A new batch of allegedly leaked renders depicts an upcoming Samsung device in a variety of eye-catching hues. The Galaxy A34 is shown in the leak, which was provided by The Tech Outlook and discovered by XDA-Developers, sporting a 6.5-inch 1080p OLED display, a 48-megapixel primary camera, and an Exynos chipset. However, what’s really intriguing are the color choices, like lime or purple! Pearlescent! In 2023, if these renderings are accurate, we may see more vibrant budget phones, which is long overdue.
Phone manufacturers recently made the decision that Americans, especially those on a budget, only wanted black phones. A quick glance at Samsung’s current A-series options reveals that the majority of the models come in just one color option: black. Or “awesome black,” which seems to be nothing more than black with a silly name. You can choose from a much wider range of colors, including burgundy, purple, and any other combination you can think of for the foldable if you upgrade to the S22 series or a Z Flip 4.
Apple and Google perform marginally better, but not significantly. While the Pixel 6A is offered in black, white, and sage, the 2022 iPhone SE is only available in black, white, and red. Not quite as exciting as lime. For their flagship models, other OEMs like Motorola and OnePlus stick to the black-phone-plus-something-else formula, but the more affordable the model, the less colorful it becomes.
Budget colorful phones do exist; they’re just not available in the US. In its budget range, Samsung India offers hues like peach, mint, and copper. In the UK, OnePlus sells midrange Nord phones in eye-catching Bahama blue and jade fog colors. In the US, we occasionally receive black, black, and black with a dark blue quantum.
Why? Is it a way to cut costs and maintain low-budget phone prices? Is it true that US carriers control every aspect of the US phone market, coercing manufacturers to only offer their most uninteresting models here? Do we simply want to purchase a black phone, put a case on it, and move on? All of the above could be somewhat true, in my opinion.
Unfortunately, even if they are the real deal, these vibrant Samsung A34 options are unlikely to ever arrive in the United States. They’ll be offered in other markets where people like colorful phones. I don’t think it has to be this way; is it really asking for the moon to have just one additional fun color besides black? In any case, even though it’s more likely that I’ll see a brand-new, fantastic black phone on my desk at some point in the near future, I’ll hold out some hope for more colorful phones at every price point in 2023.
