The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G review: It is an impressive budget smartphone that manages to pack in a lot of desirable features while keeping the price low. Priced at just 509 AED, the A14 offers a large high-resolution display, capable performance, a solid camera setup, and 5G connectivity – making it a great value option in the entry-level segment. Here we will have a galaxy A14 5g review.
Design and Display
The Galaxy A14 sports a no-frills plastic body with a textured back panel that provides added grip. The camera module blends seamlessly into the back without protruding too much. With 6.6 x 3.1 x 0.4 inches and weighing 7.1 ounces, the A14 is reasonably sized for a phone with a 6.6-inch display.
Regarding the display, Samsung has notably increased the screen resolution from 720p on last year’s A13 to a sharp 1080p on the A14. This results in excellent 399 ppi density, making visuals appear crisp and detailed. The LCD panel also supports a 90Hz refresh rate for smoother animations and scrolling. My only gripe was brightness levels topping out at 500 nits – making outdoor visibility difficult.
As expected at this price point, there is no official IP water resistance rating. But the plastic build should be able to withstand minor splashes and drops.
Performance of Galaxy A14
Under the hood, the Galaxy A14 5g review packs a 7nm MediaTek Dimensity 700 chip with an octa-core CPU and 4GB RAM. This provided satisfactory performance for my day-to-day usage, like web browsing, social media apps, watching videos, and light gaming.
In benchmarks, the A14 scored around 7,800 in PCMark (work performance test) and 525/1,700 in Geekbench (CPU test) – decent numbers for a sub-500 AED phone. More demanding games like Genshin Impact pushed the processor’s limits, though.
The built-in storage is 64GB – low for a modern smartphone. But you do get the option to expand it up to 1TB with a microSD card.
Connectivity capabilities include dual SIM 5G (works with AT&T and T-Mobile 5G), Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and GPS. In my testing, the A14 achieved download speeds of around 80Mbps on AT&T’s sub-6GHz 5G network. This is comparable to what you would get with more expensive 5G phones on the same network.
The hefty 5,000 mAh battery delivered close to 10 hours of screen-on time for me – enough to get through a full day of moderate usage. Charging speed is limited to 15W, taking over 2 hours for a complete top-up.
Camera Performance
On the imaging front, as we had Galaxy A14 5G review, it retains the same triple camera setup as the A13 – consisting of a 50MP main, 2MP macro, and 2MP depth sensor.
The primary 50MP shooter utilizes pixel-binning technology to output 12.5MP photos by default. Images came out quite nice in daylight, with ample detail and accurate colors. Close-up shots also looked great, with the macro camera capturing small subjects.
Sample daytime photo with good detail
Low-light photos did show some noise and graininess. But that’s expected for an entry-level camera. The lack of dedicated ultra-wide and telephoto lenses limits versatility to an extent.
Sample low-light photo with noise
The 13MP selfie camera is a noticeable upgrade over the 5MP sensor on the A13. It produced social media-ready shots with natural skin tones and decent sharpness.
Video recording maxes out at 1080p 30fps, sufficient for casual home videos and social sharing. The footage was stabilized properly with accurate colors, in my experience.
Software and Updates
The Galaxy A14 ships with the latest Android 13 software and Samsung’s One UI 5 interface. As typical for Samsung, you get a highly customized skin with themes, icons, animations, and features quite different from stock Android. It may take some adjusting for users coming from non-Samsung phones. But OneUI has matured nicely over the years, and I didn’t face any significant issues.
An aspect where the A14 excels is long-term software support. Samsung promises 2 major Android OS updates and 4 years of security updates, superior to most competing budget smartphones.
Final Verdict
With a sharp display, competent performance, solid cameras, and meaningful 5G connectivity, in the Samsung Galaxy A14 5g review packs impressive features, considering its affordable 509 AED pricing. The excellent software update commitment from Samsung is also a big plus.
It has flaws – battery life could be better, low light camera output is just average, and fast charging is missing. But on the whole, when you look at the overall package, the A14 manages to strike an excellent balance and outshines rivals like the Moto G Play and TCL 40 XE 5G.
If you want an inexpensive phone that doesn’t compromise too much on the experience, the Galaxy A14 5G review deserves strong consideration. It rightfully earns our recommendation as one of the best budget 5G smartphones you can buy today.
