Samsung Galaxy M34 5G review: A balanced mid-ranger

Samsung recently expanded its M-series lineup in India by launching the Samsung Galaxy M34 5G in India. The newly launched Galaxy M34 5G is the successor to last year’s Galaxy M34 smartphone and it brings incremental upgrades to the mid-range Galaxy M-series. In addition to bringing an updated display and a processor, this year’s Galaxy M34 5G also brings major upgrades to the front camera and some minor ones to the rear camera of the device. Also Read: 8 Best Android Tablets Under Rs 15000 With Large Display For Students And Basic Tasks

At a starting price of Rs 16,999, the newly launched Galaxy M34 5G seems like a lucrative proposition to the buyers. But are these upgrades enough to make the Galaxy M34 5G a winner? We will try to answer that and more in the detailed review below. But before we get into the nitty-gritties let’s take a quick look at the specifications. Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Price To Drop Below Rs 60,000 During Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale?

Samsung Galaxy M34 5G: Specifications

Display: 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with 120Hz screen refresh rate, 1080×2340 pixel resolution, 1,000 nits of peak brightness and Gorilla Glass 5
Processor: Samsung’s Exynos 1280 SoC
RAM: up to 8GB
Storage: 128GB
Operating System: One UI 5.1 based on Android 13
Camera: 50MP + 8MP + 2MP at the back with OIS, 16MP selfie camera
Battery: 6,000mAh battery
Connectivity: 5G, WiFi Direct, USB Type-C, 3.5mm jack Bluetooth 5.3
Colours: Midnight Blue, Prism Silver & Waterfall Blue
Price: Starts at Rs 16,999

Image: Shweta Ganjoo/Techlusive

Samsung Galaxy M34 5G: Design

Let’s talk about the design first.
The Samsung Galaxy M34 features a polycarbonate chassis and a polycarbonate back with glass finish. It has curved edges and a flat-screen design that looks like a page from last year’s Galaxy M33 5G smartphone. While there are some similarities, there are some differences as well. This year, Samsung has made major changes to the rear camera module design of the phone. While the Galaxy M33 5G came with a square camera module that protruded slightly giving the back an unfinished appeal, the Galaxy M34 5G this year fixes those imperfections by opting for a cleaner chrome-ring design. The phone comes with a triple rear camera setup that is neatly stacked in a vertical manner towards the top-left corner of the back right next to the LED flash. While this might seem like going back a couple of years in time, this camera module design seems a lot cleaner and refined than what was available on its predecessor.

Beyond the looks, the Galaxy M34 5G is quite comfortable to use. It’s not light as a feather but it isn’t exactly heavy either, which makes it easier to use even when holding it for prolonged duration during a long call. The back panel, despite the material used, is easy to keep clean as it does not actively attract dust and fingerprints. Samsung does not ship a transparent silicon cover in the box and the design ensures that users have nothing to complain about either.

Samsung Galaxy M34 5G: Display

Next on the list is display.

Samsung has made major upgrades to the display of Galaxy M34 5G smartphone, especially when compared to its predecessor. The Galaxy M34 5G gets a super AMOLED glass display that is protected by Corning Gorilla 5 protection – a technology that Samsung uses in its premium smartphones. The Galaxy M33, on the contrary, features an LCD display panel. What this upgraded screen does is that it improves the viewing experience by offering better colours and contrast.

In usage, the Galaxy M34 5G offers quite a comfortable viewing experience even under the bright Delhi sun. The colours are bright and vibrant with just the right amount of contrast – something Samsung displays are known for – and the screen is smart enough to quickly adjust to the ambient lighting levels. So, whether you are casually going through your social media feed or watching a show or a series on Amazon Prime, the display of the Galaxy M34 5G does not disappoint at all.

Image: Shweta Ganjoo/Techlusive

Samsung Galaxy M34 5G: Camera

Now let’s talk about the camera.

The Samsung Galaxy M34 comes with a triple rear camera setup consisting of a 50MP (OIS) lens, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens with 120-degree angle of view and a 2MP depth sensor. On the contrary, the Galaxy M33 comes with a quad rear camera setup, which includes 50MP, 5MP, 2MP and 2.0MP lenses. The Galaxy M34 might seem like a step back but the availability of the optical image stabalisation or OIS feature makes all the difference, and it comes in handy while snapping images on the go or when the subject is moving. In other words, the Galaxy M34 gives users more flexibility in terms of capturing images on the go.

In usage, the phone does a decent job in capturing images during the daylight condition. The colours are mostly on point with just the right amount of contrast. The primary camera offers a decent dynamic range while capturing ample details. When focusing on a particular element in an image, the primary camera does a good job at isolating the subject from the background automatically giving a portrait-like effect. The macro sensor, on the other hand, does a surprisingly good job at capturing the tiniest differentiating details. However, there are hits and misses when it comes to capturing the shadows. During the low-light conditions, the camera does a decent job at preserving the colours. However, it does falter in preserving details sometimes.

Coming to the front-facing camera, the Galaxy M34 offers a major upgrade in this department compared to the 8MP selfie camera of the Galaxy M33 5G. The phone does a decent job in capturing the colours and details during the daylight conditions and the indoor lighting conditions. But don’t expect a similar performance during low-light conditions.
A fun feature that I liked in the Galaxy M34 is the fun mode, which essentially applies a bunch of Snapchat filters to the subject in real time. Samsung offers 16 filters as a default option, but you can download more from within the camera app. What’s great about this feature is that it works with both the front and rear cameras.

Samsung Galaxy M34 5G: Performance

Now comes one of the most important parts of this review, that is, performance.

The Galaxy M34 5G, as mentioned before, comes with the company’s own Exynos chipset, which is unlike other phones in the under 20K market segment that come with either a MediaTek or a Qualcomm chipset. Despite what might seem like an odd choice to some, the Galaxy M34 doesn’t show any signs of slowing down in day-to-day usage. I used this phone as my daily driver for some time and during my experience I didn’t face any major issues or hiccups. My day typically includes answering calls and messages on WhatsApp, attending meetings, going through a never-ending stream of emails and catching up on an episode or two of the show that I am following on various OTT platforms. All throughout this time, I didn’t see the phone throwing any nervous fits. The side-mounted fingerprint sensor snapped open the phone in a matter of seconds each time. And while the battery did last for a day-and-a-half, it took forever to charge completely. It took the phone a little over two hours to charge the battery from zero to 100 percent. Additionally, the phone got a little warm while charging. In case you are wondering, no it is not owing to the wacky weather conditions.

On the software side of things, the Galaxy M34 runs Android 13-based One UI skin. Samsung has also promised to provide up to four generations of OS updates and up to five years of security updates for the phone. In my experience, the phone has a bloatware problem. Thankfully, these extra apps are easy to uninstall. Still, they are a lot of work.

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy M34 5G or not?

The answer to this question is quite simple. The Samsung Galaxy M34 5G is a decent mid-range smartphone that checks almost all the boxes. It has a bright and vibrant display with a decent camera and chipset that is capable of taking care of most of your day-to-day needs with ease. Sure, the front-facing camera offers an average performance, the battery takes forever to charge and there is no charger in the box, but if you can look past those shortcomings, the Galaxy M34 5G is a value-for-money proposition to the buyers.