SAMSUNG Galaxy A14 5G A Series Cell Phone, Factory Unlock…

5 reviews for SAMSUNG Galaxy A14 5G A Series Cell Phone, Factory Unlock…

1. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   Lepidolite Mica – June 29, 2025

   I needed to upgrade to Android 13 for work, and figured my best bet was something slated to go until 14 as well so I picked this out as a fairly cheap option. Since then I have had waves of negative experiences with the software on the phone, and today capped it off with something that defies logic.

   When first setting the phone up, I was informed my PIN was too weak, and now needed to be 8 digits long. Alright, a bit weird but I can handle it. Then it maxed out at 3 fingerprints instead of my previous phone’s 5, which has caused me minor grief because I’ve found that the fingers I chose to forego, index and thumb on my left hand, I actually used a fair bit more than I realized.

   Next up was the One+ UI, a disaster of an interface that took me hours to figure out how to bypass in favor of my typical layout. This comes packaged with an obscene amount of bloatware, and there’s a hardware-based warranty void if you attempt to root to remove any of those apps, which I will never use and only take up space on the device. Fine, whatever, I’ll adapt.

   Then it decided it wasn’t going to connect to my PC with a transfer protocol, choosing only to charge itself from the connection. This was the first major issue with the phone, as I frequently moved files between my PC and previous phone and now am unable to do so directly, making file management a pain. There was one option I had left to work around this, a thumb drive with USB-A on one side and USB-C on the other, so I could connect it to my PC, drop desired files onto it, then connect it to the phone and offload them. A pain, but a workaround for the time being.

   And then it decided it didn’t want to do mobile data after disconnecting from a Wi-Fi signal, requiring a full reboot to register that, yes, I do in fact pay a significant amount extra on my mobile plan for unlimited data and it should be using that. This would reproduce every time I disconnected from a Wi-Fi signal, until finally I opened the developer options and forced it to keep mobile data on even when on Wi-Fi.

   And then today I noticed the thing that finally bothered me enough to say something. I was transferring an album to the phone and happened to check the notifications pane, and it said it was charging the connected USB device. Let me repeat that: it was CHARGING A FLASH DRIVE. The drive was concerningly warm, and there was no way to disable it as the USB settings were apparently controlled by said flash drive. I checked online for any sort of solution or workaround, and found that this has apparently been the case since at least 2017 and Samsung has done nothing about it. This absurd misunderstanding of basic hardware is so far beyond what any QA should have caught, and if it’s been part and parcel of Samsung devices for SEVEN YEARS then I’m done with Samsung’s ecosystem. Y’all can keep your bloatware and atrocious programming; see how many customers it wins you.

   Editing this review on account of new developments; I now have grounds to take off the last pity star I was willing to give. The phone has started refusing to recognize its mobile data as an option every time it connects to Wi-Fi. I went so far as to order a new SIM card to see if that was the issue, but the symptoms have started to repro on the new card as well. Given that I use this phone for work on the go, this is absolutely unacceptable. One star, fix your useless OS.

   EDIT, 10/28: Somehow, the mobile data problem has gotten even worse, as it’s just decide to ditch its mobile data while on the road with no cause whatsoever, right after I rebooted specifically to reset the mobile data after a Wi-Fi disconnect.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   M. Avellan – July 17, 2025

   Let me preface this review by saying this is a secondary phone for me. I use it primarily for work. I bought this unit to replace an A21 whose memory limitations were slowing down the phone; speakers could be a little louder. Cons: facial recognition does not seem to work well. However, this is a priority C feature for me so in my case, no big deal. Pros: screen size is perfect for me, this is as big as a phone should be in my opinion; tough, dropped multiple times with no issues; bright screen legible in sunlight; good processor, runs apps fast – I play call of duty very well on this; 5g works great, very smooth video; charges fast, use usbc on AC adapter, charges swiftly; last but not least battery life is incredible even when under great use….estimate it at about 36 hours. Best battery life of any phone I’ve worked with, easily. Highly recommend.

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Yudith cruz torres – July 30, 2025

   Excelente compra muy buen teléfono

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Beth Ellen McNamara – August 1, 2025

   Last time I bought a phone was 2+ years ago, when I got an unlocked used Galaxy 7. I didn’t need the newest fancy phone but I wanted something that would work and that I could use traveling overseas. That one worked fine until the battery started to fail. I was looking for another used phone when I saw the Galaxy A13. I tried to buy one but couldn’t. They were apparently all sold out. Then I saw reviews for the A14. It sounded better than the A13 and was cheaper than the used phones I looked at AND cheaper than the used Galaxy 7 I bought previously! This thing meets all my needs. Battery lasts 3 days with steady use. Good reception in areas with poor coverage (which is everywhere in rural Maine). Great cameras, beautiful screen, lightweight.

5. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Desktop Shopper – August 6, 2025

   Inexpensive. Does a good job of streaming.