Galaxy A34 vs Galaxy A33: More than a yearly rehash in a new shell

Samsung announced its new and improved Galaxy A34 5G today. But how improved is this latest model over the 2022 predecessor, really? The Galaxy A34 looks different from Galaxy A33 in almost every regard, except for the Infinity-U display notch. But is it just a yearly rehash in a prettier case that immitates the Galaxy S23 flagship?

Well, even though some things have changed, others have indeed remained the same. The Galaxy A34 and A33 use 5,000mAh batteries with 25W charging, they both lack a 3.5mm headphone port while retaining microSD card slots, and they have IP67 ratings for dust and water resistance. The 2022 and 2023 models also have similar camera hardware for the most part, and boast stereo speakers, Gorilla Glass display protection, and plastic frames and back panels.

What's new with the Galaxy A34 5G?

Beyond these similarities, Samsung's new low-cost mid-range phone does have a few meaningful surprises up its sleeve. It features the MediaTek Dimensity 1080 SoC instead of the Exynos 1280 and ships with 6GB or 8GB of RAM instead of a minimum of 4GB.

The new phone doesn't have a 2MP depth camera, which was arguably not very useful, to begin with. But here's where Samsung's design philosophy starts shining. The A34's 48MP primary camera now features better OIS with a wider angle of 1.5 degrees instead of 0.95 degrees, which means it can take better photos in motion and at night time. And for the first time in the history of the A3x series, the 2023 model has enhanced editing tools to remove unwanted shadows and reflections.

The Galaxy A34 5G also has Auto Framing capabilities to adjust the angle of view and zoom in on up to 5 people during video recordings.

In conclusion, the 2MP depth camera is gone, but Samsung added more meaningful features for what should ultimately be a superior mobile photography experience.

Moving on to the display, the Galaxy A34's panel is slightly larger at 6.6 inches and boasts a faster refresh rate of 120Hz instead of 90Hz.

Surprisingly, it also benefits from Vision Booster technology. It increases brightness to 1,000 nits in High Brightness Mode (HBM) from 800 nits and delivers more accurate colors in a wider variety of lighting conditions. Vision Booster debuted last year with the Galaxy S22 series.

Furthermore, Samsung says the new panel is SGS-certified for eye protection thanks to a significant reduction in blue light emissions of less than 6.5% instead of 12.5%.

And even though the 3.5mm headphone jack wasn't brought back, the new Galaxy A34 does have better audio than the A33 during video calls and phone calls, as the new model can better separate the caller's voice from background noise thanks to Voice Focus technology.

All in all, the Galaxy A34 retains some characteristics from the 2022 model but also brings numerous improvements in both hardware and software to be a worthy follow-up to the Galaxy A33. Samsung gave the A34 a brighter, faster, and more accurate display that's easier on the eyes; the camera can capture better, less blurry photos and videos at nighttime, audio is better, and users get more memory on the base variant.

Check out the comparison widget below for a closer look at how the raw hardware differs between the 2022 and 2023 models.

Samsung
Galaxy A34 5G

Select model SM-A346B SM-A346E Buy Full specs

Samsung
Galaxy A33 5G

Select model SM-A336B SM-A336E SM-A336M SM-A3360 Buy Full specs