Samsung updated its A-series lineup with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy A54 and the Galaxy A34 last week. The former succeeds the excellent Samsung Galaxy A53, while the latter replaces the Galaxy A33.
The A-series lineup sits below Samsung’s flagship S-series and is perfect for people who want a Samsung phone but find the S-series to be a bit too expensive.
In this article, we’ll be focusing on how the two latest A-series models compare to each other to help you work out which is right for you.
So let’s get right into it.
Specifications
Both the Samsung A54 and A34 are quite similar spec-wise, with the Galaxy A34 being a little bigger with a slightly larger display. The A54 however has a better processor under its hood, a better camera system and a more modern design.
Here’s a table showing what each device offers.
Design
One of the most appealing aspects of the Samsung Galaxy A54 is its nearly identical design to the flagship Galaxy S23. You’re essentially getting flagship looks for mid-range prices
The Galaxy A34 then follows suit, but instead of a glass rear, it has what Samsung refers to as a “Glasstic” rear. This is essentially plastic with a matte finish, but it looks and feels lovely, so you don’t lose much by choosing the A34 over the A54 in this regard, though the A54 is the more premium of the two.
Like the Galaxy S23 models, both the A54 and A34 have three individual lenses in the top left corner of their rears with no surrounding housing.
Flipping the phones over to the front, you’re greeted by a punch hole camera design on the A54 and a, now outdated, waterdrop notch on the A34.
In my opinion, the hole punch camera design on the A54 makes for a cleaner and modern looking design while the waterdrop notch on the A34 makes the device feel and look outdated.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy A34 has a slightly larger display compared to that of the Galaxy A54, but both models offer Super AMOLED displays.
If watching content is your primary focus, you won’t go wrong with either of the two phones.
They both have flat displays, like the Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23+, but as previously stated, the A54 has a punch hole cut out at the top, whereas the A34 has a waterdrop design.
The Galaxy A54 has a 6.4-inch display, matching that of the Galaxy S23+, while the Galaxy A34 bumps this up to a 6.6-inch display.
Both have a Full HD+ resolution, which means the pixel density is slightly sharper on the Galaxy A54, though I doubt you’d notice the difference between the two.
Both devices also offer the same 120Hz refresh rate but the A54’s display is adaptive and can switch between 60Hz and 120Hz.
The two phones also offer 1000 nits of peak brightness, so viewing your content under direct sunlight shouldn’t be a problem.
Performance & battery
The Exynos 1380 chipset powers the Samsung Galaxy A54, while the MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chipset powers the Galaxy A34.
Both should perform well, with Samsung claiming that the A54 offers a 20% boost in CPU and a 26% boost in graphics over the Galaxy A53, which is a great day-to-day performer.
The Exynos 1380 is a slightly more advanced chip than the MediaTek Dimensity 1080, which runs on a 5nm process rather than a 6nm process, so the A54 is expected to deliver better overall performance, but both should be more than capable for general everyday tasks.
You can only get the Galaxy A54 with 8 gigs of RAM in some markets while the A34 comes with either 6 or 8 gigs of RAM. The two however have the same storage options (128GB or 256GB) and both have microSD support for storage expansion up to 1TB.
Switching things over to the battery specs, the two phones both have a 5000mAh battery with support for 25W fast wired charging.
Battery performance is however impacted by a number of factors, including display and processor so while you’re likely to get similar run times between these two models, Samsung promises a couple more hours from the Galaxy A34.
Cameras
While many of the general specifications between the Galaxy A54 and Galaxy A34 are similar, the camera specs are slightly different, with the A54 offering the more capable configuration on paper.
With the A54, you’ll find a 50-megapixel main camera with an f/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization (OIS).
This is supported by a 12-megapixel ultra wide sensor with f/2.2 aperture and a 5-megapixel macro sensor with f/2.4 aperture.
The Galaxy A33 on the other hand has similar camera specs to last year’s Galaxy A33 with the omission of the 2mp depth sensor.
The A34 comes with 48-megapixel main camera with an f/1.8 aperture and OIS, supported by an 8-megapixel ultra wide sensor with f/2.2 aperture and the same 5-megapixel macro sensor with f/2.4 aperture as the A54.
Moving to the front, the A54 has the more superior selfie camera as it comes with a 32MP selfie shooter while the A34 comes with a 13MP selfie shooter.
Samsung A54 & A34 availability & pricing in Kenya
Both phones have officially been launched in Kenya. The Samsung A54 will retail for Ksh 58,399 for the 128GB variant and Ksh 62, 599 for the 256GB variant.
The A34 will set you back Ksh 45,799 for the 128GB variant.
The Samsung A54 comes in four color options which include Awesome Lime, Awesome Graphite, Awesome Violet and Awesome White.
The A34 comes in similar colors too but switches the Awesome White color for the Awesome Silver color.
You can find the phones in all Samsung outlets across the country.
Samsung Galaxy A54 vs A34: Which should you choose?
There aren’t huge differences in terms of specifications between the Samsung Galaxy A54 and Galaxy A34, but if your budget allows, the Galaxy A54 is the device I would recommend.
You get a more premium build quality, a better processor, and a more capable camera set up, which means overall, the A54 is expected to be the better all-round performer compared to the A34.
