Samsung today announced an update to one of its more popular phone lines — the A-Series. It’s updating the well-received Galaxy A13 with a new A14 this week. This new model comes with Android 13, a big screen and battery, 5G support, and a decent camera set-up for a price that won’t break the bank.
Samsung highlights a few things over the A13 and A13 5G, including the more modern design with flatter edges popularised by the iPhone 12, support for fast charging, and high-resolution cameras. The A1X series are low-priced phones, so each new feature comes with a compromise.
You get the big 6.6-inch display with a 90Hz refresh rate, but it’s an LCD panel paired with a 720p resolution. There’s Bluetooth 5.2, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and SD card support for streaming or saving all your music … but it’s limited to 64GB of storage. There’s a 5,000 mAh battery, but the fast charging is 15W. There’s a triple-camera setup with a 50MP main camera, but the other two cameras are 2MP shooters. There’s also more than a little here that’s similar to the A13 5G, which retails for around $100.
Samsung’s A-series phones sell very well worldwide, often due to a combination of price and value. The A14’s specs seem tailored to that market. Unlike the more fully featured Galaxy A53 5G or A73, Samsung’s Galaxy A14 is built to handle the basics as best as it can with little regard for unnecessary extras. Aside from those on a budget, those choices mean the Galaxy A14 5G can be purchased for a few other audiences, like children or the elderly. Considering it’ll get updates for about four years, you can expect to give it to your child to use for elementary or middle school years, confident it’ll survive the years. If it breaks, another one is less expensive than an iPhone 14.
Samsung’s Galaxy A14 5G will be made available for purchase on January 12 for $200.