Full review: realme 14 5G

Do you know what one of my favorite genres of smartphones is? It’s gaming smartphones that both look and perform the part. Not that there’s anything wrong with an elegant looking device that is marketed towards gamers. I just personally prefer for the look to match the feel.

The realme 14 5G looks different from its predecessors, but in a good way. It’s a device that is designed for gamers from the inside-out, but could also pass as a solid option for your daily driver.

Design & build

The realme 14 5G’s aesthetic is a major departure from the design language of previous generations dating all the way back to the realme 11 4G. The previous iterations opted for the clean and elegant colors with the ever-so eye-catching circular main camera housing.

This time, realme went with the more traditional rectangular camera housing paired with the Mecha Design for the hero color (Mecha Silver). Warrior Pink and Storm Titanium are the other two available options that go for a simpler design. I have to say, I am a huge fan of the Mecha Silver color. It definitely gives off that futuristic vibe that resonates with gamers.

When it comes to ergonomics, I find this current design to be more suitable for mobile gaming. While in the gaming position, I usually feel as if the sizable circular camera housing of previous models feels a bit off and unnatural.

In terms of its dimensions, the realme 14 is 7.97mm thin and weighs around 196g, which is slightly heavier than the previous model. A bigger battery might be one of the factors affecting the added heft. The smartphone is also IP69, IP68 and IP66 rated for full dust-proofing and all around water-proofing.

Display & speakers

Bingeing your favorite video content is much more enjoyable due to the 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED display with an FHD+ resolution. The high refresh rate also contributes to a smoother gaming experience.

With regard to the screen-to-body ratio, it is at 92.65%, so you are able to maximize the screen real estate. Peak brightness is at 2,000 nits as well. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed both gaming and watching my favorite YouTube content on the realme 14’s display.

Dual stereo speakers is a feature also worth noting on the device. You can max them out at 300% if you’re feeling a little dangerous. The sound quality does take a dip at 300% UltraBoom, but it is still actually decent.

Camera

A 50MP OIS AI camera and 2MP bokeh make up the camera module. Under ideal lighting conditions, the main camera captured good colors and a decent level of detail. At times however, some of the images came out slightly over-saturated.

In terms of capturing photos under low light, there’s not really much to it. The photos were decent as well, given the level of detail was maintained quite well. For taking videos, the main shooter can capture up to 4K@30FPS.

The front camera, on the other hand, features a 16MP shooter. I enjoyed taking selfies with this smartphone because the photos turned out well in terms of clarity and color. Videos with the front camera can be captured up to 1080P@30FPS.

I must admit, the camera isn’t necessarily the realme 14 5G’s strongest asset. It may not be a photographer’s dream but overall, it is more than capable of capturing your treasured everyday moments.

Performance

Under the hood, the realme 14 5G is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 5G processor. It is also outfitted with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM which is expandable to 26GB through Dynamic RAM Expansion (DRE).

In terms of multitasking, I experienced no issues whatsoever. The RAM also allowed for instantaneous app launches, even with multiple others running in the background. 

I initially mentioned that the realme 14 5G both looks and performs the part of a gaming smartphone. And truthfully, it does seem like a solid daily driver for mobile gamers, whether you’re a newbie, a casual player, or a more serious one.

Call of Duty: Mobile and PUBG: Mobile were the titles I booted up with the smartphone. I ran both games at the highest graphical settings. Even at the max settings, both games still ran incredibly smooth. Safe to say that even your MOBA’s will run smoothly on this device as well.

There are also some other additional gaming-centric features. GT Boost allows you to both customize and optimize your gaming experience. The Antenna Array Matrix System 2.0 allows for easy reception and reduced signal loss for uninterrupted gaming sessions. Overheating is addressed as well with the Vapor Chamber Cooling System.

The Victory Halo found on the camera housing is a fun little gimmick that realme included. It is an LED light that blinks and breathes while playing specific games like PUBG, MLBB and HoK. It also has non-gaming functions used with notifications, alarms etc.

To cap it off, the realme 14 5G runs on realme UI 6.0. It is based on Android 15, to be more specific.

Battery & charging

The realme 14 5G is equipped with a 6000mAh battery. This allows for an all-day battery life considering your usage is mixed. For just gaming, you can expect close to 10 hours of uninterrupted fun.

For charging, you get a Type-C charger that supports a 45W SUPERVOOC charge. I found that on a fully drained battery, I can achieve a full charge in around 80-85 minutes, which is not bad in terms of charging speed.

Verdict

Everything about the realme 14 5G seems to have been carefully thought out with mobile gamers in mind. The futuristic aesthetic, impressive display, solid gaming performance and additional gaming-centric features combine for a solid smartphone.

Overall, I am a fan of the realme 14 5G because of the consistency. It looks, feels and performs like a mobile gaming smartphone. The realme 14 5G can be had for just Php 17,999. Whether you’re a seasoned gamer, or a newcomer just trying your hand at mobile gaming, I don’t think you can go wrong with this option.

Photos by CJ Lavares