Meet the Galaxy A14, Samsung’s First Phone Launch for 2023

Budget Android phones have always been an interesting bunch. They’re usually underpowered compared to midrange and flagship phone models, but more often than not make up a significant portion of the smartphone market thanks to affordable pricing, and worldwide availability.

Interestingly enough, Samsung has announced one of its newest devices for 2023, and no, it’s not the much-awaited Galaxy S23 series. Rather, the Galaxy A14 5G is the company’s first product reveal for this year – aimed at cash-conscious consumers, the device was made public at the Consumer Electronics Showcase (CES) in Las Vegas, and comes with a set of “budget-level” hardware. Priced at around 200 USD, the phone will be available for users in the coming months – let’s check out what it packs inside.

Right away, you are greeted by a 6.6-inch LCD display (no OLED here) with FHD+ resolution, as well as a 90Hz refresh rate, which admittedly is a nice addition. The phone is made from polycarbonate, and features a built-in 5,000 mAh battery, with support for 15W charging speeds. The Galaxy A14 features 64GB of built-in storage, and it does come with micro-SD expansion for up to cards with 1TB of storage. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack onboard, a rare sight on smartphones these days.

As for software, the phone runs on an up-to-date Android 13 with Samsung’s One UI software, which means that you’ll get the usual array of Samsung-exclusive apps and software services, so folks after a more “stock” Android experience might want to steer clear. Performance is so-and-so with a MediaTek 700 Dimensity chip onboard, partnered with 4GB of RAM. while this should be enough for basic smartphone usage, 6GB of RAM would have been a nicer option, but then again we have to keep the phone’s price in mind.

As for imaging capabilities, the Galaxy A14 features a triple-camera set-up which consists of a 50MP (F1.8) main camera, a 2MP (F2.4) macro camera, and a 2MP (F2.4) depth camera, something that’s quite common on most affordable Android smartphones. There’s also a 13MP front-facing camera for selfie photos and video calls. It’s interesting to note that the camera’s external design shares a lot in common with the designs seen on the upcoming Galaxy S23 and the Note S22 Ultra.

With that said, the phone’s large display and battery, as well as its affordable price should make it popular with users looking for an affordable device which can serve as an all-in-one portable entertainment station, with access to the latest apps.

Of course, the Galaxy A14 isn’t the only thing that Samsung announced at the event, with the South Korean electronics giant showcasing several new monitors aimed at productivity and entertainment. The new displays come with advanced features like smart function integration, cloud game streaming, as well as impressive hardware specs. You can check them out here.