With the release of the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G and its cheaper A34 5G sibling, we’re going to take a closer look at how they stack up and which is best for your needs.
We’ve been lucky enough to spend some time with the latest Galaxy A54 and Galaxy A34 phones, and we have to say the latest lineup looks impressive, though there are key differences between the two that may sway your vote one way or another.
We’re going to be running through some of the key differences between the Galaxy A54 and A34 so you can decide which one is best suited for you.
The premium model doesn’t have the biggest display
Interestingly, the more premium Galaxy A54 actually sports the smaller display of the two, boasting a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display. The Full HD+ resolution should provide a crisp experience during use and while watching media content.
That’s compared to a larger 6.6-inch display from the A34. Despite the cheaper price tag, it ships with the same Super AMOLED display with Full HD+ support, giving users the same clear and vibrant experience as the A54, just on a larger display.
Both the Galaxy A34 and Galaxy A54 both feature adaptive 120Hz refresh rates. A high refresh rate like this will allow users to quickly scroll through apps and documents without encountering any stuttering or lag, and it makes animations and scrolling seem smoother too.
However, while this no doubt allows for a smoother experience, it may mean that the battery depletes a lot faster, as it will be consuming more power compared to a standard 60Hz display. There is an adaptive refresh rate option across that’ll reduce the refresh rate when it’s not needed, but don’t expect it to drop down to the 1Hz of the flagship competition.
The Galaxy A54 is more expensive
Out of the two models, the Galaxy A54 is the most expensive. While we don’t know the exact release dates yet, we know that the Galaxy A54 models have a starting price of £449 for the 128GB model and £499 for the 256GB model.
The Galaxy A34 is more affordable, with the 128GB model and 256GB models costing £349 and £399, respectively. Due to the upgraded Exynos chipset (and other higher-quality components) within the A54 model, it’s no surprise to see the Galaxy A54 sporting a higher price tag.
We will be sure to update this article once we know more about the specific release dates for each model, as well as US pricing.
Galaxy A54 packs the latest 5G Exynos 1380 chip
One of the biggest advantages of the Galaxy A54 handset is that it comes with Samsung’s latest mid-range Exynos 1380 chipset. This chip was announced recently, with the company claiming that it provides a 20% boost in CPU and a 26% boost in GPU when compared to its predecessor.
This should provide more than enough power for productivity and general-use apps, although we will have to wait for our full review to come out before we can make any definitive claims on how it handles more intensive tasks, like gaming.
On the other hand, the Galaxy A34 comes packed with the MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chipset released at the back end of 2022. The company claims that this chipset brings a 17% boost to CPU performance and 14% to the GPU, but in the same vein as the Galaxy A54, we cannot be sure of how it will handle intensive tasks.
But overall, we would expect both handsets to perform well during day-to-day use, with our hands-on reviewer claiming that the Galaxy A34 felt fairly rapid when zipping around the home screen and app drawer, but noted a little bit of lag when switching lenses in the camera app.
Since the Galaxy A54 is the more expensive option and comes with an Exynos 1380 chip, it’s safe to say that this model will likely have more power than its cheaper sibling.
The Galaxy A54 has a better camera setup
Both handsets come with a decent camera lineup, though it’s the more expensive model that has seen a bigger upgrade.
Starting with the Galaxy A34, it boasts a 48-megapixel main sensor, 5MP macro sensor and 8MP ultrawide sensor. This is not a huge switch-up when compared to its predecessor, the Galaxy A33, so we would expect the cameras to perform similarly, with the main changes coming from the improved AI thanks to the upgraded processor.
The Galaxy A54, on the other hand, features an impressive 50-megapixel main sensor, as well as a 12MP ultra-wide sensor and 5MP macro sensor. Compared to the 64MP main sensor on the last-generation Galaxy A53, the 50MP main sensor will technically capture fewer pixels within each photo. However, Samsung claims that this lens has upgraded capabilities, with a larger camera sensor, bigger pixels and 1.5-degree wider OIS, which should make images clearer even when taken under shaky conditions.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
