When it comes to smartphones, Samsung is a top player at almost every price point.
Its most affordable devices tend to offer a good balance of performance, features and price.
And that’s certainly the case with the Galaxy A15, which omits 5G but offers an incredibly comprehensive experience for just £169. But how much of an upgrade is it over last year’s Galaxy A14, which consistently ranked among the best budget phones on the market?
Here are the key similarities and differences you need to know, plus how to decide which one is best for you.
Differences between Galaxy A15 and Galaxy A14
The Galaxy A15 and Galaxy A14 are similar in design and both have a lot in common with the regular Galaxy S23.
The phones are made with a plastic chassis and back panel as well as a glass front panel, although there is no reinforced Gorilla Glass either.
The A15 is slightly smaller and lighter than the A14, measuring 160.1 x 76.8 x 8.4mm and weighing 200g, compared to 167.7 x 78.0 x 9.1mm and 201g.
While both feature side-mounted fingerprint sensors built into the power button, the A15’s are located on the “Key Island” – a raised part of the phone’s frame that should make these physical buttons e asier to operate. to use.
However, the A15’s back panel tends to attract dust, while the A14’s ribbed back minimizes fingerprints. Notably, both lack waterproofing and neither device includes a case or charger in the box, requiring separate purchases.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
The Galaxy A15 features a high-quality 6.5-inch AMOLED display, delivering vivid colors and brightness up to 570 nits. Its Full HD+ resolution ensures crisp visuals, complemented by a smooth 90Hz refresh rate for enhanced scrolling.
Despite occasional stutters from image-rich content, the display’s 84.3% screen-to-body ratio provides an immersive viewing experience. Audio is delivered through a single bottom-firing speaker, delivering impressive volume levels for spoken content but lacking depth and bass for music.
In contrast, the Galaxy A14 has a 6.6-inch Full HD LCD screen with good contrast, but insufficient brightness in direct sunlight.
Its 60Hz refresh rate may not match the Galaxy A15, but is enough for everyday tasks. Audio quality from the single downward-firing speaker is mediocre, lacking depth and bass.
Martyn Casserly
The Galaxy A15 is equipped with a MediaTek Helio G99 processor that delivers solid performance for everyday tasks. Despite potential occasional slowdowns due to the 4 GB of RAM, the device offers sufficient storage with a base of 128 GB, expandable up to 1 TB via a microSD card.
On the other hand, the Galaxy A14 has a MediaTek Helio G80 processor, combined with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. Performance is typical for its price range, with slow startup and potential delays loading demanding web pages. However, multitasking between apps remains smooth.
In our Geekbench 6 multi-core test, the Galaxy A15 scored 1,890, well ahead of the Galaxy A14, which recorded 1,321.
Connectivity features on both phones include dual SIM support, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS and NFC, including contactless payments, Bluetooth connections and navigation.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Both the Galaxy A15 and A14 feature a triple rear camera setup, with the same 50MP wide lens, 5MP ultra-wide lens, 2MP macro lens, and 13MP selfie camera.
In well-lit conditions, both phones’ main cameras produce decent images, but the quality of the additional lenses is lacking. Excessive sharpening is evident in the A15’s images, perhaps offsetting the softness, while the A14’s image processing tends to oversaturate colors.
Both cameras also struggle to handle high contrast scenes, resulting in blown out highlights. However, despite a slight shutter lag, the main cameras work fine for everyday use. Special modes like Macro and Night aren’t the best either, with the latter struggling with noise and overprocessing.
Video recording is limited to 1080p/30fps on both devices, with occasional dropped frames and poor low-light performance. Both phones’ selfie cameras are suitable for social media and video content, but not for anything more formal.
Martyn Casserly
Both the Galaxy A15 and A14 have a decent 5,000mAh battery, guaranteeing at least a full day of use for most people.
The A15, in particular, stands out for its ability to potentially last two days of regular use, backed by impressive results of 15 hours and 15 minutes in the PCMark benchmark for Android. However, the A15’s charging speeds are relatively slow at 25W, taking over 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach a full charge.
Likewise, the A14 also boasts remarkable battery life, capable of lasting up to two days, even with heavy use. Benchmark tests confirm its endurance, with an impressive duration of 13 hours and 28 seconds. However, the A14’s charging speed is limited to just 15W, which takes around two hours for a full charge.
Additionally, both phones lack wireless charging, but that’s understandable given their affordable prices.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Both the Galaxy A15 and A14 use One UI 6, delivering a familiar Samsung-focused user experience on Android 14.
However, some features like an always-on display, DeX or AI functionality are not available.
The A15 benefits from four very impressive OS updates and five years of security updates since its 2024 launch – among the best of any budget phone. The A14 isn’t as good in this regard, with only two years of OS updates and four years of security updates since its 2023 launch.
Martyn Casserly
Pricing and availability
In the UK, the Galaxy A15 costs £169. It is available from Samsung, but also via Amazon, Currys and Very.
For US customers, the Galaxy A15 is not available in 4G version. You’ll have to get the Galaxy A15 5G instead.
In the UK, the Galaxy A14 is available for £179 from Samsung, but also via Amazon and Currys.
In the United States, the 4G version is sold exclusively through Amazon as an unlocked device for around $150.
Verdict
In conclusion, both the Galaxy A15 and Galaxy A14 are excellent budget phones that offer a compelling combination of features, performance, and affordability.
However, if you’re only considering these two phones, the Galaxy A15 is the better buy. It offers better performance, better camera quality, and better battery life at a lower price than the A14.
Martyn Casserly
Specifications
Samsung Galaxy A15:
- Android 14 with One UI 6
- 6.5-inch Full HD+ AMOLED screen
- 90Hz refresh rate
- 2.2 GHz MediaTek Helio G99 processor
- 4 GB of RAM
- 128 GB storage (expandable up to 1 TB via microSD)
- Main camera 50Mp f/1.8
- 5Mp f/2.2 ultra-wide
- Macro 2Mp f/2.4
- 13Mp f/2.0 selfie camera
- Single speaker
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button
- USB-C charging port
- 5000mAh battery
- 25W fast charging supported
- 160.1 x 76.8 x 8.4 mm (6.30 x 3.02 x 0.33 in)
- 200g/7.05oz
Samsung Galaxy A14:
- Android 14 with One UI 6
- 6.6-inch LCD, 1920 x 1080, 60 Hz
- Mediatek MT6769 Helio G80 chipset
- 4 GB of RAM
- 64 GB of storage (expandable via microSDXC)
- Cameras: 50Mp f/1.8 main camera, 5Mp f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, 2Mp f/2.4 macro and 13Mp f/2.0 selfie camera
- Dual SIM (separate microSDXC slot)
- A downward firing speaker
- NFC
- GPS
- Bluetooth5.3
- Wi-Fi 5
- Side fingerprint sensor
- 5000mAh battery
- 15W wired charging
- USB-C charging port
- 167.7 x 78.0 x 9.1mm
- 201g
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