating of its predecessor, the Galaxy A33. This indicates a regression in what was once a key strength for the series.
One user, comparing it to a previous device, lamented that the A34:
is slow to charge up than my old Moto,
showing that even against older models from other brands, the A34 can feel like a step backward.
Trade-Off: While its potential for multi-day use is a genuine highlight for some, this is fundamentally undermined by inconsistent drain, subpar charging speed, and the frustrating omission of key accessories.
Bottom Line
- ✅ The large, vibrant screen is a highlight, earning a perfect 100% positive sentiment for its size and comfortable handling.
- ⚠️ The phone is plagued by usability flaws, from critical software bugs (only a 22% stability rating) to an unresponsive touchscreen and significant overheating (18% positive).
- 🔻 Many upgraders feel it’s a step back, with a weak 52% “Upgrade Justification” score and users finding it “ridiculously heavy” compared to its predecessor.
- 📉 It’s a clear regression from the Galaxy A33, especially in the camera department, where low-light performance drops from 67% positive to just 30%.
- 🏁 It falls far behind rivals on fundamentals, with its 59% positive charging speed score completely outclassed by competitors like the OnePlus Nord CE3 (100%).
- 💡 An appealing choice for its large screen and long-term software support (4 OS generations), but only for users willing to overlook its significant daily performance frustrations.