Realme 14 Pro+: Why I Ditched Samsung for This Mid-Range Marvel

Hello!

This review was written and photographed using two smartphones, my trusty old Samsung S9 and the Realme 14 Pro+. I've been a Samsung fan for a while now, but I've tried switching to other brands before.

I was happy with my S9, but it was getting old. Storage was running low, and I had to clean up the cache, RAM, and internal storage multiple times a day. I couldn't update my important apps because of the lack of space. I had to delete everything I could to free up some space. And to make matters worse, the Android version was getting outdated, since Samsung had stopped supporting my model.

But there was one thing I loved about my S9 - the camera. It was really good, and as a photography enthusiast, a good camera is a top priority for me. I used to have a DSLR camera, but I switched to a smartphone camera for convenience. So, when I'm looking for a new phone, the camera is one of the most important factors for me.

With my birthday coming up, my husband decided to get me a new phone as a gift. I told him that I had two non-negotiables: a camera that's at least as good as my current one, and more storage and memory. Although, I have to admit, even those specs might not be available in newer models anymore.

My husband is also a Samsung fan, so he started looking at their options. We initially considered the S24, but the price was a bit steep, especially since the S25 had just come out. So, we settled on the S24 FE, which is a more budget-friendly option. We ruled out the A series, though, since I'm not too impressed with their cameras. And, as I mentioned, the camera is really important to me.

I've got to say, my smartphone is everything to me now. I've ditched my tablet and laptop, and this is all I'm using. It's got all my shopping apps with loyalty cards, bank apps, and contactless payments, social media with my followers, Telegram for keeping up with news, messaging apps for home and school chats, my MESH diary, government services, and doctor's appointments, taxes, and all that. Plus, I've got IVI with movies, loads of photos and videos to remember, and Avito for selling stuff every now and then. And, of course, marketplaces are a bonus!

We headed to M-video, and my husband was set on buying the S24 Fe (it's not the cheapest store, but we wanted to take it on a 10-month installment plan with our Halva partner). The consultants saw what we were interested in and kind of skeptically reacted to the cut-down version of the S24. They then dragged us over to show us this phone as a better alternative.

When they found out how much we cared about the camera, they highlighted that this one has a Sony camera. And, yeah, in the store, they ran some tests, and this phone performed way better than the S24 Fe. It can even shoot underwater! This phone has some sort of dual Pro camera, triple flash, and 3x optical zoom.

They definitely made us rethink things. Honestly, I wasn't considering Chinese phones before.

My husband was browsing through mid-range phone collections with good cameras, and this phone wasn't even on the list. Although, it's a new release, so maybe that's why.

I've only got a Huawei smart bracelet from Chinese brands, and I'm happy with it.

I've got a kid who's been using a super cheap Realme phone for a few years now - it was a gift from Santa. It's hilarious how quickly the screen protector cracked when we put it on. He'd drop the thing all the time. We ended up taking the screen protector off, and it's been fine ever since. Although, I'm not sure he's magically stopped dropping it, especially after playing games. Anyway, the phone's been doing its job, and it's still going strong despite the rough treatment. The only thing that really gets my goat is how slow it charges. But, I guess you get what you pay for.

After that little detour, we headed back home to look into this new information.

There wasn't a ton of info out there, but what we did find was that the S24 Fe seems to edge out the Realme in some areas, but not all. And... it's more expensive.

So, if I'm being realistic, I'd have to settle for the 8/256 GB S-variant, whereas I could get the Realme 12/512 GB for the same price.

Both phones don't have a microSD card slot, which is something to consider.

Given that, I decided to take a chance and ordered the Realme 14 Pro+ on Ozon that same evening.

Now, let's talk about the Realme 14 Pro+ specs:Display: I'm loving the 6.83-inch OLED screen with a 2800×1272 pixel resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and a max brightness of 1200 nits. It's a real treat for the eyes!Chipset: The Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 (4nm) processor is a beast, clocking in at up to 2.5GHz, and paired with the Adreno 810 graphics card.RAM: You can choose between 8 or 12GB of RAM, which is more than enough for most users.Storage: The 256 or 512GB storage options are plenty for storing all your apps, photos, and videos.Cameras: The triple-camera setup is impressive, with a 50MP primary sensor (Sony IMX896), a 50MP periscope lens (Sony LYT-600), and an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens. The front camera is a 32MP snapper.Battery: The 6000mAh battery is massive, and the 80W charger that comes in the box will get you back up and running in no time.Software: The phone comes with Android 15 and the realme UI 6.0 out of the box.Connectivity: You get 5G, 4G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, GLONASS, and NFC.Dimensions: The phone measures 163.5×77.3×8mm, and weighs 194 grams.I opted for the 12GB/512GB variant, and I'm so glad I did!

I found it cheaper on Ozon (they're also partners with Xalva), and I made sure to choose a reputable seller. We didn't go for the cheapest option, but rather a seller that's actually Ozon itself. Interestingly, we also bought our son's Realme phone from Ozon, and we had no issues.

By the next evening, it was already delivered to the post office.

My husband checked it out at the post office, compared the phone's markings with the box, and even turned it on.

And here it is:

The box was sealed from the start.

Size-wise, it's pretty compact:

This thing is a real mood booster! Inside, everything is neat and tidy - no skimping on quality here:

The box contents:

I have to admit, the 2-year warranty is a bit concerning... But my son's had a Realme for longer than that, and it's still going strong!

Phone size in relation to my hand:

Some of the benefits of this model, as listed on the screen sticker:

I've got to say, this camera is a beast, and the screen is super comfortable to look at. Plus, the fast 80W charging with a big battery and a modern processor is a major win. I'm pretty sure most flagships have stopped including the charger in the box, but this one comes with it, along with a USB cable and a screen protector. And get this - there's even a bumper included!

That 80W charging is insane, by the way! Inside the box, you'll find the usual user manual and other stuff, all in Russian, no less.

The back isn't made of metal, but it's got this cool special coating (think mother-of-pearl) that shimmers and changes color in the cold. I've seen people putting it in the fridge to see it turn blue, but I'm not brave enough to try that! I'll show you how it looks in a 'warm' light, from different angles:

The bumper that comes with this thing is seriously solid – it's like it's glued on, and it doesn't budge. If you want to show off the rear, you could probably find a transparent bumper to fit.But let's talk about the real star of the show: this Sony camera with three flashes.

And yes, I'm getting ahead of myself, but underwater shooting is totally possible.

The screen is super bright, and the color reproduction is top-notch: I later switched to the standard color profile. The default setting is a bit too bright. There are some decent wallpapers that come with the device, but I found some awesome ones to download for free pretty quickly.

I'm really loving it! Since I often use my device to take food pics for social media, I thought I'd show you what it can do:

This one's a morning shot - not the best lighting, I know. And here's a daytime shot:

And on the street, on a cloudy day:

It looks pretty good.Here's a high-resolution shot:

And another shot at 3x zoom:

And a few shots on the street with good lighting:

Another couple of photos where you can see the background blur. In auto mode, I got:

And here's how it performs in Portrait mode against the light:

I transferred most of the data from my old phone using my Google account. Even the photos and music transferred from my Samsung's memory card. I just had to reinstall my bank apps.

It connects seamlessly with my wireless speaker and Air pods.

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I easily loaded Mir pay and paid with my phone using NFC.

All in all, I'm writing this review from it, and so far, I'm pretty happy. After just over a day and a half of heavy use, I still have 37% battery left.

The gaming experience on this phone is a huge improvement over my old S9. I used to have constant crashes and issues with VPN, but that's not a problem here. I can play games all day without any issues, and the VPN works just as well as it did on my old phone. Plus, when I load up a game, I get a nice little notification that the game engine is loading - it's a nice touch.

I also stumbled upon a really cool feature - the ability to suppress background noise. I turned it on and was talking to my husband on the street during a pretty strong windstorm. He said he couldn't even hear the wind, it was like I was talking from inside the house. It's really nice to have that kind of feature.

And let's talk about battery life - this phone holds its charge for a long time. I used to see my S9's battery drop to 25-30% and I'd have to charge it before I left the house. But with this phone, I can go out the door with a similar charge level and still have plenty of juice left.

The charging speed is also really fast - it's almost as fast as the 'turbo charge' mode, which I didn't end up using. But if I really needed to charge my phone quickly, I could use that feature. The phone does warn me that it'll get hot, but I'm happy with the standard charging speed.

I recently read a comparison review between this phone's camera and the iPhone 16 and a Poco phone in a similar price range, and this phone's camera outperformed them in many areas. Plus, it offers great value for the price. So far, I think this is a great option for its price point in the mid-range market.

Of course, this phone is still new, so there might be some issues that pop up later on. If I do encounter any problems, I'll update this review and lower my rating.