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Samsung Galaxy A series comprises Samsung’s successful mid-range phone lineup, and Samsung Galaxy A14 5G is one of the cheapest phones in the A series. While the Galaxy A34 or A54 are way better than this one, the best thing about Galaxy A14 5G is the price, as it’s primarily designed for basic daily tasks. Samsung has been doing a great job with their premium lineup recently, but the company is now also paying attention to entry-level devices.
Design
Samsung Galaxy A14 5G comes with a very simple design and even so much so that the rear camera setup looks just like the Galaxy S23. While the design bears a resemblance, it’s worth noting that the Galaxy A14 5G boasts a plastic back and a plastic body.
Samsung Galaxy A14 5G is an entry-level device, and most entry-level devices usually don’t have very impressive camera features. Galaxy A14 5G gives a poor camera performance with its tiny camera sensor, this is what we commonly see on cheap phones. The smaller cameras inside the slimmer design however, what caught our attention about the A14 5G is the thickness of the device.
Galaxy A14 5G comes with a 5000 mAh battery and 15W charging, but the device measures a hefty 9.1mm in thickness. Budget devices are around 8mm in thickness since there are not too many internals inside such as big camera sensors or fast charging chips, so the A14 5G is definitely even thicker than usual. If you’re in search of a compact device, you should definitely consider the device’s thickness.
Performance & Display
Samsung Galaxy A14 5G is available in multiple color options, although the range of colors may vary in different parts of the world. Like color options, the chipset differs based on the region as well. The phone is equipped with Exynos 1330 (SM-A146B) chipset, while in others, it comes with MediaTek Dimensity 700 (SM-A146P) chipset. Both chipsets offer fairly similar performance and are capable of handling daily tasks with ease.
The phone comes in storage variants ranging from 64 GB to a maximum of 128 GB, and you also have the option to expand your storage using a microSD card. Samsung Galaxy A14 5G features an LCD display with a Full HD resolution of 1080 x 2408 pixels and a refresh rate of 90 Hz. The refresh rate is limited at 90 Hz because the chipsets present on A14 5G is not too powerful. The fingerprint sensor is positioned on the power button of the phone.
Cameras
The phone comes with a 50 MP main camera with no OIS, 2 MP macro camera and 2 MP depth sensor. The main camera sensor Samsung Galaxy A14 5G is Samsung JN1 and that measures 1/2.76-inch in size. There is no an ultrawide angle camera here unfortunately. The phone is capable of shooting videos at 1080p 30FPS. If you are seeking a device with good camera performance but you’re still on low budget, you should definitely consider checking out old flagship or a midranger at second hand market.
We should say that Galaxy A14 5G gives a poor camera experience but it’s still usable. The lack of ultrawide angle camera for a €200 phone is quite interesting though. We have added some camera samples here and as you can see the images come out with low dynamic range and too noisy when it’s dark. Here are some images out of the A14 5G.
Although it has a low dynamic range even under good lighting conditions we should say that the photos taken in day are still usable. As we have already stated, if you need a phone with a solid camera setup you should definitely increase your budget or seek into the 2nd hand market.
Should you really buy Samsung Galaxy A14 5G?
Samsung Galaxy A14 5G’s price varies across different regions worldwide. It’s worth noting that in Europe, the price typically falls within the €100 – €200 range. Pricing can indeed differ based on which store you buy and your country. Let’s compare the prices between Samsung Germany and Xiaomi Germany, the Galaxy A14 5G is priced at 229 Euros, while Redmi Note 12 5G is available at 199 Euros.
Samsung features an LCD screen, whereas Redmi boasts an OLED display. Redmi Note 12 5G boasts an impressive 120 Hz refresh rate, whereas Samsung Galaxy A14 5G‘s refresh rate is capped at 90 Hz. The only differences are not just the display panel type and refresh rate but the screen to body ratio on Redmi is so much better, it’s clearly visible that Redmi Note 12 5G has slimmer display bezels. Redmi Note 12 5G features the same 5000 mAh battery capacity but at a faster charging speed at 33W, compared to 15W on Galaxy A14 5G. The Note 12 5G also has an ultrawide angle camera while the A14 5G lacks one.
Both phones offer a 2-year software update period, but Xiaomi phones receive security patches every 3 months, whereas Samsung releases security patches monthly. If software updates and the One UI are not a priority for you, you might need to explore alternative phone options, and we should say that Redmi Note 12 5G is a wise choice in this price category.
