So you’re longing for an all-new Samsung smartphone, however, don’t fancy shelling out for a top-tier handset like the Galaxy S23? That’s the place the A-Series comes in. They’re some of Sammy’s most famous handsets, oftentimes performing in nice mid-range telephones lists, and now two new variations are vying for your cash. The Samsung Galaxy A54 is the highlight, bringing a subtle graph and a large battery at smart money.


It used to be published alongside the Galaxy A34, an even greater low-cost choice with a few hardware adjustments however constructed very tons in an identical mold. We gave each a go at Samsung’s London journey keep beforehand of launch to see if they have a robust household resemblance – or if they’re greater like that far-off cousin you don’t talk about at some stage in reunions.




Design & build: hold it in the family


Yes, that without a doubt is the new Galaxy A54 in the above photos, and now not a Galaxy S23. Looks similar, right? It’s a little thicker, and with chunkier show bezels, however, in any other case, the layout is essentially carried over piecemeal, with flat glass set into a steel frame. Even the trio of naked digicam lenses, stacked in a vertical line, make a look at the rear.

There’s additionally an in-display fingerprint sensor, Gorilla Glass safety, and an IP rating, though it makes use of Gorilla Glass 5 as a substitute for the more modern Victus 2, and tops out at IP67 instead of the Galaxy S23’s more difficult IP68.

It nonetheless feels suitably premium, even if the substances used aren’t pretty up to the equal standard, and the glossy, reflective rear glass isn’t almost as top at hiding fingerprints as the telephone it’s styled on. A handful of pastel-ish shade choices aren’t a unique healthy for the S23, so are the right way to inform the two telephones apart.

At 6.4in it’s cozy sufficient to keep one-handed, even if you’ve bought diminutive digits. The energy and quantity keys are sensibly spaced aside on the proper aspect of the phone, and the speaker sits in an acquainted spot on the backside edge.

Samsung Galaxy A34: the more cost-effective alternative



With a paltry 0.2in distinction in display screen size, there’s very little to bodily separate the Galaxy A34 from its greater luxurious stablemate. The sole indicator is the teardrop-style notch for the front-facing camera; the Galaxy A54 receives a punch-hole cam instead.

Otherwise, it’s bodily identical, whole with the rear digital camera lenses, right-mounted electricity and quantity keys, and a USB-C port at the backside alongside a speaker grille. There’s no 3.5mm headphone port, simply like closing year’s Galaxy A33.

You can have one in the equal 4 colorings as the A54: Awesome Graphite, Awesome Silver, Awesome Lime, and Awesome Violet. Because the A in the identity reputedly had to stand for something, so brilliant it is.

Screen & sound: brighter is better


Whether you go for the smaller smartphone or decide on a large display, you’ll be getting the identical 2400×1080 display screen resolution, which appeared decently crisp in the course of our hands-on session. Even small textual content used to be flawlessly legible, and snapshots exhibit lots of resolved detail, as you’d assume from any Full HD+ phone.

The Galaxy A34’s AMOLED panel now has the identical 120Hz refresh fee as its greater brother, which offers it an area over the Google Pixel 6a and its 90Hz panel. Both promise a height of one thousand nits brightness when stepping outside, which must imply visibility is by no means an issue. There aren’t too many mid-rangers that can declare the same, with many topping out at a dimmer 800 nits.

We had no hassle seeing what was once onscreen, even below vivid studio lights, and an HDR trailer for The Flash popped with vivid colorations alongside deep and darkish shadows.

With quantity stored to a minimum to keep away from anxious the assembled crew of journalists, we can’t pass judgment on the stereo audio system – however, can assure you you’ll prefer a pair of earphones for any necessary listening.

Cameras: three of a kind



Both telephones have three rear digital camera lenses: one wide-angle, one ultrawide, and a macro. Phone photographers would show up to be higher served by using the Galaxy A54, which has greater pixel counts for its major and ultrawide: 50MP and 12MP respectively, vs 48MP and 8MP in the A34. Both use a 5MP sensor for macro shots.

The A54’s sensors are bodily large than the ones considered on the outgoing A53, and they have large pixels to boot, which must make all the distinctions in low light. An auto nighttime mode now kicks in when the ambient mild sensor detects a lack of sunshine, and optical photograph stabilization has been optimized to reduce digicam shake too.

We weren’t capable to take our take a look at snaps away with us for analysis, and have been restrained to a demo vicinity with brilliant overhead lighting, so can’t decide how every system copes at night time or outdoors. The digital camera app felt fast and ample to a focal point and shop every shot, if now not up to the identical fast widespread as the S23 series.

You can count on the same kind of photo processing, though, which means vivid and dynamic photographs that lean a little in the direction of unnatural, in contrast to something Apple or Google will produce. Going in basic terms through what we should see onscreen, the foremost digital camera is regarded to seize masses of detail, however, how it stacks up to similarly-priced competitors will have to wait till a full review.

Performance & software: pick out your processor


Internal hardware is the place the two telephones fluctuate the most. While the Galaxy A54 receives one of Samsung’s home-grown Exynos 1380 CPUs paired with 8GB of RAM, the A34 makes use of a MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chip, which isn’t pretty as beefy when it comes to performance. It’ll additionally come with 6GB of RAM if you go for the 128GB storage option; that quantity receives boosted to 8GB if you step up to the (more expensive) 256GB model.

Neither telephone is going to bother actual flagships when it comes to benchmark leaderboards, or even how snappy Android feels in everyday use. Apps nonetheless load fairly quickly, however, and we should multitask except desiring to continuously reload every subsequent app. That’s partly down to a digital RAM option, which the swimming pools section of the onboard storage uses as extra memory.

Performance appeared on par for the cash, even though we’ll want to wait for a full assessment to see if a Tensor-equipped Google Pixel 6a or Qualcomm-powered Nothing Phone 1 would be the higher purchase for gamers.

Either way you’re searching for Android thirteen out of the box, with Samsung’s OneUI, slathered on top. It’s about as fully-featured as Android installs get, with loads of customization alternatives and shortcut features. There had been a handful of apps established on our demo devices, however, it’s doubtful if they’re pre-installed via default, or had been introduced with the aid of Samsung’s reps earlier than we acquired there.

Both telephones have 5000mAh batteries and aid 25W wired charging, with Samsung promising at least two days of existence between top-ups (depending on how a great deal gaming, or different traumatic tasks, you’ll be doing). There’s no wi-fi charging here; Samsung had to preserve a few chocolates for the full-fat Galaxy S23, after all.

Samsung Galaxy A54 and A34 preliminary verdict


On first inspection, the Galaxy A34 and A54 get nearer than ever to distilling the essence of Samsung’s flagship telephones into tons greater less expensive packages. They’ve received punchy displays, massive batteries, and designs you’ve obtained to pay very shut interest to inform you aren’t searching for a Galaxy S23.

Water resistance, in-display fingerprint sensors, and today's model of Samsung’s OneUI interface are all welcome inclusions for the cash, and expandable storage is something you won’t even discover on a top-tier Galaxy nowadays. The Galaxy A34’s greater show refresh fee now makes it an extra direct rival to the Google Pixel 6a, and the Galaxy A54’s overall performance gain need to elevate greater gamer appeal.

Each comes at a top class in contrast to mid-range fashions from rival brands, however, they seem like reasonably-priced improvements for Samsung fans.

Samsung Galaxy A54 technical specifications

Screen 6.4in, 2400×1080 AMOLED w/ 120Hz

CPU Samsung Exynos 1080

Memory 6/8GB

Cameras 50MP, f/1.8 w/ OIS + 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide + 5MP, f/2.4 macro rear

32MP front

Storage 128/256GB, plus microSD

Operating system Android thirteen w/ OneUI

Battery 5000mAh w/ 25W wired charging

Dimensions 158xx77x8.2mm, 202g

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