The Galaxy M34 is essentially a Galaxy A34 Lite in spirit and that makes it a heavyweight at its low(er) price point.
The big battery was expected, but Samsung has outdone itself in almost every spec, both hardware and also— and this is the most critical part— in software, giving buyers a value proposition that stands out not only from the crowd but from some of its own past attempts. Samsung makes a lot of affordable phones these days and to be able to deliver something fresh every time, is easier said than done. So, the M34 –in a sense—exceeds expectations.
Phones like the A34 will obviously give you a bit more premium, like a more powerful chipset or waterproofing, but the M34 gets you, or at least tries to get you, an experience that is more or less close but for cheap.
It has a fast 120Hz AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, but a dated waterdrop-style notch (the A34 also has this, so, it’s not necessarily a downgrade at least from a Samsung perspective). It has a 50MP main camera with optical image stabilisation and a bunch of photo modes, including dedicated night and pro video but makes do with a dialled down tertiary (the A34 has a 5MP macro). The front camera is same as the A34’s— a 13MP. The M34 has a bigger battery (6,000mAh versus 5,000).
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The software side is at par, which is actually the M34’s trump card. The phone is guaranteed to get 4 major OS and up to 5 years of security updates, same as the A34 (previously, this was limited to Samsung’s A-series and other flagship phones).
All in all, the M34 seems to strike the right balance of specs and features while keeping the price down. It is a good update to the M33, surely, but the M34 has got all the bells and whistles to upset competition, especially from Realme that’s just launched the Narzo 60 5G in the Indian market at around the same price point. Watch this space for our full review of Samsung Galaxy M34 5G.
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In the meanwhile, here’s a quick look at the phone, its top specs, design, and everything else that you need to know:
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The M34 has a 6.58-inch Super AMOLED display with 1080p resolution and up to 120Hz refresh rate. Samsung says the panel can top 1,000nits. There is Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection.
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The phone is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 1280 chipset. This is paired with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. You get a 6,000mAh battery with 25W fast charging.
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Running the show is One UI 5.1 based on Android 13. The M34 is guaranteed to get 4 years of major OS and 5 years of security updates.
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For photography, there is a triple camera setup on the rear with 50MP main OIS camera. On the front, there is a 13MP camera.
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The Samsung Galaxy M34 5G price in India starts at Rs 16,999 for 6GB/128GB going up to Rs 18,999 for 8GB/128GB (with bank offers).
