Samsung Galaxy A34 5G vs Samsung Galaxy S21

Compared 2 smartphones : Samsung Galaxy A34 5G Manufactured in March, 2023, with display 6.6 with chipsetMediaTek Dimensity 1080, vs Samsung Galaxy S21, Manufactured in February, 2021 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 2100. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
  • Larger display: 6.6in
  • Higher battery capacity: 5000mAh vs 4000mAh
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.3 vs 5
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S21
  • Higher pixel density: 421ppi
  • Lighter design: 169g vs 199g
  • Supports newer USB: 3.2 vs 2
  • Built-in eSIM

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 4/128 GB
- 6/128 GB
- 6/256 GB
- 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB
- 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB

Review

Key Specs Samsung Galaxy A34 5G and Samsung Galaxy S21
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Camera
Main & front camera tests
Performance
App & system performance
Games
3D gaming performance
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
Connectivity
Connectivity features
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
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Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison

Display

Display quality comparison
Type Super AMOLED Dynamic AMOLED
Size 6.6 in 6.2 in
Resolution 1080x2340 pixels 1080x2400 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.5:9 20:9
Pixel density 390 ppi 421 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (60-120 Hz) Yes (48-120 Hz)
Max brightness 1000 nits 800 nits
HDR support No Yes HDR10+
Screen-to-body ratio 84.9 % 85.9 %
Features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
- DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
1008 nits
Samsung Galaxy S21
854 nits
sRGB gamut100 %99.5 %
PWM (Flicker)253 Hz240 Hz
Response time1 ms5 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 161.3 mm (6.35 in) 151.7 mm (5.97 in)
Width 78.1 mm (3.07 in) 71.2 mm (2.8 in)
Thickness 8.2 mm (0.32 in) 7.9 mm (0.31 in)
Weight 199 g (7.02 oz) 169 g (5.96 oz)
Water resistance IP67 IP68
Back panel Plastic Plastic
Frame Plastic Metal
Colors - Black
- Silver
- Green
- Purple
- White
- Gray
- Pink
- Purple
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display Yes In-Display
Screen-to-body ratio
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
84.9 %
Samsung Galaxy S21
85.9 %

Performance

Testing Samsung Galaxy A34 5G and Samsung Galaxy S21 In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset MediaTek Dimensity 1080 Samsung Exynos 2100
Max Frequency 2600 MHz 2900 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (2 + 6) 8 (1 + 3 + 4)
Architecture - 6/2 (Cortex-A55)
- 2/2.6 (Cortex-A78)
- 4/2.2 (Cortex-A55)
- 3/2.81 (Cortex-A78)
- 1/2.91 (Cortex-X1)
Process TSMC Samsung
Transistor Size 6 nm 5 nm
Neural Processor MediaTek APU 3.0 Yes
Graphics Mali-G68 MP4 Mali-G78 MP14
GPU Cores 256 896
GPU Frequency 800 MHz 854 MHz
FLOPS 686 GFLOPS 1530.4 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
1047
Samsung Galaxy S21
1331
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
2557
Samsung Galaxy S21
3593
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)10471331
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)25573593
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
550223
Samsung Galaxy S21
903780
CPU172683253391
GPU117198281676
Memory113093158352
UX147249210361
NanoReview Score550223903780
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
2302
Samsung Galaxy S21
5715
Max Surface Temp.37.5 °C38.9 °C
Stability99 %66 %
Graphics Test13 fps34 fps
Graphics Score23025715
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
11700
Samsung Galaxy S21
13123
Writing score1467416101
Web score984311909
Video editing74677097
Data manipulation1097210153
NanoReview Score1170013123

Memory

RAM
RAM Size - 6 GB
- 8 GB
8 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR5
Memory Frequency 2133 MHz 2750 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 128 GB
- 256 GB
- 128 GB
- 256 GB
Storage TypeUFS 2.2UFS 3.1
Memory CardMicroSDNo

Software

OS Android 13 (Upgradeable to Android 14) Android 11 (Upgradeable to Android 14)
OS Size 38 GB 28.1 GB
UI Skin One UI 6.1 One UI 6.0

Battery

Volume 5000 mAh 4000 mAh
Max Charging Power 25 W 25 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No Yes (15 W)
Reverse Charging No Yes (Wireless)
Fast Charging Yes (49% in 30 min) Yes (55% in 50 min)
Full Charge Time 1:55 h 1:35 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
26:03
Samsung Galaxy S21
17:54
Web Browsing10:42 h06:01 h
Video Playback15:54 h11:06 h
Games06:24 h04:21 h
Standby Mode122 h95 h

Main camera

Matrix 48 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 8000x6000 pixels 4000x3000 pixels
Zoom Digital Optical, 1.1x
Flash LED Dual LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K Recording No Up to 24FPS
4K Recording Yes (Up to 30 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion 480 fps (720p) 960 fps (720p)
Wide-angle lens 123 ° 120 °
Lenses count Standard: 48 MP
Ultra-wide: 8 MP
Macro: 5 MP
Standard: 12 MP
Telephoto: 64 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Main lens
Matrix48 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.8f/1.8
Focal length26 mm26 mm
SensorSony IMX582Sony IMX555
Sensor size1/2.01/1.76
Pixel size0.8 μm1.8 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto
Matrixn/a64 MP
Aperturen/af/2.0
Focal lengthn/a28 mm
Sensorn/aSamsung Bright S5KGW2
Sensor sizen/a1/1.72
Pixel sizen/a0.8 μm
Stabilizationn/aOptical
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix8 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
Focal lengthn/a13 mm
SensorSamsung S5K4HAYXSony IMX563
Sensor size1/4.01/2.55
Pixel size1.12 μm1.4 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
99
Samsung Galaxy S21
129
Video quality
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
78
Samsung Galaxy S21
137
Overall camera score
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
92
Samsung Galaxy S21
133
Bokeh4570
Preview4872
Zoom76126

Front camera

Matrix 13 MP 10 MP
Photo resolution 4160x3120 pixels 3872x2592 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.2
Focal length 26 mm 26 mm
Sensor Sony IMX258 Sony IMX374
Sensor size 1/3.1 1/3.24
Pixel size 1.12 μm 1.22 μm
Autofocus No Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 30 fps 2160p (4K) at 60 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
- Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5.3 5
Bluetooth features LE LE, A2DP
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 2 3.2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
- Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- USB-Host mode
- OTG
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- QZSS
- GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*22
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM ModeDual SIM StandbyDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *NoYes
Hybrid SlotYesNo
2G BandsGSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
3G BandsUMTS B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900)WCDMA Band 1, 2, 4, 5, 8
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B17/B20/B26/B28/B32/B38/B40/B41/B66)LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B32/B38/B39/B40/B41/B66)
LTE categoryn/a24
5G SupportYesYes

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
3.5 mm Jack No No
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
90.4 dB
Samsung Galaxy S21
87 dB

Other

Class Mid-range Flagship
Announced March, 2023 yr January, 2021 yr
Release Date March, 2023 yr February, 2021 yr
Launch Price ($) 390 800
Sensors - Hall Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
- Hall Sensor
- Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included No n/a
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

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