Introduction :

We hardly ever get to experiment with more modestly priced US-specific devices. If you’re looking for a smartphone in the $200/ ₹ 16,499 range, that hasn’t prevented us from suggesting the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G, sight unseen, but we still felt a more thorough approach was appropriate. In light of this, we went in search of a Galaxy A14 5G and took it to the headquarters for analysis.

There needs to be some explanation, though. Various countries offer the Galaxy A14 5G with various chipsets. The Exynos 1330 chip, which is a more powerful platform, is inside the device offered in India as opposed to the US specification’s Dimensity 700. In other words, while most of what we’ve learned here will be applicable to all A14 5Gs, some aspects—like battery life and perhaps picture quality—will be unique to the Dimensity model. Even though they might wind up being similar in both versions, we won’t be able to say for sure. On the other hand, we are sure that the Exynos version will perform better.

Having said that, the Galaxy A14 5G isn’t a significant upgrade over the A13 5G. This one’s Dimensity 700, which we have been babbling on about, originates from the A13 5G. A 50MP real camera is accompanied by 2MP macro and depth cameras in the rear camera system, which is also unchanged. With a 5,000mAh battery, there is still plenty of power available, but the updated phone is 7g heavier.

When you take a look at the display, which is currently 6.6 inches diagonally, that “somehow” question is soon resolved (6.5 inches on the A13 5G). We can enjoy the upgrade because the new panel has a 1080p resolution as opposed to the 720p on the older edition. The waterdrop notch at the top edge of the display conceals another pleasant improvement: the selfie camera is now 13MP rather than 5MP.

Overview of the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G specifications :

Body: 167.7×78.0x9.1mm, 202g; Glass front, plastic back, plastic frame.
Display: 6.60″ PLS LCD, 90Hz, 1080x2408px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 400ppi.
Chipset: Mediatek MT6833 Dimensity 700 (7 nm), as reviewed: Octa-core CPU (2×2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55), Mali-G57 MC2 GPU. Exynos 1330: Octa-core CPU (2×2.4 GHz & 6×2.0 GHz), Mali-G68 MC4 GPU.
Memory: 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM; microSDXC (dedicated slot).
OS/Software: Android 13, One UI Core 5.
Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, PDAF; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
Front camera: 13 MP, f/2.0, (wide).
Video capture: Rear camera: [email protected]; Front camera: [email protected]
Battery: 5000mAh; 15W wired.
Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); NFC; 3.5mm jack

The 90Hz Screen on the Galaxy A14 5G is perfect :

The Galaxy A14 5G has a 6.6-inch LCD screen; it does not have an AMOLED display. However, since it has a FullHD screen, there are some advantages. The 20:9 aspect ratio size is 1080x2408px (yes, 8 more pixels), resulting in a 400ppi pixel density.

The A14 achieved 519nits in our brightness tests; this was true both when using the slider manually and when Adaptive Brightness was in control (there is no increase in bright light).

There is some illumination when showing black because it is not an OLED display. The calculated contrast ratio for current Samsung LCDs is 1334:1, which is bettered by some rivals. However, there are no significant contrast changes when viewed at an angle, and it is still useful outside in bright light. Clearly, OLEDs are unbeatable for contrast, and some OLEDs that compete can even outshine the A14 in terms of brightness.

Duration of a Samsung Galaxy A14 5G battery :

The Galaxy A14 5G comes with a 5,000mAh battery, just like 8 out of 10 smartphones currently on the market (completely fabricated figure, but it can’t be far off). Given the combination of the display, battery, and chipset, we anticipated experiencing durability comparable to that of the A22 5G we evaluated in the past. That’s essentially what you received, with only minor improvements overall. Is Android 13 acting differently than Android 11?

The A14 5G was good for 31:35h of talk time (29:00h on the old model), and there was an improvement in standby of about the same magnitude. We got an hour extra in video playback – 16:42h, and the most significant bump is in web browsing where the A14 was good for 19:29h. All those small increases combine into an overall Endurance rating of 130h.

Charging speed :

The Galaxy A14 can charge at a 15W pace. Since the A14 doesn’t come with an adapter, we used a dependable 25W Samsung unit instead, which is the standard choice for Galaxies with better specifications and should be sufficient to maximise the A14’s capabilities. Our electricity metre registered a peak of 13W, which is sufficient.

Charging speed is what we’d call slow, even for the class. It charged 30% in 30min, and it took 2:22h for the battery to reach 100%. We have tested some budget devices that charge slower than the A14, but some competitors will beat these results comfortably.

Speaker test :

Test the speaker While many possible rivals, even in this price range, have a stereo setup, the Galaxy A14 only has one speaker on the bottom. The A33 5G, which costs 35–40% more than the A14 but has stereo speakers, is Samsung’s most inexpensive phone.

5.0 Core for One UI and Android 13 :

The Galaxy A14 5G we are reviewing runs Android 13 with One UI Core 5.0 on top. This means that it is running the most recent OS version as well as the ‘basic’ branch of Samsung’s in-house proprietary overlay, which is also in a current version. Without some of the more specialised functions, you would receive the same aesthetics as higher-end Galaxy models.

The Samsung Pay service (GPay is accessible), Easy Mode, the Bixby assistant, Secure Folder, Windows Link service, and the Good Lock app for advanced customizations are among the items that didn’t make the mark.

However, the Android experience with One UI 5.0 Core is fairly simple and well-known. The general Settings menu, app drawer, notification shade, recent apps, lock screen, and home screen all function as normal.

Camera setup :

On its rear, the Galaxy A14 5G has a triple camera setup. We prefer to think of it as a single camera, but only the main 50MP module fits that description; the two 2MP modules come close but fall short. Sadly, there is no ultrawide.

Hardware apps list both the internal Samsung JN1 sensor and the SK-Hynix hi-5022 sensor; whereas the Hynix sensor is a more specialised piece of equipment, both are reported by hardware apps. Although it’s just pure speculation on our part, we won’t be shocked if one of them is paired with the Dimensity chip and the other with the Exynos.

The JN1 has 50 million 0.64 m pixels and a 1/2.76″ optical format, which it bins 4-to-1 to produce 12.5 MP pictures by default. It makes logical that the Hynix imager has a comparable specification. Whatever the case, this lens has an f/1.8 aperture and a 26mm comparable focal length.

Selfie Camera :

One of the A14 5G’s notable improvements is the face camera. You will be receiving a 13MP imager, and it should be the same 13MP, 1.12m SK-Hynix hi-1336 found in some Galaxy S21 FEs. The fixed-focus lens has an f/2.0 aperture and a comparable focal length of 26mm, just like the rear camera.