Samsung Galaxy A14 5G review

Unlike its main competitors, Apple and Google, Samsung isn’t scared to introduce a large number of new phones each year.

There are hundreds of Galaxy handsets to select from, the most of which are far less expensive than the flagship S series or foldable Z series. Its A series, which spans the budget and mid-range segments, is one of its most popular.

However, this does not make it simple to choose a model, with the Galaxy A14 5G in a particularly perplexing situation. The full price is only £219/$199.99, while the non-5G variant is much cheaper at £179/$150.

While the performance and display are both excellent, the cameras on the A14 5G are really a step back for most users. However, you should not rule it out, especially when compared to non-Samsung phones.

Design & Build

• Practical plastic build
• Attractive, grippy back
• Side-mounted fingerprint scanner

The Galaxy A14 5G resembles the most of 2023 A series phones, including the Galaxy A34 5G and Galaxy 54 5G. That bodes well for this less priced model, which appears more expensive than its materials imply.

Instead of the more expensive metal or glass, Samsung has coated the phone’s back and sides with plastic. This was a good decision, as the A14 5G is lighter than you might think from a 6.6-inch phone, at only 205g.

The trade-off here is that it seems cheap, but I really enjoy the phone’s textured back. The iridescent coating of the A54 5G shimmers pleasantly as it catches the light, which is especially visible on the green variant I tried. If you want a more understated design, choose for the gray or black models.

However, regardless of the color you select, you will not need to use a case. The back does a terrific job of eliminating fingerprint smudges and other debris while still providing lots of extra traction. There’s no need to be concerned about your phone dropping out of your pocket or tumbling off a table.

Of course, this necessitates leaving the display uncovered. However, the strong Gorilla Glass 5 has been proven to withstand drops of up to 1.2m (onto a hard surface) and to be extremely scratch resistant. During its 9 days as my primary phone, there were no symptoms of damage, however I can’t guarantee long-term durability.

Water and dust are two things to keep an eye out for. There is no IP rating of any kind here, so you should be OK using it in a small rain shower or at the beach.

The camera configuration on the phone’s rear is clearly influenced by Samsung’s flagships, with three discrete lenses rather than a single module. Each lens is practically flush with the rear of the phone, allowing you to use it comfortably on a flat surface.

Other significant features may be found on the phone’s plastic-coated sides. The first is the right-hand power button, which also serves as a fingerprint scanner. It’s quick, dependable, and extremely amazing – I’m delighted Samsung didn’t try to integrate a finicky under-display sensor.

Then there’s the 3.5mm audio jack, which is becoming increasingly scarce on newer phones. You certainly have a set of Bluetooth headphones by now, but having the corded option is still really convenient.

It’s also worth noticing the vibration motor, which can be utilized not only for calls and alerts, but also for typing and navigating. The minor clipped input is very accurate, albeit not quite on par with the S23 Ultra.

Screen & Speakers

• Decent 6.6-inch Full HD LCD display
• 90Hz refresh rate
• Underwhelming single speaker

The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G has a 6.6-inch Full HD+ (10802408) LCD display. Those specifications are identical to the 4G model, but there is one significant difference: a refresh rate of 90Hz.

This basically refers to how many times the screen can refresh to provide a new image per second. And there is a difference when compared to ordinary 60Hz – everything feels a little more fluid and responsive. It’s most visible while navigating through menus and social media applications, but it’s also evident when gaming.

The refresh rate will automatically change, however because it is not an LTPO panel, it cannot be reduced to 1Hz to save battery life. Instead, depending on what you’re doing, it just alternates between 60- and 90-Hz. Nonetheless, it’s good to see it on such a low-cost phone.

However, this isn’t enough to justify purchasing the A14 5G over the ordinary A14. Both provide the same basic viewing experience, with the display providing an outstanding degree of resolution and acceptable color fidelity. However, despite a recorded maximum brightness of 520 nits, vision in bright outdoor situations remains low.

By current standards, the bezel around the display is hefty, and there’s an unnecessarily huge chin. It gives the phone an antiquated appearance, which isn’t uncommon for a low-cost device. I simply wish Samsung had gone with a larger top bezel instead of a teardrop-style notch.

On the A14 5G, audio quality is clearly not a priority for Samsung, and it shows. There’s only one downward-firing speaker, and it doesn’t even use the earpiece for stereo.

As you may think, the end outcome isn’t pleasant. It’s clear enough, but it often sounds tinny, and the bass is almost non-existent. Connect headphones or get a new phone if sound quality is crucial to you.

Specs & Performance

• MediaTek Dimensity 700 and 4GB RAM
• Decent everyday performance
• Only 64GB storage, but microSD expandable

The chipset that powers the Galaxy A14 5G differs depending on where you live. It is powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 700 in the UK and US, however Samsung’s own Exynos 1330 is utilized in select areas.

However, Samsung has paired this 2020 MediaTek CPU (which was developed for mid-range phones) with only 4GB of RAM. Performance is adequate if you only use your phone for the essentials and are ready to be patient.

The A14 5G is well-equipped for common operations such as online surfing, chatting, taking photographs, listening to music, and watching movies. App launches take a few seconds longer than on more powerful phones, and moving between apps occasionally stutters, but this isn’t unusual at this budget.

It’s also an improvement over the MediaTek Helio G80 that powers the 4G variant, especially when coupled with the 90Hz refresh rate. However, if you want a tablet for multitasking or gaming, I recommend looking elsewhere.

Samsung Galaxy A14 5G benchmarks

In the UK and US, there’s also only one storage option: 64GB. Given system files that can’t be uninstalled take up around 17GB, that doesn’t leave you much room to work with.

You’ll probably need to add a microSD card, which can be used to expand storage up to 1TB. Impressively, you can add one and still have space for 2 SIM cards.

But 5G is the main reason to buy the A14 5G over the 4G model. And with coverage still patchy (at least in the UK and US) at the time of writing, it’s worth making sure that you’ll actually benefit from a 5G phone.

Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.2 aren’t the latest connectivity standards, but they’ll serve most people well. And NFC means you can make mobile payments using Google Pay.

Cameras & Video

• Decent 50Mp rear camera
• Poor 2Mp macro and depth sensors
• Impressive 13Mp selfie lens

Samsung offers some of the greatest photography phones available, but the Galaxy A14 5G shows little of that. It features three back lenses, but you’ll be relying nearly entirely on the 50Mp primary sensor.

And it’s a common narrative for a low-cost phone. You can obtain some pretty great images in favorable lighting circumstances. The exposure and dynamic range are adequate, and the quantity of detail is astounding.

The images have the rich, contrasty quality that we’ve come to anticipate from Samsung phones. It implies they’re not extremely realistic, but the colors pop.

This is especially noticeable in landscape photographs, as the many colors of fall leaves help bring the wooded setting to life. I also captured several beautiful building images, with both the subject and the backdrop typically properly illuminated.

However, in low light, things get considerably more difficult. The night mode extends exposure for six seconds to allow in as much light as possible, and it really enhances the final output. However, it has a tendency to over-sharpen some aspects of the image while making others appear overly bright.

A secondary 2Mp depth sensor is intended to improve portrait-style images, however they are still lacking in quality. The biggest difficulty is edge detection, while it is convenient to be able to modify the level of background blur after the shot has been taken.

I’m not sure why Samsung deleted the 5Mp ultrawide off the standard A14 to make place for it. There were several occasions when I wished I could snap a wide image, despite the lower quality compared to the primary lens.

There’s also no telephoto lens, so digital zoom is your only option. This may be increased to 10x, but I wouldn’t advocate going over 2x if you want to keep most critical information.

And I wouldn’t bother with the 2Mp macro lens – getting a good close-up image without washed-out colors or a lot of noise is nearly impossible.

The 13Mp front-facing camera, on the other hand, is far superior. Selfies include a lot of information, and the portrait mode here performs a nice job of distinguishing my face from the surroundings. There’s also the ability to gently zoom out for a group photo.

As you can see from my camera samples, photo quality varies greatly.

The A14 5G can record video at 1080p at 30fps, which is the default option. However, the video is frequently fuzzy and grainy, and the lack of OIS (optical image stabilisation) means it suffers with any substantial movement.

Battery Life & Charging

• 5000mAh battery
• Lasts up to two days on a charge
• Disappointing 15W charging

One of the Galaxy A14 5G’s primary characteristics is its battery life. It features the same 5000mAh battery as the normal A14 and is comparable to many low-cost phones.

That’s plenty to get you through a whole day, even with GPS, maximum brightness, and mobile data. On lighter days, the battery may last up to two days, which is excellent for any phone.

This is apparent in PCMark’s battery test, which replicates real-world workloads at a pretty standard brightness of 200 nits. The A14 5G’s time of 14 hours and 11 minutes is much faster than the norm.

Surprisingly, although having a more powerful processor and a 90Hz screen, it is also more expensive than the standard A14. However, both phones have excellent battery life.

Unfortunately, billing is a different story. The A14 5G can only charge at 15W and comes without an adapter.

Using one I had at home, it reached 15% in 15 minutes and 30% in half an hour. It took well over 2 hours to charge completely, which is disappointing.

Wireless charging isn’t available, but that’s to be expected from a low-cost phone.

Software & Updates

• One UI 5.1 over Android 13
• Intuitive software, but too many extra apps
• Four years of security updates

The A14 5G ships with Samsung’s One UI 5.1 on top of Android 13. While Android 14 is already available, there is currently no information on when it will be released.

If you haven’t used it before, Samsung’s approach to Android differs significantly from the experience on Pixel phones. All Google applications are still available, however Samsung has developed its own versions of several commonplace programs.

Phone, Messages, Camera, Files, Clock, Gallery, Notes, Contacts, and a web browser are all included. Some of them may be preferable than their Google counterparts, but having both pre-installed on your phone is inconvenient.

If you’re not attentive during installation, you’ll also wind up with a slew of games and social networking applications like Facebook and TikTok. Everything may be deleted later if required; I only wish it wasn’t.

However, once everything is configured to your liking, One UI is highly intuitive and simple to use. I actually prefer Google’s fast settings/notification box, and the Settings menu is less crowded.

Samsung’s own applications also contain all of the important navigation keys at the bottom of the screen, allowing you to use the phone with one hand.

While Samsung flagships receive four years of OS upgrades and five years of security fixes, the A14 5G does not. It’s restricted to two and four years, respectively, which means Android 15 will be its final major release, with support ending in 2026.

Price & Availability

If you’re looking to buy the Galaxy A14 5G outright, it’s relatively affordable.

At full price, you’ll pay £219/$199.99, with the phone available from Samsung UK, Samsung US and several third-party retailers.

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G?

If no other Galaxy A14 phone existed, this 5G variant would be an excellent pick.

Along with the most recent mobile connectivity, you get an exceptional battery life and the smooth One UI software – all in a beautiful, modern phone.

However, except from 5G capabilities, the standard Galaxy A14 is identical. Surprisingly, it also features more adaptable cameras, albeit neither is noteworthy.

The A14 5G has significantly better day-to-day performance and a screen refresh rate of 90Hz, but that’s about it. If none of those qualities are important to you, you should save some money.

Specs

• 167 x 78 x 9.1mm
• 205g
• 6.6-inch, 1080×2408 LCD display, 90Hz
• MediaTek Dimensity 700
• 4GB RAM
• 64GB storage (expandable up to 1TB via microSD)
• 50Mp, f/1.8 main rear camera
• 2Mp, f/2.4 macro camera
• 2Mp, f/2.4 depth sensor
• 13Mp, f/2.0 selfie camera
• Up to 1080p video at 30fps (front and back)
• 5000mAh
• 4805mAh battery
• 15W wired charging
• Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
• Wi-Fi 5
• Bluetooth 5.2
• USB-C
• 3.5mm audio jack
• NFC
• 5G
• Colors: Silver, Black or Green