Samsung Galaxy A14 5G is a Budget Phone That Doesn’t do Much to Distinguish Itself From The Competition

Samsung’s new Galaxy A14 5G smartphone is set to challenge its competition. That hasn’t stopped us from recommending the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G sight unseen if you’re searching for a handset for about $200, but we thought a more complete approach was appropriate. So, with that in mind, we found a Galaxy A14 5G and brought it to headquarters for assessment.

A little clarity is required here, however. The Galaxy A14 5G is offered in a variety of markets, with varying chipsets. The Dimensity 700 is used in the US model, however, the Exynos 1330 chip is used in the Indian model, which is a more powerful platform. That is, while many of our findings will apply to all A14 5Gs, some will be particular to the Dimensity model, such as battery life and image quality. While they may be similar in both versions, we will not be able to confirm this definitively. In contrast, we are optimistic that the Exynos model will perform better.

With everything out of the way, the Galaxy A14 5G isn’t a significant upgrade from the A13 5G. The Dimensity 700 we’ve been talking about on this one comes directly from the A13 5G. The back camera setup stays unaltered, with a 50MP main camera accompanied by 2MP macro and depth sensors. The battery capacity is still plenty, at 5,000mAh, but the new phone is 7g heavier.

That ‘ somehow’ is swiftly answered when you glance at the display, which is now 6.6 inches diagonally (6.5 inches on the A13 5G). More crucially, the new panel boasts a 1080p resolution rather than the earlier model’s 720p, which is an increase we can appreciate. Another pleasant enhancement can be found in the waterdrop notch on the top edge of the display: the selfie camera has been upgraded to 13MP from 5MP.

Price when reviewed: €164.20 | Check price at Amazon

Galaxy A14 KEY FEATURES

The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G has a huge 6.6-inch TFT LCD with a resolution of 1080 x 2408 pixels. The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G features a triple-lens rear camera system that includes a 50MP primary sensor, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro sensor. The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G weighs 202 grams and measures 9*78*168 millimeters. It isn’t the lightest phone on the market, but it’s light enough to handle comfortably. The phone is also quite small, making it convenient to carry in your pocket or purse. The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G runs Android 13 with One UI Core 5.0. It is the most recent version of the Android operating system, including a lot of new features and enhancements. It is intended to be more privacy-oriented and efficient than earlier versions. It also offers several new features, including a new notification system, a new design language, and improved privacy controls.

Samsung Galaxy A14 5G UNBOXING

The Galaxy A14 5G comes in a half-height white container that includes a thin paperboard sleeve with a print of the phone on top and a paperboard tray containing the phone. The list of accessories is minimal; you just get a USB-C cable.

CAMERA

• 50MP primary sensor with no OIS
• 2-megapixel macro and depth sensors
• No ultrawide

Samsung’s Galaxy A14 5G camera system is a curious, if not brave, decision. It has essentially put all of its eggs in one 50MP wide sensor basket, with no ultra-wide or telephoto backups. The two additional lenses shown in the photos are a pair of 2MP sensors, one for macro images and one for depth aid. They’re barely worth mentioning beyond that, with the 2MP macro camera in particular lacking the crispness required to capture appealing close-ups. Macro photos are completely hazy here.

Still, one could argue that Samsung’s risk paid off. The A14 5G’s main sensor produces decent, well-balanced images, at least in favorable illumination. Contrast and exposure are mostly accurate, and the detail is good. Skin tones are also natural-looking, and the portrait mode does a good job of distinguishing the subject from the backdrop in a sea of buttery bokeh. You can see some of Samsung’s aggressive color science here, which favors social media pop over a naturalistic depiction of a scene. The effect isn’t too bad, and it makes sense given the target audience of young and casual users.

I originally missed the opportunity to take ultra-wide images, but its deletion makes sense. The truth is that cheap phones typically have poor ultra-wide cameras that produce images that are nowhere near as excellent as the primary sensors. The A14 5G compensates for the lack of a telephoto lens by cropping in on the 50MP main sensor. This does highlight the hardware’s limitations, with photos being slightly grainy even at 2x. Night mode isn’t as effective here, generating muddy, blurry images. It doesn’t help that there is no OIS to aid out, so any stabilization must be done algorithmically. That could explain why Samsung tucked Night mode down in the More menu.

The newer Samsung Galaxy A15 5G improves the camera offering slightly, replacing the 2MP depth sensor with a 5MP ultrawide to bring wide-angle images to the cheap shooter, but without more time with it, I can’t say if there’s a significant improvement to the entire experience.

DESIGN AND SCREEN

The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G is available in three color options: dark red, black, and light green. The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G has a plastic body with a matte appearance. Its vivid design and colors create a fashionable and minimalist appearance. It features a flat and linear camera setup, resulting in a smooth uni-body silhouette.

The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G has a huge 6.6-inch TFT LCD with a resolution of 1080 x 2408 pixels. The display is bright and crisp, with acceptable viewing angles. Its aspect ratio is 20:9, providing a rich cinematic viewing experience. It features AMOLED display technology and an Always-on-Display feature, which allows you to see basic information on your phone’s screen even while it is locked. This information may include the time, date, notifications, and battery level. It allows you to create personalized call backdrops with individual avatars to identify and decorate your smartphone as you see fit.

HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?

The Galaxy A14 5G we’re reviewing runs Android 13 with One UI Core 5.0 on top, so it’s running the most recent OS version as well as the ‘basic’ branch of Samsung’s in-house customized overlay, which is also current. You’d receive the same design as higher-end Galaxy models but without some of the more niche features.

However, just as there were numerous A13s last year, there is another version of the Galaxy A14 5G this year, which is powered by the Exynos 1330, Samsung’s own 5G processor designed for cheaper smartphones. That one features a slightly beefier CPU; the two strong cores are the newer Cortex-A78 ones, clocked at 2.4GHz (2x Cortex-A76 @ 2.2GHz in the Dimensity). There’s also the GPU, which is a Mali-G68 MC4 on the Exynos and a Mali-G57 MC2 on the Dimensity, which sounds like a significant increase. Overall, the Exynos-equipped Galaxy A14 5G should deliver better performance.

Unfortunately, we have not tested an Exynos 1330 handset to include in this comparison, so we will do the next best thing. We’ll include a Galaxy M53; its Dimensity 900 has the same CPU and GPU combination as the Exynos 1330, so the figures should be quite comparable.

The Exynos version is offered in India, whereas the Dimensity is available in the United States. For other regions, contact your shop, carrier, or the local Samsung website. While Samsung does not often mention individual chipsets, they do usually quote clock rates, thus the 2.4GHz vs. 2.2GHz difference should be obvious. With that preface out of the way, let’s have a look at some benchmark data from the US-bound Dimensity 700-equipped Galaxy A14 5G.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Buyers are already spoiled for choice in the inexpensive class, and now there’s the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G smartphone. Without further ado, you should not get the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G if you value rapid charging and an excellent viewing experience. Similarly priced phones, such as the Redmi Note 12 5G (review), Moto G62 5G (review), and Realme 10 Pro 5G (review), might do a better job of it. With slimmer bezels than the Galaxy A14 5G, the handsets provide faster charging and better display quality. Additionally, they include a charger.

The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G is an incredible smartphone. The display is brilliant and clear, the battery life is impressive, and the performance is smooth and responsive. It strikes a decent mix between essential features and price. It features a strong processor and 5G connectivity, resulting in better performance and experience. The maximum RAM choice accessible in this handset is 8GB, which may seem restricting, but the RAM Plus feature overcomes this limitation. Internal storage is not expandable, and the maximum available is 128GB, which may limit individuals who require a large amount of storage. Those seeking a cheap smartphone with a powerful processor and 5G connection. Those looking for a smartphone with a larger FHD+ display, long battery life, good camera quality, and privacy and security features at a low cost.

Buy it if...

• Excellent battery life.
• Android 13 boasts a feature-rich One UI on top.
• A very capable main camera.
• Great selfies.

Don't buy it if...

• Slow charging, even for the class.
• Not the brightest or most contrasty display available.
• There is no ultrawide camera, and macro is virtually non-existent.

FULL SPECIFICATION