Samsung Galaxy A14 5G is the entry point for what you could call the company's premium budget line, costing just $200. There were, of course, going to be sacrifices to get the phone down to such a low price point. For instance, it has a plastic build with a swirled texture on the back, subpar cameras, and no water resistance rating.

However, after spending about a month using this on AT&T's network and running it through various tests and daily usage, I was pleasantly surprised. I've used other devices in a similar price range, such as the Moto G Play, and the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G handily beats that device. It features Samsung's in-house Exynos 1330 processor, which does a respectable job of keeping the phone's daily use relatively fluid. The phone also has a high-refresh-rate display, expandable storage, a 50MP main camera, and 5G connectivity, all for just $200.

About this review: This review was written after a month of testing the device, which was provided by AT&T. The company did not provide any input into this review.

Samsung Galaxy A14 5G

Recommended

8 / 10

The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G is an affordable smartphone with a beautiful display, plenty of power, and a compact design. 

Brand

Samsung

SoC

Exynos 1330

Display

6.6-inches, FHD+ LCD Infinity-V, 2408x1080, 90Hz refresh rate

RAM

4GB

Storage

64GB, expandable up to 1TB via microSD card

Battery

5000mAh

Ports

USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack

Operating System

Android 13, OneUI 5.1

Front camera

13MP, f/2.0

Connectivity

Wi-Fi, NFC, 5G, LTE, Bluetooth 5.2

Dimensions

6.60x3.07x0.36-inches (167.7x78x9.1 mm )

Colors

Black

Weight

204g

IP Rating

🚫

Pros

• Solid performance for the price
• Nice looking, 90Hz display
• Great battery life
• Main camera is better than the competition

Cons

• Macro and depth cameras are wasted
• The back feels cheap and makes the phone feel hollow
• Single loudspeaker is just meh

$200 at Amazon $200 at Best Buy $200 at Samsung $200 at AT&T $200 at Verizon

Samsung Galaxy A14 5G: Pricing and availability

Samsung took the wraps off the Galaxy A14 5G in January 2023 for the U.S. market. While Samsung generally offers its phones in a variety of colors, the A14 5G only comes in black. The device also only has one variant to pick from with 64GB internal storage, expandable up to 1TB via microSD card, and 4GB RAM. Where you do get options are in the places you can purchase the phone. It's available for $200 at Amazon, Best Buy, Samsung, AT&T, Verizon, and more.

Design and hardware: Taking the good with the bad

Like many other phones released in the past few years, there's very little inside the box itself. You get to a USB-C cable, is SIM ejector tool, paperwork, and a phone. So, of course, you'll need to find a good wall charger that can handle at least the 15W maximum charging rate to refill the 5,000mAh battery.

Picking up the phone, it feels nice in the hand, although it's a bit light, which can be attributed to the build materials. Instead of a glass front and back with aluminum side rails like more expensive phones like the Galaxy A54, the Galaxy A14 5G has a plastic backplate and rails. That backplate does have a swirled texture, which adds some grip and helps to reduce fingerprints. But it also feels slightly flimsy, making the phone feel hollow. While the plastic will likely hold up to accidental drops and bumps better than glass would, it's still a good idea to pick up at least one of many excellent cases out there for it.

You can power up the phone with the side-mounted power button, and when you unlock it — which you can do with the capacitive fingerprint reader — you'll see the 6.6-inch FHD+ LCD screen light up. One of the most surprising Galaxy A14 features is the display's 90Hz refresh rate. It's unclear what kind of glass Samsung used here, so to be extra careful, you'll probably want to pick up one of the best screen protectors.

I was unable to find an official rating for the maximum brightness level, but it does get fairly bright, and you can view the screen in most lighting conditions. However, direct sunlight does wash it out to near usability.

Another area where Samsung cut corners was in the audio department, specifically the loudspeaker. Most phones in 2023, even those on the best cheap phones list, offer dual speakers for stereo audio. While the results in the budget segment can be hit or miss when it comes to stereo, the single speaker on the bottom of the Galaxy A14 can only be described as "OK." It produces sound and can get loud, but once it passes about the 75% mark, you'll hear a lot of distortion. Plus, if you're watching a video in landscape, it's really easy to cover up the speaker and block out the sound. But hey, at least there's an audio jack, so you can plug in your headphones or a speaker.

Software and performance: Familiar software with acceptable performance

It's been said many times, but I'm going to say it again: Samsung really turned around the stigma from a few years back that it was one of the worst OEMs in terms of its software and the update cadence. It was once one of the slowest when it came to updates, but now it's one of the best — and that includes its budget line. The Galaxy A14 5G is slated to pick up two major OS updates on top of the Android 13, which it runs out of the box, and four years of security updates!

Then, we have the custom skin Samsung uses called OneUI, which is on version 5.1. That's the same software the premium line of Galaxy S23 devices runs at more than a $600 cost difference. While OneUI isn't my favorite Android OEM skin out there, it's definitely not the worst. I do like what Samsung has done with its software in the last couple of versions, especially in terms of customization options and the add-on apps like Good Lock. This app isn't available to use on the Galaxy A14 5G, but there are still plenty of options built directly into OneUI 5.1 to customize the device to your liking.

As for performance and daily use, the Samsung Exynos 1330 does admirably. It isn't going to handle the high-end, best Android games available, but it does a decent job keeping up with browsing the internet, scrolling through social media, or some light gaming. Very rarely would I experience stutters or lag opening up or switching between apps. It does take the phone a bit of time to get up to speed after a reboot, but that's not an experience entirely unique to the Galaxy A14 5G, as even the best phones can take some time to warm up. But with more headroom in the processor and memory, it's less noticeable.

For those interested in synthetic benchmarks, I did run a Geekbench 6 test. The results showed a single-core score of 680 and 1,797 multi-core. This isn't completely indicative of real-world use but it gives you an idea of what to expect in comparison to other phones. Below is a table of other device scores for comparison:

As for how that battery, you'll get solid, even great, performance. I would easily end my day with a 40-50% charge left with plenty of social media browsing, some YouTube, and general use. I would say that if you limited the amount of video streaming you do, the Galaxy A14 5G could likely get you through two days.

Cameras: Only one out of the three is worth it

When phone manufacturers want to cut features to reach a desired price point, cameras are almost always the first to go. While Samsung didn't completely scrap that idea, it did cut some corners. The primary shooter is a 50MP sensor with an f/1.8 aperture with phase detection autofocus (PDAF). For the most part, this camera does a pretty good job in normal lighting. Images can be crisp with Samsung's typical high levels of saturation and some sharpening. Capture speed is alright, but like many other smartphone cameras from Samsung, you'll see a lot of blur with moving objects.

While the phone does technically have three cameras on the back, only the 50MP primary sensor matters. The other two are a 2MP macro lens and a 2MP depth sensor. Sure, both lenses offer something, but in 2023 it's not enough. Both could be replaced with other cameras or sensors, like an ultrawide that can double as a macro lens as it does with the Galaxy S23. It looks good on paper, and the triple-camera layout continues the design language Samsung has been going with for the past few years, but I'd rather the money saved be added to the RAM budget. Here are some camera samples from the Galaxy A14 5G:

Here are some samples using the macro lens and portrait mode:

These are samples of low-light photos:

On the phone's front side, we get a 13MP selfie camera with an f/2.0 wide-angle lens. Photos are fine in good lighting, but as expected, will pick up quite a bit of grain when it comes to taking pictures in low-light environments.

Samsung Galaxy A14 5G: Should you buy it?

You should buy the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G if:

• You're on a tight budget
• You want a high-refresh-rate display
• You want a phone that can get you nearly two days of use per charge
• You want a phone that will get long-term software support

You shouldn't buy Samsung Galaxy A14 5G if:

• You want a versatile camera system
• You want a phone that feels premium
• You rely on your phone's speaker for audio
• You have a higher budget

Even at just $200, the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G is a good phone. While the performance isn't great, it isn't bad, either. The 6.6-inch LCD panel looks great with vibrant colors, and the fact that it has a 90Hz refresh rate is pretty impressive at the price. I do wish Samsung had done a bit more for the plastic backplate. I do appreciate the texture used to give it some pizzazz, but the plastic itself is a bit flimsy, making the phone feel cheap. But the tuning of the software on top of Android, which will get updated to at least two updates from Android 13, is well-done. It also helps the 5,000mAh battery eke out nearly two days of use per charge.

The cameras are lacking, as they typically do for budget smartphones, but they're not nearly as bad as other phones in a similar price range. The primary camera can capture some really nice photos in the right environments and the inclusion of a night mode that really does make a difference is a plus in my books. If you're looking for a good phone and are on a tight budget, the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G is a great device to consider.

Samsung Galaxy A14 5G

Recommend

The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G is an affordable smartphone with a beautiful display, plenty of power, and a compact design. 

$200 at Amazon $200 at Best Buy $200 at Samsung $200 at AT&T $200 at Verizon