Samsung is one of the leading smartphone brands in the world, offering a range of devices from flagship to budget. The Galaxy A series is Samsung's mid-range lineup that caters to the needs of different consumers. The latest addition to this series is the Galaxy A14 5G, which is the most affordable 5G phone from Samsung yet. But does it offer more than just 5G connectivity? Let's find out in this review.
Design and Display
The Galaxy A14 5G has a clean and minimalistic design that stands out from the crowd. It has a flat back with a textured finish and three standalone camera rings that give it some character. The phone is made of plastic, but it feels well-built and sturdy. It comes in three attractive colors: dark red, light green, and black.
The phone has a 6.6-inch LCD display with a waterdrop notch for the selfie camera. The display has a resolution of 1080p and a refresh rate of 90Hz, which makes it sharp and smooth. The brightness and colors are decent, but not as good as an AMOLED panel. The bezels are also quite thick, especially at the bottom.
The phone has a fingerprint scanner on the power button, which works reliably and fast. It also has a headphone jack, a USB-C port, and a speaker grill at the bottom. However, it lacks an IP rating for water resistance, so you have to be careful around liquids.
Performance and Software
The Galaxy A14 5G is powered by an octa-core Exynos 1330 processor with Mali-G68 MC4 GPU. This is a mid-range chipset that can handle most tasks without lag or stutter. You can multitask, browse, play games, and stream videos without any issues. The phone also has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, which can be expanded via microSD card.
The phone runs on Android 12 with Samsung's One UI 4 on top. This is one of the best software experiences you can get on an Android phone, as it offers many features, customization options, security updates, and optimizations. The phone will also get two major OS upgrades in the future.
The phone runs on Android 12 with Samsung's One UI 4 on top. This is one of the best software experiences you can get on an Android phone, as it offers many features, customization options, security updates, and optimizations. The phone will also get two major OS upgrades in the future.
Camera and Battery
The Galaxy A14 5G has a triple camera setup on the back that consists of a 50MP main sensor with f/1.8 aperture, an 2MP micro sensor with f/2.4 aperture, and a 2MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture. There is also an LED flash for low-light situations.
The main camera can capture good photos with plenty of details, accurate colors, and balanced exposure. The ultra-wide camera can fit more in the frame, but it suffers from some distortion and noise. The depth camera helps with portrait mode, which can blur the background nicely. The phone also has a night mode that can improve low-light shots, but it takes some time to process.
The front camera is a 13MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture that can take decent selfies with good skin tones and details. You can also use portrait mode and beauty mode to enhance your selfies. The phone can record videos up to 4K resolution at 30fps with the rear camera and up to 1080p resolution at 30fps with the front camera. The video quality is decent, but not very stable or smooth.
The Galaxy A14 5G has a 5,000mAh battery that can easily last for two days on moderate usage. You can also use power saving modes to extend the battery life further. However, the phone only supports 15W fast charging, which is quite slow for a battery of this size. It also doesn't come with a charger in the box, so you have to buy one separately.
Here are some Pros and Cons of Samsung Galaxy A14 5G:
- Affordable 5G phone
- Good performance
- Nice display with 90Hz refresh rate
- Solid main camera - Long-lasting battery
- Sleek design
- Reliable fingerprint scanner
- Headphone jack and NFC
- Android 12 with One UI 4
- Two OS upgrades and four years of security updates
- No IP rating for water resistance
- Thick bezels around the display
- Mono speaker that sounds average
- Slow charging speeds
- No charger in the box
Verdict
The Galaxy A14 5G is a great budget phone that offers more than just 5G connectivity. It has a good performance, a nice display, a solid main camera, and a long-lasting battery. It also has a sleek design, a reliable fingerprint scanner, a headphone jack, and NFC for contactless payments. It runs on Android 12 with One UI 4 and will get two OS upgrades and four years of security updates.
The phone is not perfect though. It lacks an IP rating for water resistance, it has thick bezels around the display, it has a mono speaker that sounds average, it has slow charging speeds, and it doesn't come with a charger in the box.
However, considering its price of Rs 19,999 in India (for the base variant), these are minor flaws that can be overlooked or compensated for. The Galaxy A14 5G is easily one of the best phones you can buy in this price range right now.
If you are looking for an affordable 5G phone with good features and performance from a reputable brand, then you should definitely check out the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G.
Samsung Galaxy A14 5G Specifications:
- Processor: - Samsung Exynos 1330
- RAM: - 4/6 GB
- Rear Camera: - 50MP + 2MP + 2MP
- front Camera: - 13MP
- Battery: - 5000mAh
- Display: - 6.6 inches