The most fun smartphones aren’t the $1,200 flagships, with their minute upgrades that solely barely enhance the digital camera from the prior 12 months. No, it is the cheap phones which have had my eyes. It’s outstanding seeing what options are trickling down from the excessive finish, and the way quickly these handsets are bettering. This is nowhere extra evident than with Samsung’s Galaxy A14 5G. 

This $200 unlocked Android cellphone is, frankly, phenomenal. For two Benjamins, you will get a smartphone that may deal with most day-to-day duties with out performing frustratingly gradual, a surprisingly respectable digital camera system, a prolonged software program replace cycle, plus greater than two-day battery life. The crazier factor is that Samsung manages to enhance on the issues of the A14’s predecessor—the Galaxy A13 5G—whereas chopping the worth by $50. Consider my thoughts boggled. 

Galactic Feat

The A14 5G seems to be slightly plain, nevertheless it has a textured again that provides it slightly extra character than most funds telephones. It definitely would not really feel as low-cost as it’s. The plastic rear design signifies that’s one much less glass floor space you must fear about. The solely {hardware} flaw? This cellphone would not have an IP score, so it is not mud or waterproof. You’ll wish to watch out with it within the rain, close to a pool, and on the seaside. 

The 6.6-inch LCD show has a 1080-pixel decision which is sharper than the prior mannequin, and it seems to be completely superb. I have never had bother studying it on sunny days (not that we have had many right here in New York lately), and it is lots sharp for gaming, studying, and watching all of the TikToks my companion sends my means. 

Speaking of shows, some low-cost telephones have began introducing excessive refresh charges into their respective screens—a flagship function making its means down. Most smartphones used to have a 60-Hz display, however by growing the variety of occasions the display refreshes per second from 60 to 90 or 120, you get a extra fluid expertise and it makes the cellphone really feel extra responsive. (You can read about it in more detail here.) Samsung has retained the 90-Hz panel from the A13, which is sweet, nevertheless it truthfully is difficult to inform. It would not really feel as buttery easy as extra highly effective units that may extra recurrently ratchet up the frames while you’re transferring by means of the interface.

Performance is definitely a standout. Compared to a $170 phone I just reviewed, the Galaxy A14 5G is a godsend. I can truly juggle by means of all my apps with out my blood stress rising. This is because of the MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G and 4 GB of RAM inside. In my Geekbench benchmark checks, there is a stable bump in efficiency over the A13 5G, which is shocking given the A13 5G has the identical chipset and RAM. I believe there’s simply higher optimization right here. That’s simply mirrored all through my expertise. I can play video games like Alto’s Odyssey, CarX Highway Racing, and Dead Cells with out noticing annoying hiccups.