Smartphones & Tablets | January 24, 2024
The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G has been one of the most interesting budget phones in 2023. It was introduced a year ago as a competitively priced device in terms of features. However, it now has a successor, the Galaxy A15 5G, which was announced a month ago. This leaves us with a question: is it worth buying the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G now, or is it better to wait? While the Galaxy A15 5G has been officially announced, its availability in the rest of the world is still uncertain. While waiting for more information, let’s analyze whether it’s a good idea to purchase the Galaxy A14 5G in 2024.
The Samsung Galaxy A15 5G has been introduced, but its release in the rest of the world is still uncertain. However, it is expected to arrive at some point in the first quarter of this year. With so much uncertainty, the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G remains a viable option, especially since its price is increasingly seen lower. But is it really worth buying it in 2024? Is it a good idea to wait for a further price drop? Or perhaps, is it best to wait until the Galaxy A15 5G officially arrives? We will help you find the answer.
Samsung’s Galaxy A14 5G is a device with modest specifications designed for those who are not demanding and want a phone for everyday use, with basic features and functions that can still offer a decent user experience. It is one of the most balanced phones from Samsung and the market in this category, gaining popularity in 2023 and still being considered in 2024 as a competitive and affordable option.
For most users, the Galaxy A14 5G is sufficient for their daily needs. It features a 6.6-inch PLS LCD display with FullHD+ resolution, making it perfect for using social media and consuming multimedia content like movies, series, and videos. However, it has two weaknesses that can make a significant difference for many users: its refresh rate and maximum brightness. The Galaxy A14 5G has a 90Hz refresh rate, while some phones in this price range offer a 120Hz rate, such as the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12. Additionally, concerning maximum brightness, it has 500 nits, which is suitable for indoors and places with less intense light, but not for outdoor use on sunny days where lighting is very high.
Its performance is not the best by any means. It’s a phone that can handle basic tasks but is not ideal for playing demanding games with maximum graphics or running very heavy applications, as it may experience lag and overheating with intensive use. However, for average use, it performs well in various situations, provided it’s not pushed too hard in terms of power. It features an Exynos 1330 processor, scoring just over 400,000 points on AnTuTu, a reliable benchmark for calculating mobile performance. For multitasking, it comes with 4 or 6 GB of RAM. Regarding internal storage, it offers 64 or 128 GB, along with a microSD card slot.
In terms of the camera, there isn’t much to highlight. It is a triple camera setup led by a 50-megapixel primary sensor, commonly found in most phones in this segment. It can capture good-quality shots in well-lit conditions, but its dynamic range is limited, making it less effective in backlight scenarios. The other two accompanying sensors are a 2-megapixel macro and a 2-megapixel bokeh sensor. A wide-angle lens is missed, especially as both additional sensors are of limited use, especially the bokeh sensor, as the depth-of-field effect can be achieved entirely artificially. For video recording, it supports FullHD 1080p resolution at 30 frames per second. For selfies, the Galaxy A14 5G uses a 13-megapixel front camera, providing decent photo and video quality.
The battery life achievable with the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G in 2024 is standard, thanks to its 5,000 mAh battery. However, if you want a phone that charges quickly, perhaps in around half an hour or a maximum of 40 minutes, this is not the one we recommend. The reason being that it supports only 15W fast charging, taking about 1 hour and 40 minutes for a full charge, a time that is above average and may feel lengthy compared to other phones.
It’s essential to note that, as suggested by its name, it has 5G connectivity, something that most phones in this segment cannot boast. You can find the rest of the features and specifications of this phone in the technical specifications provided below.
| Samsung Galaxy A14 5G | |
| Screen | 6.6 inches of PLS LCD technology, 20:9 format, FullHD+ resolution of 2,408 x 1,080 pixels, 90 Hz refresh rate, 240 Hz touch sampling rate, 500 nits maximum brightness and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Main camera | – 50 megapixel main sensor with f/1.8 focal aperture and video recording capacity in FullHD 1080p resolution at 30 fps (frames per second) – Secondary sensor with 2 megapixel macro lens with f/2.4 focal aperture – Tertiary sensor for portrait mode (bokeh) of 2 megapixels with f/2.4 focal aperture |
| Selfie camera | 13 megapixel main sensor with f/2.0 focal aperture and video recording capacity in FullHD 1080p resolution at 30 fps (frames per second) |
| Internal memory | 64 or 128 GB |
| Extension | Available via microSD card with up to 1TB capacity |
| Processor and RAM memory | – Samsung Exynos 1330 5 nanometer eight-core 2.4 GHz max. – 4 or 6 GB of LPDDR4 type RAM |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh with support for 15W fast wired charging (charger not included in the box) |
| OS | Android 13 under One UI 5.1 |
| Connections | 5G, 4G LTE, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS, NFC for mobile payments, 3.5 mm headphone jack and USB type C |
| SIM | Dual nano SIM |
| Design | Colors: black, green, red and silver |
| Dimensions and weight | 167.7 x 78 x 9.1 millimeters and 202 grams |
| Featured Features | Side-mounted fingerprint sensor and facial recognition |
| Release date | Available |
| Price | From 160 euros |
To determine if it’s worth buying the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G in 2024, it’s essential to compare it with its successor, the Galaxy A15 5G, which, as mentioned earlier, was introduced at the end of last year but has not been officially launched in Europe.
The most significant differences between the two phones are found in the display, performance, and battery sections, as they share the same features elsewhere, except for the Bluetooth version, which is v5.2 in the Galaxy A14 5G and v5.3 in the A15 5G. They also share the same design and are made of plastic.
The Samsung Galaxy A15 5G has a slightly smaller 6.5-inch display, but it is a Super AMOLED screen, meaning it displays pure blacks and more vibrant colors than the Galaxy A14 5G. Additionally, it is brighter, reaching a maximum brightness of 800 nits. Its processor is also more advanced and powerful, featuring the MediaTek Dimensity 6100+, providing superior performance compared to the A14 5G, as expected. Another notable difference is in fast charging, where the A15 5G supports 25W, while the A14 5G has 15W. However, both phones have a 5,000 mAh battery, offering similar battery life.
Regarding the price, as mentioned, the Galaxy A14 5G is currently available for around 160 euros onwards. The Samsung Galaxy A15 5G, on the other hand, would come with a higher price, starting at a minimum of 230 euros. This would result in a price difference of at least about 70 euros, assuming Samsung does not increase the launch price of the Galaxy A15 5G when presenting it globally.
The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G remains a good budget phone in 2024, but it may not be the best choice if you want a phone with strong operating system update support. This could be a drawback and something to consider when choosing a phone to keep for at least 3 or 4 years with the latest software. It is also not the best phone for photography or for achieving top-tier performance or having the fastest charging capabilities. However, for an affordable mid-range/budget phone, it offers very competitive features, making it one of the best in the segment right now.
However, regarding whether it’s better to wait, it might be a good idea if you want it to further decrease in price for a more economical purchase later on. However, it may not drop much further than it already has. Waiting for the Galaxy A15 5G is also an option, but its official arrival is not confirmed, so it might take a while or may never arrive officially in the country.
In conclusion, it is worth buying the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G, as long as its disadvantages are considered, and they are not significant for you as a user.
