Samsung Galaxy A15 5G vs Galaxy A14 5G review

Samsung has always been one of the best players in the market of budget phones, offering a plethora of options to suit various budgets and preferences. Among its lineup, the Galaxy A series has garnered significant attention for delivering impressive features at competitive prices.

With the recent introduction of the Galaxy A15 5G, which came to replace the A14 5G, consumers are faced with a tough decision: which handset offers better value for money? Let’s delve into a detailed comparison to find out.

Differences between the Galaxy A15 5G and the Galaxy A14 5G

Both the Galaxy A15 5G and Galaxy A14 5G offer budget-friendly options with attractive designs and practical features.

The A15 5G impresses with its premium feel, highlighted by a tasteful design and shimmering color options. Its flat-edged design, reminiscent of higher-end Galaxy S24 range models, enhances grip and comfort during use.

On the other hand, the A14 5G shares a similar design language with other A series phones from 2023 and utilizes plastic construction to achieve a lightweight build. Its textured back also adds grip and avoids fingerprint smudges.

They both provide practical features like a fingerprint scanner integrated into the power button, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a vibration motor for feedback.

However, while the Gorilla Glass 5 screen offers durability against drops and scratches, both phones lack an IP rating for water and dust resistance, requiring users to handle it with care.

Overall, both models offer compelling options for users seeking affordability without compromising on style and functionality.

The A15 5G boasts a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED screen, delivering vibrant visuals with its 1080p resolution and smooth 90Hz refresh rate. While its maximum brightness may not be top-tier, adaptive brightness compensates well, although manual adjustments may be necessary in bright environments.

Despite thick bezels and a teardrop selfie notch, the A15 5G’s screen provides an appealing visual experience, complemented by clear and layered sound from its speakers.

On the other hand, the A14 5G features a slightly larger 6.6-inch Full HD+ LCD display with the same 90Hz refresh rate, offering a fluid and responsive user experience.

The A14 5G’s design includes chunky bezels and a large chin, which may feel dated, and its single downward-firing speaker lacks quality, sounding tinny and lacking bass.

Overall both models offer similar viewing experiences, with impressive detail and color accuracy, though they struggle with visibility in bright outdoor conditions despite measured 520 nits of brightness.

In summary, while both phones provide good display experiences, the A15 5G offers a more visually appealing and immersive multimedia experience with its Super AMOLED screen and clearer sound quality.

The A15 5G is equipped with a Mediatek Dimensity 6100+ chipset, paired with 4GB of RAM, resulting in noticeable slowdowns and lags, particularly in high-end gaming scenarios. However, it manages everyday tasks like calling, messaging, and social networking adequately, supported by 128GB internal storage and microSDXC expansion. Some regions also offer 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage variant.

On the other hand, the A14 5G’s chipset varies by region, with options like MediaTek’s Dimensity 700 or Samsung’s Exynos 1330, also paired with 4GB of RAM. The downside is it offers only 64GB of storage, but supports microSDXC expansion. While it may struggle with multitasking and gaming demands, the phone is fine for everyday activities like web browsing and media consumption.

Both phones offer limited storage options and emphasize their 5G capabilities, complemented by connectivity features like Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2, and NFC for mobile payments, catering to the needs of most users.

In our Geekbench 6 multi-core test, the Galaxy A15 5G achieved a score of 1907 points, while the Galaxy A14 5G is close behind with a score of 1855 points. Given this result and the smaller primary storage, it is hard to hide the fact that the Galaxy A15 5G remains in the lead.

The A15 5G’s camera system provides decent capabilities, highlighted by the 50Mp main lens delivering well-balanced and naturalistic images, albeit without optical image stabilisation (OIS). The Portrait mode enhances detail and flattery to subjects, while the 13Mp front-facing camera captures forgiving and flattering selfies.

However, the additional 5Mp ultrawide and 2Mp macro lenses feel more like checkboxes than valuable additions, often resulting in compromised image quality and inconsistent night mode performance.

In contrast, the A14 5G also primarily relies on its 50Mp main sensor, delivering pleasing shots in favorable lighting conditions with Samsung’s characteristic saturated look.

However, low-light photography is challenging, and additional lenses like the 2Mp depth sensor fail to significantly improve results. The absence of dedicated ultrawide or telephoto lenses limits versatility, and video recording capabilities are lackluster.

Overall, while the A15 5G provides sufficient quality for casual photography needs, the A14 5G falls short of showcasing Samsung’s renowned photography prowess, particularly in low-light scenarios.

Both the Galaxy A15 5G and A14 5G feature impressive 5000mAh batteries, ensuring prolonged usage throughout the day and potentially extending into a second day with lighter usage.

Our performance tests confirm their above-average endurance, with the A15 5G supporting up to 25W charging, providing a 55% charge in 30 minutes, whereas the A14 5G is limited to 15W charging, resulting in a longer charging time – it gets you only 30% by the half-hour mark.

Both phones also lack wireless charging, typical for budget devices, and don’t include the charging brick in the box.

Despite the difference in charging speed, both offer exceptional battery life, making them reliable companions for extended usage periods, but the A15 5G takes another win.

Both the Galaxy A15 5G and A14 5G run on Samsung’s One UI 6, providing familiar user experiences with Android 14, but notable features like an always-on display and DeX mode are absent from the phones, understandable given thier non-productivity focus.

Despite occasional delays in app loading due to slower performance, navigation is straightforward, offering extensive customization options and features like Modes and Routines. However, advanced AI-based features are lacking in both models.

Both devices come pre-installed with Samsung’s apps alongside Google’s, and while One UI offers an intuitive interface, users may find initial setup results in unwanted apps, which can be removed later.

The A15 5G receives three years of core Android updates, while the A14 5G gets two years (which is now one, as it has been on the market for a year), consistent with their budget pricing.

Price & Availability

The Samsung Galaxy A15 5G debuted at £199 and is purchasable in the UK from Samsung and several outlets like Amazon, Very and Currys.

In the US, it’s priced at $199.99, available in limited colours from the Samsung, Amazon and BestBuy.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy A14 5G provides an affordable option at £219/$199.99, accessible from Samsung UK, Samsung US, and various retailers, like Amazon, Very, Currys or BestBuy.

Alternatives to both phones include the Galaxy A15 (4G) for £169 (only in the UK) or the Galaxy A14 (4G) for $150/£179. There’s also the Galaxy A25 for extra RAM, a faster processor, and a higher refresh rate for £249/$299.99.

Be sure to check our chart for more budget phones, to know what else is there to choose from.

Verdict

Both the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G and the Galaxy A14 5G offer compelling options in the budget smartphone market.

However, the Galaxy A15 5G impresses with its solid design, large and smooth display, decent main camera, and long-lasting battery life, making it a strong contender for budget-conscious users.

Although its limited computing power may hinder gaming or intensive tasks, and the additional camera lenses might not offer significant value, it remains a better choice for those prioritizing affordability and essential smartphone features.

Add in the fact that it has a lower RRP than its predecessor as well as longer software support and it’s a no-brainer. You should buy the Galaxy A15 5G.

Specs

Samsung Galaxy A15 5G:

• Android 14, One UI 6
• 6.5in Super AMOLED (2340×1080) 19.5:9, 90Hz
• Mediatek Dimensity 6100+ processor
• 4GB LPDDR4X RAM
• 128GB RAM UFS 2.2 internal storage
• 50Mp main/wide sensor
• 2Mp macro
• 5Mp ultrawide
• 13Mp front facing
• Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz+5GHz, VHT80
• Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
• Bluetooth 5.3
• 5,000mAh battery
• 25W wired charging
• 160.1 x 76.8 x 8.4mm
• 200g

Samsung Galaxy A14 5G:

• Android 14, One UI 6
• 6.6-inch, 1080×2408 LCD display, 90Hz 
• MediaTek Dimensity 700 
• 4GB RAM 
• 64GB storage (expandable up to 1TB via microSD) 
• 50Mp, f/1.8 main rear camera 
• 2Mp, f/2.4 macro camera 
• 2Mp, f/2.4 depth sensor 
• 13Mp, f/2.0 selfie camera 
• Up to 1080p video at 30fps (front and back) 
• 5000mAh  
• 4805mAh battery 
• 15W wired charging 
• Side-mounted fingerprint scanner 
• Wi-Fi 5 
• Bluetooth 5.2 
• USB-C 
• 3.5mm audio jack 
• NFC 
• 5G 
• Colours: Silver, Black or Green 
• 167 x 78 x 9.1mm 
• 205g