Often, when you want a device that can handle your needs, you look for something built for gaming. While this ensures top performance with top specs, you can also expect to pay a hefty price for such devices.

The realme 14 5G is one such device that’s quite baffling. With its tagline of delivering “performance beyond limits,” it’s hard to believe that this midrange costs less than PHP20,000, with a base variant going for only PHP14,999.

realme 14 5G Review

First, let’s check out the specs of the realme 14 5G:

There are some striking points here, primarily when the device aims to address gamer pain points such as lag, overheating, and battery life. Considering these aspects, the realme 14 5G offers a compelling package for gamers on a tight budget who want a smooth gaming experience that doubles as their phone for daily use.

Our review unit was the realme 14 5G in Mecha Silver, which sports a very “gamer” look with its bold and jagged lines across the back of the device. While I’m sure it will appeal to other people, I personally prefer my devices to be sleek and clean, so if this is not something you like, you could always opt for the other colorways, such as Storm Titanium and Warrior Pink.

Despite this design quirk, the realme 14 5G is actually a pretty light and good-looking phone that could be mistaken for something that’s a bit more premium. The power button offers a striking orange finish that complements the silver chassis well, which is a nice touch. Sadly, there’s no MicroSD slot, but it is IP68 rated and has a fingerprint scanner for good measure.

Smooth Sailing

realme and Snapdragon worked closely on the realme 14 5G, optimizing it in many ways that you won’t get from other similarly priced devices. Sporting a Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 processor, gaming is the primary focus of this phone as it supports smooth gaming of up to 120fps for specific titles like MLBB, HOK, and Free Fire.

Some of the most played games on mobile devices are Mobile Legends Bang Bang, Honor of Kings, Call of Duty Mobile, and PUBG Mobile, and the realme 14 5G handles all of them handily. The 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display looks crisp and bright as its peak brightness reaches 2,000 nits, and its 120Hz refresh rate ensures that players are kept engaged from start to finish.

The realme 14 5G also has 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, which should be more than enough to shuffle between apps and install several games, while still leaving enough for photos, videos, and other apps.

Keeping Things Cool

One issue realme wanted to solve with this device is overheating when used for several hours nonstop. The realme 14 5G is equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, something often seen in advanced laptops or game consoles like the Xbox Series X, as it efficiently keeps the device within an acceptable temperature for uninterrupted gameplay.

While playing through demanding titles like Genshin Impact, the phone indeed felt cool to the touch, even during extended sessions. While it does not eliminate heat totally, it doesn’t get uncomfortably hot when playing, even at 60fps at high settings.

Additionally, the realme 14 5G boasts a massive 6,000mAh battery to actually put the vapor chamber cooling system to use. While using it regularly, scrolling through social media and watching a couple of episodes of our favorite series on Netflix and Disney Plus, the realme 14 5G lasted over 14 hours, more than enough to get you through a whole day before needing to charge. Of course, mileage may vary, and it would be tough to replicate these conditions, but know that you’ll have enough juice to last a day of regular use, and then some.

In case you need to charge quickly, it comes with a 45W fast charger for those sticky situations, charging from zero to full in about 1.5 hours.

Gaming with GT

Much of today’s devices have AI to assist it in some form, and this is true of the realme 14 5G. Choosing to put full focus on its gaming capabilities, its GT Boost platform takes center stage.

GT Boost is a suite of features that enhance the gaming experience by increasing device response and keeping frame rates as stable as possible, among other benefits. Multiple things working together result in players experiencing zero hiccups during gameplay, which is quite impressive for a phone of this price range.

AI Motion Control allows players to support custom settings for motion controls, while Geek Power Tuning adjusts CPU and GPU usage as needed. There are even small things such as settings that will disallow pulling down the notification screen while playing. It may not sound like much, but realme’s commitment to keeping players engaged while playing adds up, and, as mentioned, is pleasant to see at this price range.

Overall, the realme 14 5G is an impressive midranger that puches above its price range with an array of features and specifications that you would normally find in higher priced devices. Combining a sleek design with a massive 6,000mAh battery and a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, tasks ranging from work to play can be done easily without breaking the bank.

The realme 14 5G is now available in the Philippines at PHP17,999.