Galaxy S23 fashion at a rock-bottom value

Samsung’s budget-friendly Galaxy A sequence is as dependable as they arrive. It covers each value vary, from the most effective finances telephones to only beneath the flagship stage, and also you get specs that greater than justify the worth of entry. Nonetheless, a handful of the newer Galaxy A fashions I’ve examined began to stray from their reasonably priced promise. As Samsung tried to staple 5G assist onto cheaper and cheaper tiers of its Galaxy A gadgets, the worth hikes slowly started to hit. Now, it’s making an attempt to make up for these missteps with a agency return to the sub-$200 phase.

Has it paid off? With the Galaxy A14 5G, completely sure — that is one in every of Samsung’s greatest entry-level telephones we’ve seen up to now. Discover out why in our Samsung Galaxy A14 5G overview.

• Samsung Galaxy A14 5G (4GB/64GB): $199 / £219 / €229

Samsung launched the Galaxy A14 5G firstly of January 2023 as a part of CES. It succeeds the Galaxy A13 5G, sticking to a well-established formulation somewhat than reinventing the finances wheel. When you won’t have the ability to inform the 2 aside at first, the Galaxy A14 5G implements a couple of minor tweaks and a much-needed $50 value minimize to entice finances consumers. In chosen areas, Samsung additionally provides a 4G-only model of the Galaxy A14, which is barely extra reasonably priced.

Samsung seems to be within the technique of unifying the design language of all of its Android telephones, a transfer that pays off properly for the Galaxy A14 5G. It resembles the Galaxy S23 sequence — not less than from behind — providing barely rounded sides and a flat show and again panel. In fact, the Galaxy A14 5G drops the flagship aluminum construct, as a substitute providing a plastic again to maintain the prices low. Samsung additionally doesn’t record any particular safety for the glass; we’ve requested and can replace accordingly. That plastic body homes a quantity rocker and side-mounted fingerprint reader on the appropriate, whereas a 3.5mm headphone jack and a single speaker flank the bottom-mounted USB-C port. The Galaxy A14 5G is barely bigger than the Galaxy A13 5G, increasing from a 6.5-inch LCD panel to a 6.6-inch one, and whereas it sticks with a 90Hz refresh fee, the show can now output at a a lot crisper Full HD+ decision.

Below the plastic facade, you’ll discover the identical MediaTek Dimensity 700 chipset that Samsung used on the Galaxy A13 5G. It doesn’t supply a efficiency increase, although the marginally older {hardware} signifies that Samsung can supply its finances gadget at a greater value. The Dimensity 700 is paired up with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, the latter of which you’ll increase utilizing the microSD slot on the left aspect of the gadget. Samsung additionally saved the identical 5,000mAh battery and 15W wired charging, and there’s nonetheless no charger within the field. Try our record of the most effective chargers when you’ll want one.

The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G unit I examined arrived with Android 13 and One UI proper out of the field, and it advantages from Samsung’s beneficiant replace insurance policies. The Galaxy A14 5G ought to see two full Android variations and 4 years of safety patches earlier than the tip of its life.

As talked about, there’s no charger included within the field with the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G, although you continue to get a USB-C cable, a SIM ejector instrument, and a fast begin information to get you up and working.

You possibly can decide up the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G both unlocked or via a provider, with pricing beginning at $199. It is a $50 minimize over the Galaxy A13 5G, and you’ll usually discover the gadget for even much less via a trade-in deal. Within the US, it is available in a single Black colorway.

It’s getting more durable and more durable to inform Samsung’s many telephones aside. Whether or not they’re finances telephones or flagships, at first look, there are extra similarities than variations. The Galaxy A14 5G’s digicam design and barely rounded sides are lifted straight from the Galaxy S23 sequence, and so they make the telephone really feel a lot nicer in hand than its $200 price ticket would recommend. The Galaxy A14 5G’s plastic again can also be completed with a sequence of plastic ridges, making it simpler to carry and simpler on the eyes.

Samsung upgraded the Galaxy A14 5G’s show, increasing it a tenth of an inch and bumping it to a Full HD+ decision. I discovered that it was barely sharper when streaming movies when in comparison with the Galaxy A13 5G, and the sharper display pairs properly with the 90Hz refresh fee. You possibly can lock the refresh fee to 60Hz to avoid wasting battery, however I didn’t really feel the necessity to, given the big 5,000mAh cell and modest processing energy. Ending off the Galaxy A14 5G’s design, it’s good to see a couple of options that flagship gadgets have deserted. This is without doubt one of the few Samsung gadgets nonetheless carrying a headphone jack, and the microSD slot helps to make up for the modest 64GB of storage.

One UI is pretty much as good as ever on the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G, providing Android 13 proper out of the field. It’s decked out with customization choices to match your app icons to your wallpaper, and you’ll delete virtually the entire bloatware, equivalent to Netflix, Fb, and numerous Microsoft apps. The Galaxy A14 5G additionally has a brilliant way forward for updates to sit up for, with two years of Android assist and 4 years of normal safety protection. That’s an awesome replace coverage for such an affordable telephone.

As standard, a 5,000mAh battery and a modest 5G-capable processor are a match made in heaven. Sure, the Dimensity 700 is identical 7nm chipset from the earlier Galaxy A13 5G, which launched means again in 2020, however it has simply sufficient energy to skate via on a regular basis actions like scrolling social media and loading up a couple of movies on YouTube. It made mild work of streaming from Spotify to my native community of Google Nest Mini audio system, and I managed shut to 2 days of use on a single cost.

I saved gaming to a minimal on the Galaxy A14 5G because it’s not outfitted to deal with extra demanding video games, however light-weight titles ought to run with out problem. You won’t wish to danger Genshin Impression on its lowest setting, however easy motion titles and puzzle video games like Two Dots or Wordle — when you’re like my dad and nonetheless play it — will run simply wonderful.

Lastly, we are able to’t let the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G go with out mentioning its value minimize. We had been sorely disenchanted final 12 months when the Galaxy A13 5G jumped to $249 within the identify of its 5G processor, so it’s a aid to see a return to a sub-$200 price ticket for the primary time for the reason that Galaxy A12.

Sadly, there’s solely a lot you’ll be able to cram right into a $199 Android gadget. Whereas the general Galaxy A14 5G design is flagship impressed, its match and end go away one thing to be desired. The 6.6-inch show is made even taller with hefty high and backside bezels, and the aspect bezels are virtually as giant. Samsung’s finances decide additionally has some hassle with brightness, not less than in direct daylight. I repeatedly needed to protect the show from the solar to examine photographs whereas testing the digicam.

The Galaxy A14’s plastic building is acceptable for the worth tag — we wouldn’t count on an aluminum body or top-end variants of Gorilla Glass on the show, however it already exhibits some sturdiness issues. Our unit has picked up a couple of wonderful scratches after only a few months, and I didn’t precisely put it via the wringer. I completely recommend you seize an excellent case. There’s additionally no sturdiness ranking for water or mud, a function that’s begun trickling right down to different finances choices just like the Moto G Play (2023) with its IP52 certification.

Additionally, as a lot as we reward a big battery when paired with a power-sipping processor, we’re going to be simply as vocal about underwhelming charging. The Galaxy A14 5G nonetheless powers up at simply 15W and also you’ll decide up round 20% of the cost in half an hour, with full juice taking greater than two hours. Whereas not the slowest charging telephone in its value vary, a few of its rivals do supply extra energy.

Samsung’s alternative of side-mounted fingerprint readers has left me pissed off as properly. It’s simple sufficient to seek out alongside the aspect rail, however it doesn’t push in very far, which leaves me pondering that I missed it as a rule. I’ve additionally had points with accuracy, winding up locked out for 30-second cooldown intervals a number of occasions per day. There are many different methods to unlock the gadget, however Samsung isn’t any stranger to side-mounted readers that carry out much better, so I wasn’t anticipating this stage of hassle.

I can perceive Samsung sticking with the Dimensity 700 processor for an additional 12 months, particularly if the transfer was to save lots of on prices. That mentioned, I observed a good quantity of stuttering when pushing the Galaxy A14 5G too laborious. Switching between digicam lenses takes greater than a second, and there was an identical quantity of lag after I tried to open picture previews. The 90Hz refresh fee display is fluid sufficient to maintain up with rapidly scrolling via menus, although it often outpaces YouTube and Spotify when loading lengthy playlists.

Lastly, though it’s good to see a headphone jack on the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G, the speaker setup is underwhelming. It skips stereo sound, providing only one down-firing unit throughout from the headphone jack. I performed via a part of the brand new Boygenius report and couldn’t shake the truth that the sound felt unbalanced or that pitches each excessive and low misplaced a few of their readability at high quantity.

The Galaxy A14 5G’s triple digicam setup is copied and pasted from the Galaxy S23 — not less than aesthetically. Every lens lives in its personal round housing, ringed by a shiny ridge and accompanied by a single flash. Nonetheless, the aesthetics are about all the 2 digicam telephones have in frequent. The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G packs a 50MP major sensor, however it swaps the flagship’s ultrawide and telephoto shooters for 2MP macro and depth backups. Because it seems, the Galaxy A14 5G has one actually helpful sensor and two buddies which can be alongside for the experience.

Unsurprisingly, I put that 50MP sensor via the majority of the testing, taking advantage of a stunning spring day on the east coast. It bins to 12.5MP photographs by default, and I used to be pleasantly stunned with the outcomes, for probably the most half. I used to be able to pan the setup at first, with most photographs trying fairly uneven within the viewfinder earlier than I pressed the shutter button, however the Galaxy A14 5G’s post-processing does an excellent job. Some photographs ship correct coloration recreation, just like the Easter eggs within the tree, whereas others go for Samsung’s typical barely oversaturated look, particularly on reds and greens. The portrait mode picture of the clock tower is an ideal instance, with darker hues for the clock itself and the brick constructing. Samsung additionally darkened the blue of the sky, which was nearer to that of the picture on the left in actual life.

Whereas the Galaxy A14 5G’s major sensor handles topics and nearer objects properly, I’ve observed that particulars get a bit gentle within the background. The bushes and leaves within the picture to the underside left are likely to run collectively, and the identical goes for the picture of the yellow flag. The Galaxy A14 5G isn’t spot-on in portrait identification with complicated topics, both. The eggs within the tree are considerably hit and miss, and it leaves a couple of crystal-clear sections of the background between the thin branches. In fact, all of that is forgivable for a sub-$200 gadget, and the primary shooter helps the Galaxy A14 5G simply compete with the most effective finances digicam telephones.

With no ultrawide digicam and no telephoto lens, the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G is fairly restricted in its zoom capabilities. You possibly can bump from the usual 1x view as much as 10x zoom, with fast digicam toggles for 2x and 4x zoom. I don’t have any complaints concerning the first two photographs beneath, although there’s a noticeable coloration shift within the sky when you hit 4x zoom. It nonetheless exhibits respectable element and readability, however each falter considerably at 10x zoom. The Galaxy A14 5G additionally skips stabilization, which makes it even harder to get a transparent shot previous 4x zoom.

Rounding out the budget-friendly setup, we’ve got the Galaxy A14 5G’s 2MP macro shooter. Devoted macro lenses stay one in every of my least favourite picks for a smartphone, as they’re extraordinarily restricted by way of total usability. It’s robust to get reliably clear photographs, and the low decision signifies that some topics nonetheless prove gentle, just like the pink flower to the appropriate.

Samsung didn’t give the Galaxy A14 5G a lot low-light love, both. Toggling the devoted evening mode comes with a six-second wait if you take a snap; I by no means managed to make it shorter. It’s virtually not possible to carry the telephone completely nonetheless for that lengthy, and you find yourself with photographs that don’t look significantly better than snapping with evening mode turned off. The Galaxy A14 5G is able to some dramatic low-light photographs, like that of the tower to the left. Nonetheless, some particulars get gentle as you zoom in on the stones. The picture of the balloons within the window exhibits good readability and coloration, whereas the American flag bench is gentle throughout.

Lastly, we’ve got the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G’s selfie digicam. It packs a 13MP sensor housed in a small notch on the high of the show. I don’t have any problem with the element or coloration on the usual selfie, not less than when myself. Nonetheless, the Galaxy A14 5G tends to comply with its rear lenses, getting a bit gentle relating to the bushes within the corners. As for the portrait shot, properly, the wash-out speaks for itself. I’m not solely positive the way it ended up a lot lighter than the usual picture, although the Galaxy A14 5G did select the sides of my hair properly. It missed a couple of spots between hairs, however the different possibility would have been to crop half of my hair.

If in case you have any intention of taking critical movies along with your smartphone, you’ll be able to most likely skip the Galaxy A14 5G. It’s capped at 1080p decision with 30fps on the first lens and selfie shooter. I took a couple of samples whereas strolling round my hometown, however the lack of stabilization left me with some shaky photographs. This high quality is in keeping with many finances telephones, together with the earlier Samsung Galaxy A13 5G and the OnePlus Nord N300, however it nonetheless leaves one thing to be desired.

I can simply advocate the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G when you’re searching for your first smartphone. It rights one in every of our greatest complaints with the Galaxy A13 5G — the inflated value — and maintains an in any other case stable spec sheet. Samsung’s Full HD+, 90Hz show is fast sufficient and crisp sufficient to maintain up, and the Galaxy A14 5G hangs onto creature comforts just like the headphone jack and expandable storage. Consider the most effective replace commitments for the cash, and it’s robust to select a greater smartphone for below $200.

In fact, the Galaxy A14 5G has its flaws, a lot of which will be tied again to the modest value. The surprisingly finicky side-mounted fingerprint reader is a sore spot, as are the sizable bezels surrounding the show, weak audio system, and gradual charging, however none of those are sufficient to outweigh the Galaxy A14 5G’s worth. You may also wish to look elsewhere when you want a flexible digicam setup, however the 50MP major sensor that many individuals will use probably the most is loads succesful for portraits and on a regular basis snaps.

When you resolve to achieve past the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G, the closest competitors might properly be Motorola’s Moto G Energy 5G (2023) ($299 at Amazon). It’s the primary Moto G Energy gadget to supply 5G speeds, and it bumps to 6GB of RAM with a extra highly effective Dimensity 930 processor below the hood. Motorola’s battery-centric telephone is $100 costlier, however it additionally provides an IP52 ranking and 120Hz show to the combo. I’ll be testing it very quickly and can replace our suggestion right here when we’ve got a full overview. Regardless, the Galaxy A14 5G is a greater purchase than the Moto G Play (2023) ($169.99 at Amazon), which makes means too many sacrifices for under a tiny saving.

OnePlus additionally provides the Nord N300 ($228 at T-Mobile). It’s unique to T-Cellular, which could restrict potential consumers, however it bumps to 33W wired charging and matches the Galaxy A14 5G with a stable major digicam, even when the colours is usually a bit wonky at occasions. I’d nonetheless favor the Galaxy A14 5G, nonetheless, as the upper decision show and stronger replace coverage add real worth.

Must you resolve to extend your finances a bit additional, Samsung’s Galaxy A54 5G ($449.99 at Amazon) is totally value a glance. It drops the finances mannequin’s depth sensor in favor of an ultrawide lens, picks up Gorilla Glass 5 panels on each back and front, and bumps the wired charging pace to 25W. Positive, it is going to set you again greater than twice the fee, however the Galaxy A54 5G figures to be some of the engaging mid-range telephones of early 2023, not less than till the Google Pixel 7a rolls round. There’s additionally the Galaxy A23 5G ($299.99 at Amazon), however it suffers from most of the identical points because the Galaxy A14 5G, however with out the super-cheap price ticket.