Samsung Galaxy A14 5G vs. Galaxy A13 5G: Worth the upgrade?

• Samsung Galaxy A14 5G

  A worthy successor

  All the essentials at a great price

  Samsung’s Galaxy A14 5G is the latest budget phone from the company, keeping the same adequate performance from its previous generation but with a better display and a lower price.

  Pros

  • Better screen
  • Cheaper starting price
  • Updated design

• Samsung Galaxy A13 5G

  Last year’s news

  Higher cost, not a lovely

  The Samsung Galaxy A13 5G performance is the same as the newer model, but the screen isn’t quite as lovely. If you already have the A13 5G, you probably don’t need to upgrade, but if you choose to, you won’t have to pay as much for it, which is nice.

  Pros

  • Same performance as the A14 5G

  Cons

  • Screen is only 720p
  • Less attractive design
  • More expense starting price

Samsung impressed us with the Galaxy A13 5G last year, offering an Android phone that provides great value for the price, so how does the Galaxy A14 5G compare? Well, believe it or not, the Galaxy A14 5G is better and cheaper than its predecessor, making it one of the best budget Android phones to be released in 2023. Of course, the year is still young, but it’s hard not to be impressed with this model.

It’s going to be pretty hard to notice the differences between the A14 5G and its predecessor looking at the spec sheet, but there are a few differences you’ll notice when you hold the newer phone.

Hardware and design

While the overall design is similar (yes, the teardrop notch still exists), it has been updated and improved to feel more modern and less cheap. The main difference is the old rounded plastic body on the Galaxy A13 5G is now gone in favor of a flat back with no camera bump. This is a nice improvement and almost fools you into believing you’re holding an S-series phone; if it wasn’t for that bezel and notch on the front, the illusion could hold up.

Like last year’s model, the Galaxy A14 5G, there’s a volume rocker, a satisfyingly quick power button-mounted fingerprint sensor on the right edge, and a SIM/microSD card tray on the left. Both models come with the same 64GB of onboard storage, which is low by today’s standard, but the budget phone makes up for it by offering compatibility with microSD cards up to 1TB in size. At the bottom, you’ll find a USB-C port, a downward-firing speaker, and a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, all the same as the A13 5G. Don’t expect the sound to be any better out of that lackluster speaker; however, the fact that the headphone jack stuck around is a good thing.

Another feature that sticks around for this year’s model is the camera array. On the back, you’ll find the same 50-megapixel primary accompanied by two two-megapixel shooters, one macro and one depth. A primary camera is a decent option if you like taking photos with your smartphone. In good lighting, we got some decent shots (albeit not with the most detail) with the Galaxy A13 5G, so performance on the A14 should be similar. Unfortunately, the sensor struggles with low light, making shots less desirable, and the other two cameras aren’t really worth using.

The biggest upgrade to the Galaxy A14 5G is the display, which with a 90Hz refresh rate, was already impressive for a budget phone. The A14 is now rocking an FHD screen and isn’t stuck at 720p like the A13, thus making everything look crisper.

Software and performance

The Samsung Galaxy A13 5G and the A14 5G aren’t too different performance-wise as they both feature the same MediaTek Dimensity 700 chip and 4GB of RAM, but this isn’t bad.

For a true budget phone, the Galaxy A13 5G performance was pretty impressive. Flicking around home screens, opening and switching apps, and even playing fairly intensive games like Call of Duty Mobile went smoothly most of the time. The occasional stutter or lag while opening an app or doing something intensive still happens much more than you would notice on a flagship, but considering the price of the phone, I don’t think you can knock the performance of the A14 5G.

Lastly, Samsung has been killing it with its software support, meaning if you buy the A14 5G now, you’ll be able to stay updated for longer. The Galaxy A14 is shipping with Android 13 on board. The A13 5G also got the Android 13 upgrade not too long ago, so you can expect the same software experience today, but going into the future, the A14 5G will be supported just a bit longer. You’ll get four years of security patches, meaning your phone will be in good hands up until 2027. Plus, Samsung is committed to giving it two long OS upgrades to see you through to Android 15.

Should you upgrade?

If you already have a Galaxy A13 5G in your pocket, I don’t think the new model is a must-have. Yes, the screen is better, which is nice, but the phones are so similar that you’re likely better holding off.

That being said, there’s absolutely no reason not to buy the Galaxy A14 5G over the A13 5G if you’re in the market for a new budget phone. The fact that Samsung improved the design, gave the model a better display, and lowered the price by $50 shows that they care about the budget phone space just as much as they care about the flagship market.

Samsung Galaxy A14 5G

If you’re in the market for a budget Android phone, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better value option than the Galaxy A14 5G. It’s very similar to last year’s model, but the enhanced display and lower price make it a no-brainer purchase.

Samsung Galaxy A13 5G

You don’t need to upgrade your Galaxy A13 5G to the new model, but there’s also no reason to buy this option right now. If you’re in the market for a new budget Samsung, go with the A14.