Samsung Galaxy M34 5G review – a sub-₹20,000 phone with good battery life

• The Samsung Galaxy M34 5G is the latest offering from the smartphone maker in its M series.
• The Galaxy M34 5G is priced starting at ₹18,999 and is available in two variants.
• Here’s my review of the Samsung Galaxy M34 5G that will help you decide whether to buy the device or not.

Korean smartphone maker Samsung recently launched the Galaxy M34 5G, the company’s latest offering in its popular M series and the successor of the Galaxy M33 5G.

The Galaxy M34 5G comes with several upgrades over its predecessor, the Galaxy M33 5G, including a better display and improved design. The company has used the same Exynos 1280 processor for the new device as well.

I have been using the Galaxy M34 5G for a few weeks now and here is my review of the latest affordable offering from the Korean smartphone maker.

Samsung Galaxy M34 5G price and availability

The Samsung Galaxy M34 5G is priced at ₹18,999 for the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant and ₹20,999 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant.

The device comes in Midnight Blue, Prism Silver and Waterfall Blue colour options and is available from Amazon India, Samsung Online store and the company’s authorised retailers across the country.

In the box

• Samsung Galaxy M34 5G
• USB Type-C to Type-C cable
• SIM ejector
• Documentation

Samsung Galaxy M34 5G specifications

Pros and cons

Pros

• Large 6,000mAh battery
• Four years of Android updates

Cons

• No charger in the box and 25W charging
• Internal storage limited to 128GB

Design and display

Samsung has been revamping the design of its smartphones, including affordable devices like the Galaxy M14 to offer a similar design language as its flagship Galaxy S23 series and the Galaxy M34 5G is no different.

The Samsung Galaxy M34 5G comes in Midnight Blue, Prism Silver and Waterfall Blue colour options. I received the Midnight Blue variant.

The device features a plastic back with a glossy finish. The glossy back makes the device a fingerprint magnet, however, smudges are easy to clean and all you need is a cloth.

The Galaxy M34 5G comes with a revamped camera module, featuring three separate cutouts for the camera module and a separate cutout for the LED flash. At the back, the device comes with Samsung branding.

The device has the SIM tray on the left side and the volume rockers and the power button on the left side. The fingerprint sensor has been integrated in the power button.

On the top, the device comes with a microphone. At the bottom, the device comes with a 3.5mm audio jack, a microphone, a USB Type-C port and the speaker grille.

Coming to the display, the Galaxy M34 5G features a 6.5-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1000 nits brightness support.

The high refresh rate and brightness support ensures a good experience and proper visibility, even in direct sunlight. Samsung is well known for its displays and this is evident in the Galaxy M34 5G, which features a vibrant display.

Software and bloatware

The Galaxy M34 5G runs on Android 13 out of the box with the company’s OneUI 5.1 on top. The user interface is easy to understand and offers a clutter-free experience.

Samsung has announced that it will offer four years of Android updates and five years of security updates with the device. In this segment, most devices only get two years of Android updates so it is good to see Samsung offer four years of updates with the device.

The device has its share of bloatware and comes with Facebook, Snapchat, Dailyhunt, Spotify, Netflix and other pre-installed applications. These applications can be uninstalled if you do not wish to use them.

Performance and battery

The smartphone is powered by the Exynos 1280 chipset, just like its predecessor. The device comes in two variants – 6GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 128GB storage. Samsung should have offered a 256GB variant a lot of users are looking for larger storage these days. However, the company has offered microSD support in the second SIM slot.

I played popular titles such as Battlegrounds Mobile India and Call of Duty Mobile on the Galaxy M34 5G. While the device is able to run the game smoothly, we did notice the occasional lag during extended gaming sessions.

The smartphone is powered by a huge 6,000mAh battery and offers 25W charging support. While the device comes with a Type-C to Type-C cable in the box, it does not come with a charger.

A full charge easily offers over a day of usage for heavy users and two days of usage for normal users. It takes around 100 minutes to fully charge the device.

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy M34 5G features a triple camera setup at the back, consisting of a 50MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera and a 2MP macro sensor.

The camera performs well in daylight, capturing good details and accurate colours. The device is able to quickly focus and the images have minimal noise. The ultra-wide angle camera also performs well and captures accurate colours with decent details.

The rear camera is able to capture decent images in low-light conditions but the images do have some noise.

On the front, the device sports a 13MP selfie camera. The selfie shooter works well in situations with decent lighting.

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy M34 5G is a good smartphone that ticks a lot of boxes for someone looking for a phone around ₹20,000. The device’s display, large battery and four years of Android updates make it a good option. At the same time, the smartphone has its share of issues such as the lack of a charger in the box and limited storage options.

If you are okay with a 128GB storage or are willing to use a microSD card, the Galaxy M34 5G is worth considering.

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