Samsung Galaxy M14 5G Review: A budget 5G smartphone that doesn’t disappoint

Samsung Galaxy M14 5G Review Summary:

Editor’s rating: 3.8/5

Samsung has recently launched a new M Series smartphone, namely the Samsung Galaxy M14 in India. The most special thing about Samsung Galaxy M14 is that it fits your pocket. The smartphone costs just Rs. 13,490 and is still 5G capable. Galaxy M14 packs a large 6000mAh battery, a good primary camera, an amazing display, 5G support, and much more. However, is this smartphone’s specs good on paper or is it well to use in the real world as well? If you also have this question, then read on to know its answer.

The Galaxy M14 comes in 2 storage models- 4GB+64GB and 6GB+128GB storage, and we used its 6GB+128GB model for a while. Let us see how it fared while performing.

Samsung Galaxy M14 5G: Design

Samsung Galaxy M14 5G is a budget smartphone and is also one of the simplest-looking smartphones in this price range. The design is very simple but looks great. Just like other competitors in this price range, this one too has a plastic body but that doesn’t mean it looks inferior or cheap in any way. Samsung has given it a glassy finish which looks good, but it has also made the device a smudge magnet. The camera module is quite similar to that of the flagship Galaxy S23 Series, despite it being a budget phone. The camera lenses don’t protrude out on keeping over any surface. The Galaxy M14 is big and thick but never slips out of one’s hands.

The Samsung Galaxy M14 5G has all those nitty-gritty features that users want. These include a micro SD card slot, fingerprint sensor, 3.5mm headphone jack, and more. The device has 2 microphones, one on the top and one on the bottom. At the bottom, there is a Type-C port, headphone jack, and speaker grille as well. The power button and volume rockers can be found on the right edge whereas the SIM tray is found on the left edge.

Galaxy M14 weighs 203 grams, which means it is on a slightly heavier side and the reason behind this is a 6000mAh big battery. During usage though, the device doesn’t feel bulky in hand, so it is comfortable to use. At the front is a big display with a waterdrop notch selfie camera. The display has noticeable bezels, but the huge size of the display makes up for it so there are no issues during content streaming and gaming.

All-in-all with Galaxy M14 5G, Samsung has tried to make a phone that is within budget and comes with good quality specs for the consumers. In terms of protection, it comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for the display.

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Samsung Galaxy M14 5G Review: Display

Let’s talk about the display now. Samsung Galaxy M14 5G sports a 6.6-inch FHD+ Infinity-V display. There is a PLS LCD panel and the refresh rate is 90Hz. We used the device for a while and the colors on the display are found to be beautiful and accurate. The viewing angles are decent as well. One department, where Galaxy M14 lags behind is brightness. When used in outside sunlight, one’s own reflection is visible in the display and even when the brightness level is kept at max, the display is not clearly visible. However indoor, brightness levels are fine.

Also, we felt that the waterdrop notch did not really look good on the display. These days, many brands are bringing punch-hole sensors at the same price point, so the notch looks a little old-fashioned now. One can stream content on apps like YouTube or Netflix in Full HD, but there is no HDR available. However, according to the price point, the colors on the display are good, and a 90Hz refresh rate gives a smooth scrolling experience.

Samsung Galaxy M14 5G Review: Camera

Samsung Galaxy M14 5G features a 50MP primary, 2MP macro, and a 2MP depth sensor at the back. There is an LED flash too along with the triple camera setup. For selfies, there is a 13MP camera at the front.

In good sunlight outdoors, the device clicks beautiful and detailed images. The shots have a good dynamic range and the colors look natural. However, in low light images are slightly different. There is a dedicated Night Mode as well, that can be used for better images in low light.

Shots taken in low light lose their details. Even the colors look faded out when images are taken in low light. Moreover, these photos have loads of noise. Even when Night Mode is used, there is not much of a difference in these shots. All this can be seen in the shots below as these are clicked with the Night Mode switched on.

Portrait Mode in this camera works well. The object is kept in focus while the background is blurred out. The skin tones of people are almost natural, the colors look vivid and the shots are full of details. However, one might miss having an ultrawide lens in the smartphone.

There is a 2MP macro sensor as well, but it is almost useless. The shots clicked using this lens have loads of noise and very less detailing. But if we look at the budget, then the lens does an OK job.

Coming to the 13MP selfie lens, it works well and it did manage to impress us. Selfies clicked in daylight have bright colors and good detailing. There is edge detection at the corners, but that is found in almost all phones in this price range. Otherwise, selfies clicked don’t leave any room for complaint.

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Samsung Galaxy M14 5G Review: Performance

Samsung Galaxy M14 5G is powered by Exynos 1330 chipset which is an octa-core processor, while Galaxy M13 had a Dimensity 700 chipset. Although Exynos 1330 is not a very powerful chipset, it performs daily tasks with much ease. Running multiple apps, scrolling social media, web surfing, watching videos, and all other tasks can be done smoothly, without any issues.

The smartphone comes in 2 storage configurations, but we received the 6GB RAM and 128GB storage model. Just like other Samsung devices, this one too comes with the RAM Plus feature, using which you can convert 4GB/6GB Storage to RAM. For increasing storage, there is a dedicated microSD card slot.

For a budget smartphone, the performance of the Exynos 1330 is decent. Although the device works well when scrolling social media, calling, listening to music, and more, this one is surely not meant for gaming. Light games like candy crush might work but don’t expect to play BGMI or COD on this one.

In terms of software, the Galaxy M14 5G runs Android 13 with One UI 5.1. The OS is easy to use and comes with various new features. The biggest drawback is loads of bloatware as apps like Snapchat, Moj, Facebook, and more come pre-installed. Samsung has given 2 Android updates and 4 years of security patches with this one.

Talking about audio, the Galaxy M14 5G has a single speaker but the volume is loud. Watching movies, listening to songs, and more is very comfortable with this speaker. During calling, voices are clear through the earpiece.

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Samsung Galaxy M14 5G Review: Battery

The Galaxy M14 5G packs a large 6000mAh battery with support for 25W wired fast charging. With this voluminous battery, you can easily use the device nonstop for almost 2 days. Even if you are a heavy user, charging it in the morning will lead to no use of the charger for at least a day and a half.

The smartphone takes about 2 hours to charge from 0 to 100%. There is no charger inside the box so you will have to buy your own 25W charger or use the fast charger you already have at home.

Samsung Galaxy M14 5G Review Verdict: Should you buy it?

Samsung Galaxy M14 5G has a good mix of strong design, a powerful battery, and great performance. Moreover, it gives a tough fight to all the smartphones available for Rs. 15,000. If you want a smartphone under a 15k budget, that too with 5G capabilities, then this new launch from Samsung can be your choice. This one has a great display, a long-running battery, and a good primary camera as well. Looking at the price point, the performance is decent as well. All in all, Samsung Galaxy M14 5G is a good option in 15,000 price range.